- Vézelay Abbey
The ones who have not yet received the Word of God are not quite human: some are dwarfes... - Château de Chenonceau
Lions on a 16th century Flemish tapestry. Their faces seem somewhat off. - 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 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. - Bayeux Cathedral
One of the many 12th century carvings in the cathedral. This one depicts a man with a monkey. - Bayeux Cathedral
I am confused. Are these dogs with their tails biting their asses? Or - more plausible - are they chimeras? - Swallows!
- Puy de Pariou
Plenty of butterflies around here. - Puy de Pariou
A crowded thistle. - Fresh food
As fresh as it gets. - Fresh food on Jeju
Sea pineapples. Which have nothing to do with pineapples. They are edible ascidians. - A penguin
Of course. - Jeju
- Santi di Tito - Detail
Santi di Tito - Detail. Museo Civico, Sansepolcro. - Spoleto Cathedral, Interior
- Volta pinta
Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi. The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. - Volta pinta
Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi. The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. Honestly, I don't know how to feel about this image... - Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi
The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. Inspired by Nero probably explains it. - Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi
Volta pinta (1556) - Loggia under Palazzo del Comune in Assisi. The frescoes are inspired by Nero's Domus Aurea in Rome. Painted probably by Raffaello Coda da Rimini. Yes, Nero. - Fontana Maggiore
Fontana Maggiore (1275-1278), Perugia. Romulus and Remus and their wolf-mother. - Dragon underneath San Crescentino in front of the cathedral, Urbino
San Cresentino is the patron saint of Urbino. - Studiolo, intarsia
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. - Remains of a Roman sarcophagus
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. - Lantern
Lantern of what is now Higher Institute for Artistic Industries. Urbino - Napoleon's villa
First French Empire coat of arms with an eagle holding thunderbolts. - Napoleon's villa
Ceilings. They are different in every room. - Napoleon's villa
Sala del nodo d'amore: Ceiling with the lover's knot, expressing the love between Napoleon and Maria Luisa. - Elba
- Santo Stefano alle Trane
- An allegory of melancholy
An allegory of melancholy (1528) by Lucas Cranach, detail. At that time, melancholy was one of four humours making up the human temperament and character. Fancy shoes! - An allegory of melancholy
An allegory of melancholy (1528) by Lucas Cranach, detail. This is a group of witches riding in the sky (a boar, a cow, a cat? ...) - An allegory
An allegory (1590) by El Greco, Domenikos Theotokopoulos. A very unusual painting, probably illustrating "the simple moralising message that lust appeals to our foolish and baser instincts". - The Monarch of the Glen
The Monarch of the Glen (~1851) by Sir Edwin Landseer - A rhinoceros
A rhino by William Darrell. In Edinburgh. Very similar to the one in Lisbon. - La Pepa
Surely this is not a coincidence, as they must know about Peppa Pig, right? - Carmen de los Mártires
No true palace without a couple of peacocks. - A chameleon!
I love the Supercable logo! It just puts a smile on your face, doesn't it? :-) - A wolf!
What a wonderful art in Plaza de los Lobos. - 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. - Cathedral gardens
What a lovely gem, the cathedral gardens. - Alpine chough
- Alpine chough
It is so dark, it almost looks like a crevasse in the ice. - A marmot!
Despite the crowds, there was a marmot running around the cottage. - An ibex!
It didn't really mind us. - An ibex!
- Panda Bâ
Panda Bâ by Julien Marinetti, it was placed here just two weeks prior to our visit. - 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 detail
Another lovely detail of the Beaune altarpiece. A piglet hiding behind the painted statue of Saint Anthony. - Pont-Canal de Briare
The water bridge is lavishly decorated. - 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
Such a wonderful lavender. - 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
Lapidary deposit. This is a part of the original lantern tower. Obviously showing more salamanders. - 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. - Arromanches
- Mont Saint-Michel
Well, hello! Bonjour! - Pointe du Grouin
Some art on a WWII bunker. - Serpent d'ocean
... to see the Serpent d'ocean. Made by Huang Yong Ping in 2012. - Serpent d'ocean
Unfortunately, there was high tide so we could not walk to the serpent. - Ack!
Nope, nope, nope.