- 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. - 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
Imagine being a 12th century mason and you have to/are allowed to include such faces into the cathedral walls. - Bayeux Cathedral
Another grotesque creature, which surely had a meaning. - Fountain
A relief on an early Renaissance water basin with the coat-of-arms of the monastery. - Claustro Real
The royal cloister was built by architect Fernão de Évora in 1448-1477. - Mafra furniture
What a lovely detail in one of the plate cabinets. - Basilica di San Marco
Another detail from the Basilica's facade. - Detail on Palazzo Ducale
Palazzo Ducale: a detail on one of the columns (the same column as the Judgment of Solomon). - Porta della Carta
Built in 1438–43, probably by Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon. Doge Francisco Foscari is kneeling before the Lion. - Scuola Grande di San Marco
A trompe-l'oeil archway detail on the facade. - Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Statue built in 1940/1960 to mark the 500-year anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. - Founder's Chapel
The chapel was built in 1426-1434 by Huguet to become the first royal pantheon in Portugal. - Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory
What an insane attention to detail! - Claustro Real
- Capelas Imperfeitas
Insanely beautiful detail. - Capelas Imperfeitas
Ah, the famous Unfinished Chapels, commissioned in 1437 by Dom Duarte. - Capelas Imperfeitas
The portal was originally Gothic and transformed by Mateus Fernandes into Manueline style (1509). - Capelas Imperfeitas
- Capelas Imperfeitas
King Manuel I dedicated this portal to King Edward and the motto "Leauté faray tam yaserei" means "I will always be loyal". - Convento de Cristo in Tomar
The Romanesque round church was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Knights Templar. - Convento de Cristo in Tomar
São Cristóvão - Saint Christopher (1484-1500) - Janela do Capítulo
The famous Manueline Window of the Chapter House (1510-1513). - Refectory
Pulpit in the Refectory, which was build in 1535-1536. Royal coat of arms... and some strange faces. - Claustro de Santa Bárbara
And one of the many cloisters in the Monastery, this one was built in the 16th century. - Marble Hallway
- Doors in one of the cloister
I don't quite get these doors, to be honest. - Cloister
What a lovely cloister this is. - Palácio Nacional de Mafra
One of the largest royal palaces, this one was commissioned by João V and built in 1717-1755. And yes, there is wildfire smoke in the background. - Monserrate
Triton fountain in the park of Monserrate. - Monserrate
In 1846, Francis Cook, the 1st Viscount of Monserrate, built this Gothic-Indian-Moorish-shiny-pretty palace. - Triton fountain
The base of the Triton fountain. What a lovely angry fish this is. - Monserrate Main Hall
I do have a soft spot for this kind of architecture. - Gallery in Monserrate
- Gallery in Monserrate
- Music room
The ceiling in the Music room. Apparently there is wonderful acoustic in this room. Not if it is crowded with tourists... - Monserrate Main Hall
The ceiling in the Main hall. - Quinta da Rigaleira
Heh, this lovely creature is quite literally biting its ass ;-) - Cruz Alta - High Cross
The High Cross is located at the highest point, at 528 m. The first cross was placed here around 1522 by João III. - Convento dos Capuchos
This wonderful convent was founded in 1560 and inhabited until 1834. - Convento dos Capuchos
The Door of Death is the entrance to the monastery. - Cascais
Not quite sure what to think of this place. Diverse or messy? Eclectic or mismatched? This certainly was a wonderful place. Now - not so much. - Dom Carlos I
Cascais was the favourite place of the king Dom Carlos I. The statue is from 2008 and only the names of politicians are given on the plaque, the artist is not mentioned. - Panda Bâ
Panda Bâ by Julien Marinetti, it was placed here just two weeks prior to our visit. - Vézelay Abbey
The portal on the exterior of the church. - Vézelay Abbey
A lovely detail on the facade indicates the grandeur inside. - Vézelay Abbey
St Paul the Hermit's burial. Saint Anthony burying Saint Paul, with two lions digging the grave. - Pont-Canal de Briare
The water bridge is lavishly decorated. - 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
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. - 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.