- 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. - Untitled
Art in Zagreb airport: Untitled by Emre Namyeter (2022). There's something about this installation that I just love. - Capilla Real exterior
Old signs on the walls of the Royal Chapel. - Royal floors
Pattern in the pavement, marking the reign of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II. - Iglesia del Sagrario
The church next to the Cathedral, built in 1704. - Granada Cathedral
The cathedral (1518-1561) was built on top of the city main mosque in Spanish Renaissance style. - La Pepa
Surely this is not a coincidence, as they must know about Peppa Pig, right? - Granada Cathedral
The Cathedral tower, as seen from Plaza de la Romanilla. - Local art
Some interesting local art. - View of Granada
Mirador Ojo de Granada. - Alhambra palace
View of Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicolás. At sunset, as it should be. - Fuente de los Gigantones
The fountain was built in the 17th century. Moved several times, it now ended up in Plaza de Bib-Rambla. - Carmen de los Martires Gardens
Entrance to the Gardens of Carmen de los Martires. Fuente de la Ninfa de la Gruta. - Magnolia Grandiflora
The majestic magnolias blossoming all over town. - Ferdinand VI
The inscription on the statue ends with "Rex Cat". While I'm sure this doesn't mean "King Cat", it surely looks like it :-) - Fuente de la ola
What a lovely wave fountain. - Carmen de los Mártires
Nazari patio in Carmen de los Mártires. Very small, very cosy, very quiet. Lovely. - Carmen de los Mártires
These are some headless statues... - Strawberry Tree
A lovely garden very close to Alhambra. And free. And almost empty. - Carmen de los Mártires
No true palace without a couple of peacocks. - Carmen de los Martires Gardens
Another lovely geometrical fountain. For some reason not perfectly symmetrical. - A chameleon!
I love the Supercable logo! It just puts a smile on your face, doesn't it? :-) - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
A lot of different fonts on these graves. - 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. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
- Granada Cathedral
- Granada Cathedral
The ceiling of the Cathedral. Very pure. - Granada Cathedral
The interior of the Renaissance cathedral. Built between 1523 and (officially) 1704. This place is big. - Granada Cathedral
The interior of Granada Cathedral. Another very heavy church. - A wolf!
What a wonderful art in Plaza de los Lobos. - Church of Santa María de la Alhambra
The church (1581-1618) was built on an older mosque. - 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
- 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.