- Pont-Canal de Briare
The water bridge is lavishly decorated. - Pont-Canal de Briare
The canal bridge was built in the 1890s by the Eiffel company. It's just running water crossing other running water... But the canal is 662 m long! - The Loire river
Loire river in Briare at sunset. - Vézelay Abbey
- Vézelay
The hollyhock grows in every corner of the town. So beautiful. - Côte-d'Or
No wonder these (and nearby) parts are called Côte-d'Or. - Derrière une porte
I once had to write a story "Derrière une porte" being given an image similar to this one. I probably could write another one for this door as well. - Vézelay Abbey
Adam and Eve. A snake climbs the Tree of life and gives grapes(!) to Eve. - Vézelay Abbey
The crypt - Vézelay Abbey
St Paul the Hermit's burial. Saint Anthony burying Saint Paul, with two lions digging the grave. - Vézelay Abbey
The narthex was added to accommodate the influx of pilgrims, who came to see the relics of Mary Magdalene. - Vézelay Abbey
A lovely detail on the facade indicates the grandeur inside. - Vézelay Abbey
The portal on the exterior of the church. - Vézelay Abbey
This Benedictine abbey, which is a well-known pilgrimage church, was constructed between 1120 and 1150. Here stood initially a Roman villa, then two Carolingian convents, then then reformed Benedictine order of Cluny. Built to accommodate pilgrims, and extended to accommodate even more pilgrims... - Meursault
A restaurant in the town centre. - Meursault
A lovely town known mostly for its wine. - Meursault
We obviously went to Meursault because of the Grande Vadrouille, but did not regret it. What a picturesque, friendly and lovely town. - Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune
A magnificent stained glass window. But I have no idea how old it is. May be old, but my uneducated guess would say quite recent. - Maison du Colombier, Beaune
What a lovely house with plenty of dovecotes. And doves in the cotes. - Beaune Polyptych detail
Another lovely detail of the Beaune altarpiece. A piglet hiding behind the painted statue of Saint Anthony. - Beaune Polyptych detail
The red angel above Nicolas Rolin's head holds a golden helmet. - Beaune Polyptych
Closed altarpiece shows Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins, who founded the hospice in 1443. In the center are St. Sebastian and St. Anthony with the Annunciation on top. While the wife has a 'proper' white angel, the red angel of Nicolas looks quite devilish to me. - Beaune Polyptych
The Polyptych altarpiece of the Last Judgement by Rogier van der Wayden, dating from ~1446. Opened central panel shows Christ on a rainbow and Archangel Michael below him with the scale to weigh souls, with heaven being on the left and hell on the right. - Tapestry
A magnificent almost 8 m long "thousand flowers" tapestry is from the 16th century. What an interesting motif... - Virgin and Child
15th century statue of the Virgin and Child, detail. The baby Jesus looks like he is holding his own head :-) - Casket in Salle Saint-Louis
A 15th century casket shows a woman plaiting a crown and a man playing a harp. - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
View of the glazed-tiled hospice roof from the cour d'honneur, the main inner court. The roof type probably has central European origins, but is now a trademark of Burgundy. - Hospice Pharmacy
A very interesting pharmacy. - Hospice kitchen
This is my favourite part in the kitchen. The two swan-like faucets for running hot water. - Hospice kitchen
The kitchen in the Hospice. My (second) favourite part in this kitchen is the rotating spit with Mr. Bertrand apparently rotating it. It was made in 1698 by a local clockmaker Defresne. - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
Such lovely beams under the ceiling. I think the inscription says Seule * as seule etoile, meaning the founder's wife. - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
The ceiling in the Room of the Poor is an upside-down boat-skiff shape. - Christ of Pity
A 15th century sculpture of Christ of Pity sculpted from one oak trunk. The craftsmanship on the crown of thorns and ropes is wonderful! - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
Trente-trois. Trente-trois. Trente-trois... Thirty three. Thirty three. Thirty three... Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui... - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
The reason why we came to Beaune: The hospices. Founded in 1443 as a hospital for the poor by Phillip the Good was in use until 1971. - Panda Bâ
Panda Bâ by Julien Marinetti, it was placed here just two weeks prior to our visit. - Pic de Peyre Eyraute (2903 m)
- Lac de Pré Rouge
A lovely walk up the lake. And lovely benches to take a break :-) - Snow angel
This is me. - Above Tournoux
- Puy Saint Vincent
View towards Station 1600. And towards Mont Pelvoux (3943 m), Pic de Clouzis (3465 m), and Cime de la Condamine (2940 m). - Puy Saint Vincent
Station 1800. This is where we stayed. - Lago di Levico
- Lago di Levico
The calm lake after the storm. - Valgadena
On the road towards Levico Terme, just for a short break at the end of the holidays. - Caparica sunset
