- Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. Designed by Mikhail Eisenstein. - Jugendstil quarter
One of many wonderful buildings in the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) Quarter. - Bird skyscraper
Now this is a brilliant way of reusing an old tree. - Rowan in snow
Looking up a rowan tree. - Above Tournoux
- Pic de Peyre Eyraute (2903 m)
- Cap d'Antibes
- Cap d'Antibes
How beautiful is this! - Cap d'Antibes
So raw. So powerful. So beautiful. - Cap d'Antibes
Well, think again. - Cap d'Antibes
What a lovely path running around the Cap. - My favourite mornings
- Île Saint-Honorat
Île Saint-Honorat is the smaller of the Lerins islands. And visiting it off-season is just magical. - Île Saint-Honorat
View from the island towards Massif de l'Esterel. - Île Saint-Honorat
- Abbaye de Lérins
What a tranquil place. - Abbaye de Lérins
This place puts your mind at rest. - The fortified monastery
Built in the 11th century and being rebuilt now. - Île Sainte-Marguerite
View of the Sainte Marguerite island. And the beautiful sea in between. - Le Nomade
I love the Nomade. The first time I saw him, I found the statue too static for a nomade. But now I can understand him. And I love him. - Le Nomade
So many so different pictures one can take with the Nomade. - Antibes
- Church of St. Michael (Sv. Mihovil)
The "new" church was built from the remains of the old one. - Interesting clouds
- Interesting clouds
More interesting clouds. - Sunset
What I don't understand is why half of the sea is dark and the other half bright. - The Adriatic sea
Beach in Fažana - Golden cape (Zlatni rt) in Rovinj
A lovely climbing spot close to Rovinj. - Untitled
Art in Zagreb airport: Untitled by Emre Namyeter (2022). There's something about this installation that I just love. - Granada Cathedral
The Cathedral tower, as seen from Plaza de la Romanilla. - Carmen de los Mártires
No true palace without a couple of peacocks. - A wolf!
What a wonderful art in Plaza de los Lobos. - 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. - Stucco in Alhambra
Detail of stucco on the wall indicating that the decorations were indeed colourful. - Granada
The streets look pretty even when the shops and restaurants are closed. - Alhambra palace
Alhambra palace from Mirador de San Nicolas. With Sierra Nevada in the background. - Iglesia de San Nicolás
This is one of the strangest churches I've been to. Built in 1525, but the roof was destroyed by fire. So this decoration might be temporary. - Iglesia de San Nicolás
Yes, an unusually trippy church ceiling indeed. - Alcazaba
What lovely patterns! - Mont Blanc
Mt Blanc as seen from Chamonix. We stayed in Camping de la Mer de Glace and walked to the town centre. - 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. - 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). - 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. - 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). - Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc and blooming Rhododendron - 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. - 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. - Château de Chenonceau
Chambre de Diane de Poitiers. - Château de Chambord
The queen's bedchamber is furnished as a 17th century bedroom. - Arromanches
The endless windy beaches are perfect for flying kites! - Arromanches
Remains of the artificial port in Arromanches. - Pegasus Bridge Café Gondrée
First house to be liberated in France on the 5/6th of June 1944, located in Bénouville. - Mont Dol
What a lovely house - with a curved corner. - Mont Saint-Michel
Virgin and the child, 13th century. - Pointe du Grouin
A lovely walk close to Cancale. And some wild currents in the sea! - Pointe du Grouin
- 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
What a beautiful beach this is. - Cap d'Erquy
- Cap d'Erquy
Of all the beaches I've been to, this one has the purest and most homogeneous sand. Wonderful! - Cap d'Erquy
- Cap d'Erquy
- Cap d'Erquy
- Côte de granit rose
A stunning bit of French coast indeed! - Côte de granit rose
Just about every rock is beautiful! - Côte de granit rose
View of the sea rescue ramp hidden in a well protected cove. - Côte de granit rose
So so so beautiful! Why don't they grow in my garden? - Cairn of Barnenez
Art exhibition by local kids. Love it! - Puy de Dôme
But because we were standing so close to the cyclists... I got splashed by the water from Alaphilippes' bidon :-D - On the road
We returned to the Alps on the way back. And this is a lovely sign, from here you can go to Paris (obviously), Bordeaux, Montpellier, and Lyon. - 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. - Barre des Écrins
Barre des Écrins (4102 m) and Dôme de Neige (4015 m). In the front: Pointe Louise (3668 m), Pointe Xavier Blanc (3677 m) and Roche Faurio (3730 m). On the left: Roche Paillon (3636 m) and Barre Noire (3751 m). - Col du Galibier
This eagle sign on the Col du Galibier must be new. Never seen it before. Lovely view of Barre des Écrins through it. - 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. - Ravenna
- Ravenna
After two days of sightseeing in the town, one recognises almost all the street-sign mosaics. - Ravenna
Spirito e Bellezza by Luisa Valentini (2013) - Ravenna
Not a window, actually a roof.