The famous Hitchcock thriller Vertigo was said to be somehow inspired by Hitchcock’s stay in a famous hotel in Genoa. Nice legend but who knows how true it might be. The staircase fits the plot however. Le célèbre thriller d’Hitchcock, Vertigo, aurait été inspiré par son séjour dans un hôtel renommé de Gênes. C’est une…
Palazzos of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa lasted for 8 centuries until 1797. Without a large territory, but with an efficient navy, enterprising bankers and prosperous trading posts, the republic had considerable influence in the Mediterranean world. The period of the biennial doges from 1528 saw the domination of the so-called ‘patrician’ families. Between the Grimaldis, the Spinosas,…
Bagatelle in January
Here, in 1907, a certain Charles Voisin made his first flight in an aeroplane equipped with an Antoinette V8 engine. Things are much quieter now but spring is coming soon. Selon Wikipedia, le 15 mars 1907 à Bagatelle, un certain Charles Voisin, “accomplit le premier vol mécanique sur un aéroplane muni d’un moteur à explosion…
Snowy surprise
Sometimes snow shows up when you are least expecting it. Parfois il y a de la neige aux endroits les plus improbables.
Coastline
A long trail runs along the Basque country coastline from St-Jean-de-Luz to La Hendaye. Great scenery and an easy trail, but best avoided on a hot day. Un sentier longe la côte du Pays Basque de St-Jean-de-Luz à La Hendaye. Des paysages magnifiques et un sentier facile, mais à éviter par temps chaud.
Albarracin
After the disintegration of the Cordoba califat around the year 1000, various small principalities appeared in Spain. This was the period of the Taifas. In the remote village of Albarracin in modern day Aragon a powerful Taifa ruled for around 100 years. During this time, the village of Albarracin was built up in a remote…
The “Fer à Cheval”
At the top end of the Giffre valley in Haute Savoie, there is a natural amphitheatre shaped like a horseshoe if seen from above. You need a drone for that particular viewing angle though. Seen from the meadow at the base of the horseshoe, it’s an impressive semicircle of tall cliffs (around 700 m of…
The secret garden
We are addicted to visiting beautiful gardens – it’s been like this for years. Everywhere we go, we look for a new one to visit. In Haute Savoie, we stumbled across the documentation for the “Jardin Secret” in Vaulx, were sceptical, but decided to visit anyway. The garden truly surprised us. It is not only…
Mystra
In the early 15th century, when Constantinople was under threat from the advancing Ottoman Turks, many Greek intellectuals, monks and artists fled the Byzantine capital and went to Mystra (or Mystras) in the southern Peloponnese near Sparta. Eventually these same Byzantine Greeks fled to Italy to escape the Ottamans. With them, came many ancient documents,…
The roman city
The modern city of Nîmes is the successor to a significant city of Roman times, complete with coliseum, roman temples etc. The ups and downs of history provided the city with many other monuments and in periods of prosperity, the city merchants were able to build a number of fine stately residences in the city,…
A powerful fortress
Due to its location on strategic military and commercial routes at the head of the Gulf of Corinthia on the narrow stretch of land connecting mainland Greece to the Peloponnese, Corinthia became rich and powerful in antiquity. The city was protected by the Acrocorinth, a towering citadel on a rock pinnacle standing about 300 to…
The master of Pedret
The painting on the right side of the apse of the church of Pedret, shown here, is attributed to the Master of Pedret, an unknown artist who painted similar scenes in a number of Romanesque churches in Catalonia in the early 12th century. This image is a detail of a painting representing an allegory of…
The Archangels
In the National Museum of Catalan Art in Barcelona, a long stroll through the medieval religious art section turns up some compelling images. Here is one example – an altar front piece depicting the Archangels. We couldn’t remember how many there were, catechism long forgotten. But we counted three on this altar plate : Michael…
Vall de Boi
A cause de la présence de plusieurs églises romanes remarquables, la vallée de Boi en Espagne (Vall de Boi en catalan) est classée comme un site de Patrimoine Mondial de l’Unesco. Dans ces églises, construites entre 1000 et 1200, se trouvent (ou plutôt se trouvaient) des peintures murales et des meubles peints parmi les plus…
Changdeok-gung
Changdeok-gung, Seoul : Due to it’s position relative to Gyeongbok-gung, this place is known as the eastern palace. Built originally around the early 1400’s and, like most palaces in Korea over the centuries, this one was attacked, raided, sacked, burned and frequently rebuilt. (Even the Americans and the French took a turn at attacking this…
Petra
Petra, Jordan : Built during the 8th century BC and occupied by different peoples until the trade routes changed around the 7th century AD, the location is now a world heritage site. Forgotten by the peoples of the western hemisphere, it only came to their renewed attention in the 19th century. You could spend days…
Hanbok in the palace
A Séoul, il y a plusieurs palais royaux d’un intérêt visuel certain. Ces palais sont encore plus sympas du fait que beaucoup de coréennes et coréens se promènent dans le palais en costume traditionnel (le hanbok). Il n’est pas nécessaire de posséder son costume car de multiples boutiques à proximité louent ces vêtements. Et habillé…
Palacio da Bolsa
In tourist guide books for Porto, no matter which one you use, of the top 10 sites recommended, 8 or 9 are churches. We don’t mind visiting churches, even the baroque heavily over-decorated ones in Porto, but if you want a break from the church run, try the Palacio da Bolsa. Built in the 19th…
