- Flower Still-life
Flower Still-life in a Sculptured Stone Vase (1718) by Jan van Huysum. Oil on copper. - The Monarch of the Glen
The Monarch of the Glen (~1851) by Sir Edwin Landseer - The Royal Volunteer Review
The Royal Volunteer Review, 7 August 1860 (1860) by Samuel Bough, detail. - The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania
The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania (1849-50) by Sir Joseph Noel Paton, detail. Now this is a funny painting! - The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania
The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania (1849-50) by Sir Joseph Noel Paton, detail. - DSC 5851
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- Flowers in bloom
- Loch Morlich
The highest sandy beach in Scotland :-) - DSC 8938
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- Church of the Holy Souls
The church is so tiny (or rather so full of the Nativity scene) so that traffic lights are installed for the people to enter :-) - Monte Capanne cable car
These cable car cages are for two persons only. - Mountains of Elba
- Monte Capanne
On the way up Monte Capanne - Villefranche-sur-Mer
- Èze
View from the exotic garden in Èze. - Exotic garden in Èze
- L'île Sainte-Marguerite
Pointe du Dragon on the island of Saint Margaret - L'île Sainte-Marguerite
- L'île Sainte-Marguerite
Pointe du Dragon is one of my favourite places on the whole Côte d'Azur. - L'île Sainte-Marguerite
- Nice
View of the Bay of Angels (Baie des Anges) from the Castle Hill - La Légende des siècles
I wonder what is behind these doors... Maybe just a huge Hugo fan? Place des Arcades in Biot. - Antibes
One of the lovely streets in the old Antibes. - Rue du Haut Castelet in Antibes
And yet another magical street in the old Antibes. - Hermes
These Hermes perfume bottles remind me of Magritte's The Son of Man. - Col de la Pousterle
View from Col de la Pousterle over Vallouise towards Pic de Clouzis (3453 m). A lovely walk or an intense cross-country track. - Flowers in Antibes
Wonderful. Just wonderful. - Biot
A very picturesque house in central Biot. A lovely detail is the missing paint on 'dog's corner' ;-) - La pointe de l'Aiguille
Now this is a magic place. Beautiful. Red. And windy. - La pointe de l'Aiguille
This landscape literally invites you to paint it. - Théoule-sur-Mer
- Antibes
Le Fort Carré in Antibes - Chambre d'Amour in Valbonne
- Valbonne
Super-cute doors in Valbonne. The world would be a friendlier place with more doors like this. - Le Paradis by Chagall
Marc Chagall, Le Paradis (1961). Eve's creation on the left and the Temptation on the right. - Adam et Ève Chassés du Paradis by Chagall
Marc Chagall, Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise (1961), detail. My favourite part of the painting. - Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Coronation of the Virgin, Filippo Lippi (1467-69). - Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Transition of the Virgin, Filippo Lippi (1467-69). - View from Monte Arco (276 m)
View towards Porto Azzurro. - Chiessi
- Portoferraio and Castello del Volterraio
Hike up the Cima del Monte (515 m). A wonderful path with views of Portoferraio and Castello del Volterraio. - Caparica beach
Fishing boats on the Caparica beach. Still a very active fishing port. - Miradouro de Santa Luzia
An angry fish at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia - Quinta Pézinhos no Tejo
A wonderful setting for a wonderful dinner. - African lily
Our hotel garden in the early morning mist. - Lago di Levico
Lago di Levico was awarded Bandiera Blue for excellent water quality. - Lago di Levico
The lake is 2840 m long, 950 m wide and 38 m deep. - Lago di Levico
There is a wonderful walking path around the lake. - Lago di Levico
Ideal for swimming and paddling. - Lago di Levico
View from the other side of the lake, towards Levico Terme. - Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore
- Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore
Founded in 1276, built and re-built several times. This building is from 1876. - View from strada del Menador
View towards Lago di Caldonazzo (left) and Lago di Levico (right). - Île Sainte-Marguerite
View of the Sainte Marguerite island. And the beautiful sea in between. - Church of St. Michael (Sv. Mihovil)
The "new" church was built from the remains of the old one. - Carmen de los Mártires
No true palace without a couple of peacocks. - Mexuar
Tiles on the wall of the Mexuar Council Hall, which served as the entrance to the Nasrid palace. Plus Ultra was the motto of king Charles V. - Zellij in Mexuar
This style of mosaic tilework is called zellij. Charles V was not only King of Spain, but also Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, and Lord of the Netherlands. Maybe I missed some titles. Anyway, the double-headed eagle represents the Holy Roman Empire. - Mosaic in Nasrid palace
- More mosaic
Mosaic in Comares Palace, part of the Nasrid Palaces. Begun by Isma'il in the early 13th century and modified by Yusuf I and Muhammad V. - Court of the Myrtles
Court of the Myrtles with the Comares Tower in the background. The name of the Court comes from the myrtle hedges. Built in the 14th century. - Zellij in Alhambra
More wonderful zellij pattern in the palace. - Alhambra palace
Alhambra palace from Mirador de San Nicolas. With Sierra Nevada in the background. - Mont Blanc
Mt Blanc as seen from Chamonix. We stayed in Camping de la Mer de Glace and walked to the town centre. - 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
Mont Blanc and blooming Rhododendron - Tapestry
A magnificent almost 8 m long "thousand flowers" tapestry is from the 16th century. What an interesting motif... - Arromanches
The endless windy beaches are perfect for flying kites! - Pointe du Grouin
A lovely walk close to Cancale. And some wild currents in the sea! - Pointe du Grouin
GR34. So so so tempting, but we needed to move on. - Le Fort du Guesclin
As everything in Brittany, this place is also full of history. Romans, destroyed, fortress in 800s, destroyed, fortified castle built by Bertrand du Guesclin in 1100, destroyed in 1598, this one built in 1756... - Cap d'Erquy
If you can, take a walk on Cap d'Erquy. You will not regret it. - Cap d'Erquy
- Cap d'Erquy
- Cairn of Barnenez
Art exhibition by local kids. Love it! - Pointes d'Orient
View from the Galibier road towards Les Pointes d'Orient (2942 m) and Crête de Lacha (2938 m). - Le Galibier
Le Rabel (2539 m) and Roche Olvéra (2662 m) - Col du Galibier
Roche de la Gardette (3050 m), Pic Est de Combeynot (3145 m), Pic Ouest de Combeynot (3155 m), Roc Noir de Combeynot (3112 m); in the back Pic de Neige Cordier (3613 m), Roche Paillon (3636 m), Barre des Écrins (4102 m), Sommet Sud-Est de la Roche d'Alveau (3619 m), and Pointe Nérot (3537 m). Thanks to Peakvisor. - Col du Galibier
View towards Les Pointes d'Orient (2942 m), Crête de Lacha (2938 m), Aiguille Noire (2869) and Pic du Thabor (3207 m) on the right. - Le Col de l'Échelle
Being a fan of Alex Hugo, I wanted to see Vallée de la Clarée. This is already towards Italy, behind Col de l'Échelle. Oddly enough, the border is not on the col but in the valley below. - Le Mauvais Pas
A steep descend towards Italy - and then home. - Île Saint-Honorat
Areal view of Saint-Honorat. Lérins Islands are so so beautiful.