- 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. - Château de Chambord
Louis XIV's ceremonial apartment. While Francoise's bedroom looked cosy, this one is too grand for my liking. - Château de Chambord
The chandelier in the royal ceremonial apartment. - Château de Chambord
Governor's bedchamber. Charming. - Château de Chambord
The castle chapel. Started under François Ier, continued under Henry II and finished under Louis XIV. It is quite uncommonly oriented towards west. - Château de Chambord
The almost perfectly symmetric castle. - Château de Chambord
Laurel bedchamber was refurbished in the 18th century. Parquet floor was added and the walls covered with wallpaper. I love love love this pattern. - Château de Chambord
The magnificent stairs go all the way up to the castle roof. - Château de Chambord
Ah, the castle terraces. The lantern tower is topped by a royal crown with a fleur-de-lys. - Château de Chambord
All the details of the castle become visible from the terraces. - Château de Chambord
The view of the French gardens. Louis XIV had a similar view from his bedroom. Not bad. - Château de Chambord
Am I repetitive with these pictures? Maybe. But the castle, pardon, the hunting lodge, is splendid. - Château de Chambord
The NE facade of the keep. It was here that we realised that we 'lost' our younger son somewhere in the castle. It's just the largest castle in France, no biggie. - Château de Chambord
Lapidary deposit. This is a part of the original lantern tower. Obviously showing more salamanders. - Château de Chambord
Chambord in all its beauty. The keep was finished under François Ier in 1519, the wings were added later on. The castle was first open to visitors in 1821. - Château de Falaise
From the Loire valley - via Le Mans - towards Normandy. First stop was Falaise, where William the Conqueror was born. The construction of this castle started in 1123 by Henry I of England. - Falaise
View from the falaise of the Falaise castle. - Bayeux Cathedral
The portal of Saint Thomas Becket, showing the assembly of Northampton (1164) and the Assembly of Ambosus (1170); crossing of the English Channel and his martyrdom; and the veneration of his tomb. - Bayeux Cathedral
- Bayeux Cathedral
Plenty of old windows in the cathedral as well... These are from 1260, showing the local bishops Exupère and Loup. - Bayeux Cathedral
The 11th century crypt is simply magnificent. The entrance to the crypt was closed soon afterwards and the crypt forgotten - until 1412. - Bayeux Cathedral
One of the more unusual capitals in the crypt. - Bayeux Cathedral
One of the many angels in the crypt. They play all sorts of instruments. - Bayeux Cathedral
15th century fresco of angels in the crypt. - Bayeux Cathedral
Here is where the famous Bayeux tapestry was exhibited until 1793. Possibly from 1077. - Bayeux Cathedral
12th century carving. I see a lion and an eagle carrying a fish. But it may also be a lion and a griffin. - Bayeux Cathedral
Some more lions/griffons/creatures higher up, but the most notable are the Bayeux lovers underneath them. - Bayeux Cathedral
The ceiling in the Bayeux cathedral choir shows various local bishops and saints. The whole cathedral is indeed a stunning place. - Bayeux
What a lovely town it is. This is on the main Saint Martin street. - Arromanches
Arromanches beach was the landing area during the D-Day Normandy Invasion. - Arromanches
The endless windy beaches are perfect for flying kites! - Arromanches
Remains of the artificial port in Arromanches. - Arromanches
We returned to Arromanches for a lovely dinner. - Longues-sur-Mer battery
More WWII bunkers with original guns on the Normandy coast. - Arromanches
- Pegasus Bridge Café Gondrée
First house to be liberated in France on the 5/6th of June 1944, located in Bénouville. - Les Roches de Ham
A lovely walk. A wonderful view. Delicious galettes. And cidre. - Fougères
What a picturesque castle this is! - Fougères
Anne of Brittany (1477-1514) is a name that comes up often in these parts. She was the Duchess of Brittany and Queen of France, twice. - Fougères
Now THIS is a castle. Built from 12th to 15th century, it occupies an area of two hectares. - Fougères
Hortensias everywhere. - Fougères
This belfry was the first in Brittany, built in 1397. - Fougères
Fougères castle. The original wooden one was destroyed and a new one built in 1176. The Gobelin tower is from the 13th century. - Mont Dol
What a lovely house - with a curved corner. - Mont Dol
Mont Dol has been inhabited since Neanderthal period. Currently there's Notre Dame de l’Espérance and the Notre Dame tower, inaugurated in 1857. - Mont Dol
The 1843 windmill is still in perfect working order. - Mont Dol
Different bags for different flour: T45 for pâtisserie, T55 standard flour, T65 for baguettes, T110 and T150 are wholewheat flours. - Menhir de Champ-Dolent
The second largest menhir in Brittany, over 9 metres high, erected c. 5000–4000 BC. - Plage de Cherrueix
View of Mont Saint Michel from the beach in Cherrueix. - Cherrueix
What a charming village this is! - Cherrueix
Well... now you know! - Cherrueix
15th century church. - Cherrueix
I really like this town. - Hortensia
The whole town (actually the whole Brittany) was in bloom! - Mont Saint-Michel
This is one of the most fascinating places on the planet. I have spoken. - Mont Saint-Michel
The roofs remind me of an Asterix village :-) - Mont Saint-Michel
Church of Saint-Pierre. Originally from the 8th century, often rebuilt, this tower being from the 15th century. - Mont Saint-Michel
We decided to visit the abbey in the afternoon and there was absolutely no queue. We just entered the ticket office. But if there was a queue, these guards would keep us in line. Clever design! - Mont Saint-Michel
Climbing the Grand Degré my kids said they felt like entering a computer game. Totally unreal and out of this world. - Mont Saint-Michel
This was my third time visiting Mont Saint-Michel and every time there was a different parking regime. With free shuttles one can finally enjoy the natural surroundings. - Mont Saint-Michel
The first sanctuary was built in 709 and later expanded multiple times. The latest addition was the spire with Saint Michel in 1897. - Mont Saint-Michel
View from the west terrace towards the rapidly incoming sea. - Mont Saint-Michel
The wooden ceiling of the early 1000s abbey church. - Mont Saint-Michel
When a part of the church collapsed, they rebuilt it in contemporary fashion. The Romanesque choir, for example, collapsed in 1421 and was rebuilt in Gothic style in 1446 to 1523. - Mont Saint-Michel
What a perfect architecture. - Mont Saint-Michel
Adam and Eve's expulsion from Paradise, 1546. - Mont Saint-Michel
Christ's Descent into Limbo, 1547. What cuties these little devils are. - Mont Saint-Michel
Virgin and the child, 13th century. - Mont Saint-Michel
I am fascinated by 13th century statues, my kids by 19th century swords. Made by Mellerio from Paris in 1877. - Mont Saint-Michel
Replica of Saint Michael’s crown, made by Mellerio from Paris in the 20th century. The original was stolen. - Mont Saint-Michel
The abbey cloister was built in the beginning of the 13th century. - Mont Saint-Michel
Refrectory, where the monks took their meals, has plenty of well-hidden windows :-) This wall is nothing but windows! - Mont Saint-Michel
Salle des Hôtes, designed to host royalty and nobility. - Mont Saint-Michel
Fireplaces in Salle des Hôtes, designed to host royalty and nobility.