- 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. - 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 :-)