- La Grande Vadrouille
A mural with Louis de Funès and Bourvil in Rue Rousseau Deslandes. What a fantastic film! - 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. - 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. - 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
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
A lovely depiction of medieval village life. - Mont Dol
An almost 400 years old chestnut tree. - Guimiliau
What an interesting wooden ceiling it is! - Swallows!
- Capilla Real exterior
Old signs on the walls of the Royal Chapel. - Alhambra palace
View of Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicolás. At sunset, as it should be. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
The main chapel of the monastery was built in 1504-1522. A very notable church, the elevated choir and the super busy decorations on the walls and ceiling. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
A very very busy renaissance church. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
And the very busy ceiling. - 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. - Mosaic in Nasrid palace
- Hall of the Ambassadors
The Nasrid palaces are very crowded. Very crowded indeed. - Hall of the Ambassadors
Wall decorations in the Salón de los Embajadores, which is the largest room in Alhambra. The inscriptions are Qur'anic verses and poems. - Hall of the Ambassadors
Detail on the Hall walls, part of a larger inscription in Kufic script. One can still see traces of blue colour, as these arabesque and geometric motifs were originally painted with bright colours. - Court of the Myrtles
Patio de los Arrayanes is the center of the Comares Palace. The reflective pool is 34 m long! - 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. - Court of the Lions
The wonderful Court was built by Muhammed V between 1362 and 1391. - Court of the Lions
The Lion Fountain that gives the name to the Court. On the rim of the fountain, there's a poem by Ibn Zamrak, describing the beauty of the fountain. - Court of the Lions
The Court was built by Muhammad V around 1380. - Hall of the Abencerrajes
The ceiling in the Hall of Abencerrajes. The decorations are called muqarnas, and in the museum is a very instructive exhibition on how such a ceiling was made. Basically a lot A LOT of tiny pieces (alveoles) put together. - Court of the Lions
One of the pavillions in the Court. - Ornaments
- Another ceiling
Ceiling in one of the side halls, covered in muqarnas. - 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. - Patio de Lindaraja
16th century Renaissance-style addition. Originally an open garden, but closed when new buildings were added. - View from Alhambra
Wonderful view towards Albaicin and Sacromonte. - Church of Santa María de la Alhambra
The only way to take pictures without the crowds it so hide them behind the bushes :-) - Capilla Real
The Royal Chapel was built in the 16th century (1505-1521) as the burial site for Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand. - Puerta de la Justicia
The southern entrance to Alhambra palace, built in 1348 by Yusuf I. - Puerta de la Justicia
This massive entrance surely kept all the enemies out. - Alhambra hammam
Ceiling in the Alhambra's public hammam, constructed under Muhammad III. - Alhambra hammam
Every room you enter has more holes in the ceiling. The rooms follow a standard layout: changing room, cold room, hot room, boiler room. - El Bañuelo
These baths are very similar to the Alhambra baths. - El Bañuelo
Lovely baths, but this reminds me of some Star Wars helmet... - El Bañuelo
These 11th century Arab baths are a lovely place to chill on a warm day. - Granada
View from the El Maristan. the first hospital in Granada. The hospital was built in the 14th and destroyed in the 19th century, now being renovated. These houses could also use a bit of renovation. - Alhambra palace
Alhambra palace from Mirador de San Nicolas. With Sierra Nevada in the background. - Roman Theatre
Dating from the 1st and used until the 3rd century, the theatre was discovered in 1951! Parts of the theatre were used to build Alcazaba. - 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. - 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.