- Renoir's house
La Ferme des Collettes, Auguste Renoir, 1915. His home. - Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Yup. - Hello there!
Plenty of interesting, intriguing, provocative or simply beautiful art in the many galleries around town. Unfortunately I couldn't find the author - or the title - of this one. - Go, Julian!
Avenue de la Condamine, between Col d'Èze and Col des 4 chemins. There's only one Julian :-) - Nice
View of Nice at night from Parc du Vinaigrier. - Eucalyptus
- Seagull
A lovely seagull waiting to steal some food. My guess would be yellow-legged gull. - Agava and Corsica
- Pic de Clouzis (3465 m)
Pic de Clouzis in the clouds. - Pic de Peyre Eyraute (2903 m)
- Puy Saint Vincent
Station 1600. As huge as it is, it still somehow fits. - View from Lac de Pré Rouge
From right to left: Petit Pelvoux (3753 m) and Mont Pelvoux Pointe Puiseux (3943 m), a tiny little bit of Barre des Écrins (4102 m) and Pic Sans Nom (3913 m), L'Ailefroide (3953 m) and Pointe Guyard (3461 m). What a lovely bunch! - Mont Pelvoux (3943 m)
Pointe Puiseux (3943) and the Petit Pelvoux (3753). - La Cucumelle (2698 m)
Ah, the lovely Cucumelle. One can actually see a ski lift, part of Serre Chevalier. - Mont Blanc
First view of Mont Blanc when arriving from Aosta Valley. - Chamonix
A lovely house in the centre of Chamonix: an hommage to great climbers and sportsmen who lost their lives. - La Grande Vadrouille
A mural with Louis de Funès and Bourvil in Rue Rousseau Deslandes. What a fantastic film! - Torch Lily
A lovely pharmacy garden in the hospice. - Clothes Chest
The 16th century box shows the baptism of Christ surrounded by sphinxes and people on scrolls. The corners show Indians crowned with fruits, in reference to the recent discovery of the Americas. - Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune
Chapel of Saint Leger or the Chapel of the Cardinal Jean Rolin (15th century). The paintings by Pierre Spicre depict the raising of Lazarus and Saint Martha on the right. - Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune
A lovely detail in the chapel of Saint Leger. - Beaune
Usually one would not want to connect driving school and vineyards. Usually. - Vézelay Abbey
The famous tympanum, which is within the narthex, serves as a spiritual defense of the crusades. It was here that King Richard the Lionheart and King Phillip Augustus met for the Third Crusade. - Vézelay Abbey
The ones who have not yet received the Word of God are not quite human: some are dwarfes... - Vézelay Abbey
... and some have elephant ears. - Vézelay - St anthony's vision
Probably Saint Anthony's vision. With St Anthony on the left, there is a figure tortured by three feathered demons. - Vézelay Abbey
Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine was under repair, so we only saw a part of it. - Mirage
Wonderful hot road mirage. Coming from a mountainous country, I am not used to such long flat straight roads! - Château de Chenonceau
16th century door leading into Salle des gardes, saying: "S'il vient à point, me souviendra". Basically - if I ever finish building this castle, I will be remembered. But I forgot who wrote it :-) - Château de Chenonceau
Lions on a 16th century Flemish tapestry. Their faces seem somewhat off. - Château de Chenonceau
The butchery. Of course the castle had its own butchery, right above the water and separated from the rest of the kitchen. - Château de Chenonceau
Every room had its own fireplace, making the castle rather cosy. This is a detail on the fireplace in Chambre de François Ier. - Château de Chenonceau
Diane de Poitiers as Diana the Huntress by Le Primatice from 1556. Diana was the mistress of King Henry II and, among other things, expanded the castle across the river and built some gardens. - Château de Chenonceau
Everywhere in the castle were huge bouquets of wonderfully arranged flowers. They give the castle a royal touch :-) - Château de Chenonceau
What a wonderfully morbid room. Morticia would like it here :-) - Château de Chenonceau
The classical view of the castle. Built in 1514-1522 on the foundations of an old mill, the bridge was added in 1556-1559 and the gallery in 1570-1576. - Château de Chenonceau
Royal pharmacy - Château de Chambord
A very symmetric Renaissance castle. Sorry, hunting lodge. - Château de Chambord
Royal oratory of François Ier has a wonderful vaulted ceiling. There is the letter F (for François Ier) and the salamanders extinguishing "bad" fire. - Château de Chambord
The residences of François Ier include a large wardrobe and closet. They surely dressed ... royally. - Château de Chambord
A bronze bust of Maréchal Turenne, a 19th century copy of a 1695 Jérôme Derbais statue. What a man. - Château de Chambord
Wallpaper in the 18th century apartments. - Château de Chambord
The vaulted ceilings in the 2nd floor: F as the initials of François Ier and plenty of salamanders, some eating the good fire and others putting out the bad fire. Just don't know which are which. - Château de Chambord
Lapidary deposit. Some original carvings of F, with a crown and plenty of ropes. Now imagine a gigantic castle full of such beauty! Sorry, hunting lodge. - Château de Chambord
My kids were fascinated by the 'minecraft trees'. - Château de Chambord
View of the castle from the road. - Bayeux Cathedral
The Bayeux cathedral is the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry. Originally from 1077, rebuilt in the 12th century and finished in the 19th. - Bayeux Cathedral
