- Beaune
Usually one would not want to connect driving school and vineyards. Usually. - Vézelay Abbey
Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine was under repair, so we only saw a part of it. - 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. - Windmills and fishing boats
- Windmills and fishing boats
- Lotte Hotel in fog
- Palazzo Ducale
Palazzo Ducale, built in 1340 (and extended later). - Palazzo Ducale
Unfortunately, the palace was closed. Not enough tourists? - Piazzetta di San Marco
The Piazzetta between the Doge's Palace and Jacopo Sansovino's Biblioteca with the two columns with Saint Theodore and the winged lion. - Palazzo Ducale
- Piazza San Marco
Piazza in the times of Covid, wonderfully empty. - Basilica di San Marco
From the 11th century, inspired by Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. - Scuola Grande di San Marco
Originally one of the Scuole Grandi of Venice, now the city's hospital. Finished around 1500 by Pietro Lombardo. - Scuola Grande di San Marco
More great optical illusions on the facade. - Procuratie Vecchie
The facade is made of Istrian limestone. - Procuratie Vecchie
Built in the beginning of the 16th century. - Ca d'oro
Ca d'oro or the Golden house. One of the best examples of Venetian Gothic architecture. It used to be gilded, therefore its name. - Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Statue built in 1940/1960 to mark the 500-year anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. - Room of discoveries
Ceiling in the Room of Discoveries by Bernardo António de Oliveira Góis (c. 1770-c. 1820) and Cyrillo Volkmar Machado (1748-1823). - Marble Hallway
- Cloister
What a lovely cloister this is. - Monserrate
In 1846, Francis Cook, the 1st Viscount of Monserrate, built this Gothic-Indian-Moorish-shiny-pretty palace. - Monserrate Main Hall
I do have a soft spot for this kind of architecture. - Gallery in Monserrate
- Gallery in Monserrate
- Music room
The ceiling in the Music room. Apparently there is wonderful acoustic in this room. Not if it is crowded with tourists... - Monserrate Main Hall
The ceiling in the Main hall. - The Initiation Well
- Quinta da Rigaleira
Heh, this lovely creature is quite literally biting its ass ;-) - Chalet of the Countess of Edla
All the rooms are insanely beautiful, but this Dining room, with cork and wood, is probably my favourite. - Grand Hôtel des Alpes, Chamonix
The Grand Hotel in the centre of Chamonix. - 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. - 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... - Vézelay Abbey
- Château de Chenonceau
One of the many chandeliers in the Gallery across the river. - Château de Chenonceau
Another magninficent fireplace, this one is in the Salon Louis XIV. The salamander and the ermine are the symbols of Francis I and his wife Claude of France. - Château de Chenonceau
La tour des Marques The only remaining (and renovated) part of the medieval castle owned by the Marques family. - Château de Chambord
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley. Built in 1519–1547 as a hunting lodge for François Ier. A hunting lodge! - Château de Chambord
The double-spiral staircase in the centre of the castle. The castle is so wonderfully symmetric, it's quite easy to lose orientation. - Mont Saint-Michel
What a perfect architecture.