Another sunset in Caparica. But the Sintra hills are already cloudy. - Rosa dos Ventos
View from the Monument of the Discoveries. A wind rose and a world map. - Padrão dos Descobrimentos
View from the top of the monument. Ponte 25 de Abril, which is 2277 m long, was built in 1966. - Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Statue built in 1940/1960 to mark the 500-year anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. - Tiles in Alfama
Finding little treasures while getting lost in Alfama. - History of Lisbon
A complete Lisbon history in one passage. Mural by Nuno Saraiva. Every city should have a mural like this one. - Miradouro de Santa Luzia
An angry fish at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia - Life is good in Lisbon
View from Miradouro de Santa Catarina - Piazza del Campo
How?!? Mine look nothing like this. - Fonte Gaia
The original statues are kept in a museum, these are some (old) copies. - Fonte Gaia
The first fountain was built in 1342, this one was made in 1419 by Jacopo della Quercia. - Palazzo Pubblico
- Loggia della mercanzia
- Loggia della mercanzia
Frescoes by Lorenzo Rustici (1553-1563). - Siena Cathedral
A lion on the exterior of the cathedral. I am a bit intrigued by his eyes... - Siena Cathedral
Ceiling of the Piccolomini Library, painted by Pinturicchio (1503). - Siena Cathedral
Some details on the ceiling of Piccolomini Library. - Siena Cathedral
More interesting details on the ceiling of the Piccolomini Library. - Siena Cathedral
Piccolomini coat of arms: a blue cross with five crescent. - Siena Cathedral
Floors in the Piccolomini Library. - Siena Cathedral
The frescoes tell the story of cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II). These two are: Pius II canonizes Saint Catherine of Siena in 1461 and Pius II arrives in Ancona to launch the crusade. - Siena Cathedral
Detail of Pinturicchio's Mount of Wisdom (1505): Crates of Thebes who is throwing jewels into the sea. - Siena Cathedral
The divine interior of the Cathedral. - Siena Cathedral
The Hellespontine Sibyl (detail) by Neroccio di Bartolomeo. She was known for her prediction of Crucifixion. The wolf and the lion represent Siena and Florence. - Siena Cathedral
A detail of something. I cannot possibly remember where I took this picture. - Siena Cathedral
A wonderful ceiling, but these heads are a bit creepy. - Siena Cathedral
One of the scenes on pulpit: Massacre of the Innocents - Siena Cathedral
Detail of Liberation of Bethulia, made in 1473 possibly by Urbano da Cortona. This is the story about Judith and Holofernes. - Siena Cathedral
- Siena Cathedral
- Siena Cathedral
Pulpit by Nicola Pisano (1268). The panels narrate the Life of Christ and the central column shows Seven Liberal Arts: Grammar, Dialectica, Rhetoric, Philosophy, Arithmetic, Music, and Astronomy. - Siena Cathedral
The dome is topped with Bernini's gilded lantern. - Siena Cathedral
Detail of Pinturicchio's Mount of Wisdom (1505): Fortuna, holding a horn of plenty and a wind-swollen sail. She, standing on a sphere and a boat with a broken mast, brought the wise men to the island. - Siena Cathedral
She-wolf of Siena, surrounded with emblems of confederate cities, dating from 1373. - Siena Cathedral
The oldest bell in the tower is from 1149. - Siena Cathedral
Built in 1196-1215. - Palazzo Pubblico
A statue in the courtyard of Palazzo Publico. - Torre del Mangia
The tower was built in 1338-1348. Its height is exactly the same ad the height of the cathedral, indicating equal powers of the church and the state. - Piazza del Campo
This is the central water drain in the square, called gavinone. - Piazza del Campo
- Palazzo Pubblico
Palazzo Publico (town hall) in the Piazza del Campo. The palace is from 1297 and the tower (Torre del Mangia) from 1338-1348. - Siena souvenirs
Unfortunately they didn't have the right size ;-) - Loggia della mercanzia
Frescoes by Pastorino dei Pastorini (1549-1552). - Loggia della mercanzia
This loggia for merchants was constructed in 1417-1444. - Palazzo Tolomei
Palazzo was built in 1270-1275. It used to be a bank... and it still is. - Via Banchi di Sopra
These are very strange bouquets of light bulbs. - Piazza Salimbeni
The statue of Sallustio Bandini (1677-1760) by Tito Sarrocchi (1880). Bandini was an archdeacon, economist, and politician. - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
It does look strangely empty. - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
Now this is a wonderful window! - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
There were several flags in the church, including this one with an angry-looking fish. Actually, the flags represent different districts (contrada) of Siena. This one represents Onda, a district of carpenters. And that is a dolphin. - Love will save the world
Detail of the statue by Andrea Roggi. - Siena Cathedral
- Love will save the world
L'Amore salva il Mondo by Andrea Roggi (2017). - Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
The church dates from 1226-1265, but was enlarged in the 14th century. - Siena Cathedral
View of the Cathedral from Via Bruno Bonci.