Well, that is an interesting window. On a gothic cathedral. - Bayeux Cathedral
Plenty of 13th century decoration in the church. This is the chapel of St. Thomas Becket, lower part showing scenes with Saint Nicolas and a crucifixion. - Bayeux Cathedral
Thee Madonnas in the cathedral. - Bayeux Cathedral
Saint Peter holding the keys to heaven. A 15th century fresco in the crypt. - Bayeux Cathedral
Statue of Saint James the Minor in the cathedral. - Bayeux Cathedral
Statue of Saint Bartholomew in the cathedral. - Bayeux Cathedral
One of the many 12th century carvings in the cathedral. This one depicts a man with a monkey. - Bayeux Cathedral
Imagine being a 12th century mason and you have to/are allowed to include such faces into the cathedral walls. - Bayeux Cathedral
I am confused. Are these dogs with their tails biting their asses? Or - more plausible - are they chimeras? - Bayeux Cathedral
Another grotesque creature, which surely had a meaning. - Fougères
How to express yourself politically in a very Breton way :-) - Fougères
A lovely depiction of medieval village life. - Plage de Cherrueix
What an interesting way to spend the time on the beach! Of course we booked the "char à voile" for the next day :-) - Plage de Cherrueix
The beach seems endless. Especially at low tide. - Mont Dol
An almost 400 years old chestnut tree. - Plage de Cherrueix
Such an impressionist view! Hot air and water reflections do their magic. - Guimiliau
What an interesting wooden ceiling it is! - Baie des Trépassés
Paradise. - Pont de Saint-Nazaire
One of the longest bridges in France, crossing the Loire. Including the access viaducts, it measures 3356 m. - Swallows!
- Route D673
One cannot not stop here. What a lovely place. On the road D673 just south of Calès. - Puy de Pariou
Plenty of butterflies around here. - Puy de Pariou
A crowded thistle. - Mont Blanc
No, don't look at this rock in the front, look in the back, way back. There is Mont Blanc, above the clouds, almost 100 km away. - The Sun and its sunspots
The upside of the dense fog is the great visibility of the Sun and its sunspots :-) Taken at around 10 or 11 in the morning. - Spiderweb
Another upside of the fog are the pearl-like droplets on spiderwebs. - Pomposa vineyards
Our visit to Ravenna started in Pomposa. On a lovely misty morning. - Pomposa Abbey
The front facade of the church, showing two griffins eating the fruits from the tree of life. - Pomposa Abbey
Frescoes in the refractory by Pietro da Rimini (probably 1318). This parts depicts Last Supper. Note the circular table (pre-renaissance depiction) and the animal they are eating. What is it?!? - Pomposa Abbey
Another fresco from the refractory: The Redeemer between the Virgin Mary and the barefoot Baptist, Benedict (left) and Guido di Pomposa (right) by Pietro da Rimini (probably 1318). - Pomposa Abbey
The Crucifixion in the Chapter House, by a direct student of Giotto, probably between 1310 and 1318. - Pomposa Abbey
Another Last supper, this one in the church. And again, I wonder which animal they are eating. - Pomposa Abbey
Ah, the apocalypse. One of the seven-headed beasts. But the real beast here is you, Alesso Bersano. - Pomposa Abbey
The Last Judgement. The patriarchs of the Church welcome the souls of Limbo towards bliss. By Andrea de Bruni. - Pomposa Abbey
The unfortunate ending of Saint Eustace and his family in a brazen bull. Yes, this was a torture device: one was locked in the bronze bull and then fire was lit underneath the bull... - Pomposa Abbey
The Last Judgement. The Lucifer. Nuff said. - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
The mosaics in the mausoleum are from the year 450. Let that sink in. The year 450. - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
The decoration in the dome: starry ceiling and the symbols of the Evangelists. Underneath are the apostles. - Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
What an insanely beautiful piece of work! - Basilica of San Vitale
- Mausoleum of Theoderic
Mausoleum of Theoderic. The Ostrogothic king Theoderic moved the capital to Ravenna and died here in 526. - Mausoleum of Theoderic
The top of the mausoleum has 12 'ears' that were needed to lift the gigantic dome, decorated with the apostles' names. - Mausoleum of Theoderic
The top floor of the mausoleum has some outside decoration, probably Gothic. Not Gothic as Gothic but Gothic as of Goths. - Mausoleum of Theoderic
A cross was added later to the gigantic dome. - The Arian Baptistery
Another apostle with a very unusual beard - or rather mustache and sideburns. This could be Ostrogothic fashion (it certainly isn't Roman). - The Arian Baptistery
They look very much alike, but the hair and beards are different. So in principle, one could tell them apart. - The Arian Baptistery
One of the younger apostles. - The Arian Baptistery
Could be Saint Andrew. - The Orthodox Baptistery
The next circle has four Gospels on altars and four empty thrones with crosses and garments. - The Orthodox Baptistery
The next layer beneath the mosaics and between the windows are stucco reliefs of the 16 prophets of the Old testament. They used to be coloured! - The Orthodox Baptistery
All of the prophets carry either books or scrolls. I love how their feet are hanging over the frame. - The Orthodox Baptistery
Above the prophets' heads there are other biblical scenes. Here Christ on the throne is giving the cross to Saint Peter. The scallops in between symbolise the resurrection. - Museo Arcivescovile
A falling Erote, from the 1st century.