- Convento dos Capuchos
The kitchen and the Chapter House. - Convento dos Capuchos
The convent is built around/between boulders, so the interior is very intriguing. - Convento dos Capuchos
It's so humid even in the middle of the summer, no wonder everything is so lush green! - Cabo da Roca
The westernmost point of mainland Europe. - Cabo da Roca
The lighthouse began operating in 1772. - Carpobrotus edulis
The whole Cabo is covered with carpobrotus. This one is yellow. - Cascais
What a lovely Bougainvilleated corner of a house in Cascais. - Cascais
Not quite sure what to think of this place. Diverse or messy? Eclectic or mismatched? This certainly was a wonderful place. Now - not so much. - Dom Carlos I
Cascais was the favourite place of the king Dom Carlos I. The statue is from 2008 and only the names of politicians are given on the plaque, the artist is not mentioned. - Lisbon Campo Grande
Campo Grande and Entrecampos in Lisbon. View from the hotel. - Mont Blanc
Mt Blanc as seen from Chamonix. We stayed in Camping de la Mer de Glace and walked to the town centre. - Chamonix
Well... it's got character. - The statue of Dr Paccard
The statue of Dr Michel Gabriel Paccard, a Chamonix doctor, who was one of the two mountaineers to first reach the top of Mont Blanc. - Dôme du Goûter
If Mont Blanc is hidden in the clouds, there is always Dôme du Goûter (4304 m) to admire. - Grand Hôtel des Alpes, Chamonix
The Grand Hotel in the centre of Chamonix. - Chamonix
The town centre was crowded as the Marathon du Mont Blanc was taking place. And the white mountain was hiding in the clouds. - Modern times
Modern times in campsites. - Aiguille du Midi
Aiguille (3,842 m)as seen from our campsite early in the morning. - Flégère
We took the cable car up the Flégère (1877 m) and started our hike to Lac Blanc. With spectacular views: from Grandes Jorasses over to Mont Blanc. - Mont Blanc
What a great view of Mt Blanc (4809 m) and Dôme du Goûter (4304 m). - What a view!
The prominent mountains from the left: Aiguille Verte (4121 m), Grand Dru (3754 m), Grandes Jorasses (4208 m), Dent du Géant (4013 m), Aiguille du Grépon (3482 m), Aiguille de Blaitière (3522 m) and Aiguille du Plan (3673 m). Thanks to Peakvisor. - Le Lac Blanc
I was hoping to see a reflection in the white lake... But there is a reason the lake is called white. Oh well. Le Lac Blanc (2352 m). - Alpine chough
- Alpine chough
It is so dark, it almost looks like a crevasse in the ice. - Grandes Jorasses
From Grandes Jorasses/Pointe Walker (4208 m) to Dent du Géant/Pointe Graham (4013 m). And Aiguille du Grépon (3482 m) on the far right. - Le Lac Blanc
Still quite a lot of snow around the lake. - Grandes Jorasses and Mont Blanc
One just cannot have enough of this view. So so majestic. - A marmot!
Despite the crowds, there was a marmot running around the cottage. - Le Lac Blanc
Not much of the lake visible. - Le Lac Blanc
View of Aiguille de Chardonnet (3824 m) and Aiguille d'Argentière (3901 m). A bit of Argentière glacier is also visible. - Le Lac Blanc
Le refuge du lac Blanc with Aiguille de Chardonnet (3824 m) and Aiguille d'Argentière (3901 m). - An ibex!
It didn't really mind us. - An ibex!
- Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc and blooming Rhododendron - Wild thyme
Plenty of rhododendron, but fields of wild thyme in between. - Church in Les Praz
The chapel was built between 1941 and 1960. - Beaune
What a lovely sign above the O'100dwich sandwicherie in Beaune :-) - Beaune
Remparts de la Comédie, the ramparts around the town is actually a street with some charming houses. - Beffroi de Beaune
Belfry, dating from the 13th-14th century, renovated and repaired multiple times after that. - Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune
The porch dates from the mid-13th century. A great place that protects you from the elements. - Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune
A 12th century romanesque basilica in Beaune. - Panda Bâ
Panda Bâ by Julien Marinetti, it was placed here just two weeks prior to our visit. - 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. - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
Trente-trois. Trente-trois. Trente-trois... Thirty three. Thirty three. Thirty three... Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui... - 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
The ceiling in the Room of the Poor is an upside-down boat-skiff shape. - Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune
Such lovely beams under the ceiling. I think the inscription says Seule * as seule etoile, meaning the founder's wife. - 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. - Hospice kitchen
This is my favourite part in the kitchen. The two swan-like faucets for running hot water. - Hospice Pharmacy
A very interesting pharmacy. - 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. - Casket in Salle Saint-Louis
A 15th century casket shows a woman plaiting a crown and a man playing a harp. - Virgin and Child
15th century statue of the Virgin and Child, detail. The baby Jesus looks like he is holding his own head :-) - Tapestry
A magnificent almost 8 m long "thousand flowers" tapestry is from the 16th century. What an interesting motif... - 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. - 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 detail
Another lovely detail of the Beaune altarpiece. A piglet hiding behind the painted statue of Saint Anthony. - Maison du Colombier, Beaune
What a lovely house with plenty of dovecotes. And doves in the cotes. - 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. - Meursault
We obviously went to Meursault because of the Grande Vadrouille, but did not regret it. What a picturesque, friendly and lovely town. - Meursault
A lovely town known mostly for its wine. - Meursault
A restaurant in the town centre. - 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
The portal on the exterior of the church. - Vézelay Abbey
A lovely detail on the facade indicates the grandeur inside. - Vézelay Abbey
The narthex was added to accommodate the influx of pilgrims, who came to see the relics of Mary Magdalene. - Vézelay Abbey
St Paul the Hermit's burial. Saint Anthony burying Saint Paul, with two lions digging the grave. - Vézelay Abbey
The crypt - Vézelay Abbey
Adam and Eve. A snake climbs the Tree of life and gives grapes(!) to Eve. - 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. - Côte-d'Or
No wonder these (and nearby) parts are called Côte-d'Or. - Vézelay
The hollyhock grows in every corner of the town. So beautiful. - Vézelay Abbey
- The Loire river
Loire river in Briare at sunset. - 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! - Pont-Canal de Briare
The water bridge is lavishly decorated. - Briare
What a lovely place Briare is. This is Pont du Rialto, one of the many bridges in town. - Château de Chenonceau
Chambre de Diane de Poitiers. - Château de Chenonceau
One of the many chandeliers in the Gallery across the river. - Château de Chenonceau
One part of the castle kitchen, with modern equipment. - 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 Chenonceau
Chambre des Cinq Reines Room of the daughters and daughters-in-law of Catherine de Médicis: La Reine Margot, Elisabeth of France, Maria Stuart (wife of François II), Elisabeth of Austria (wife of Charles IX), and Louise of Lorraine (wife of Henri III). - Château de Chenonceau
La chambre de Catherine de Médicis A typical renaissance baldachin bed. - Château de Chenonceau
La chambre de Catherine de Médicis The rooms were quite cosy with fireplaces, wooden ceilings and the walls covered with Flemish tapestries. - Château de Chenonceau
Chambre de Louise de Lorraine, the black room. She was mourning the death of her husband Henri III. - Château de Chenonceau
What a wonderful black room. And matching white flowers. - Château de Chenonceau
View of the castle from the gardens of Catherine de Médicis. - Château de Chenonceau
A 16th century farm in the castle gardens. Here all the flowers used for the castle decoration are grown. - Château de Chenonceau
The vegetable garden with all sorts of plants. I love the tiny apple trees forming the borders. Yes, those are 40 cm tall trees :-) - Château de Chenonceau
Such a wonderful lavender. - Château de Chenonceau
The avenue leading to the castle. Great shade in the summer heat. - 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. - Château de Chambord
The 18th century castle kitchen. - Château de Chambord
The centre of the spiral staircase has a lantern at the top. - Château de Chambord
One of the famous Flemish tapestries commissioned by Francis I in 1532. It depicts the story of Scipio Africanus, the Roman General who defeated Carthage. The oxen are taken to the temple of Jupiter to be sacrificed, while the elephants and camels carry the wealth brought back from Africa. - Château de Chambord
The residence of François Ier, built between 1539 and 1545. This is how the rooms looked like when the king came to stay. Super cosy. - Château de Chambord
The queen's bedchamber is furnished as a 17th century bedroom.