The Loire Valley and especially Blois
There is a legend about the salt lake just outside Larnaca. When Lazarus asks an old woman for food and drink, she refused, claiming that her vines had dried up, to which Lazarus replied: “May your vines be dry and be a salt lake forever more.” A more scientific explanation is that the salt water penetrates the porous …
Continue reading “Postcard from Cyprus – The Salt Lake in Larnaca”
Legend has sit that it was at Petra Tou Romiou (“the Rock of the Greek”) also known as Aphrodite’s Rock, that the goddess arose from the foam. It is a rocky piillar, a sea stack in Pafos, Cyprus. “Eternal youth” is also priomised to anyone who swims around the rock, but bathing is dangerous. We didn’t test the legend. The …
Cyprus is known for its Byzantine art. The finest example is the Kykkos Monastery founded in the 11th century and an immportant reference in the Orthodox world. The loggias, balconies and corridors are covered in gold-leaf mosaics and frescoes. Chypre est connu pour son art byzantin. Aujourd’hui nous avons visité le monastère de Kykkos fondé au 11ème …
I wanted blue skies, sun and interesting things to see. We’ve found them in Cyprus! These are part of the Salamis Ruins in the north of Cyprus (the Turkish part). It was the capital of Cyprus up until the 4th century BC and contains many Roman ruins. Ayios Ephiphanios Basilica was the last basilica to be …
I took all three photos today. The first is mimosa, quite stunning this year; the second is magnolia and the third is cowslip which is very late. J’ai pris les trois photos aujourdhui. La première c’est du mimosa, vraiment beau cette année ; la deuxième du magnolia et la troisième du coucou qui est bien …
Continue reading “Three Spring Flowers – Trois fleurs de printemps”
With the warmer weather last week, our garden birds seemed to have left our sunflower seeds alone but today I saw these two little green finches scrabbling around. A crested tit turned up a bit later but he was a bit more timid so I couldn’t take a photo. The yellow flowers in the background are …
Continue reading “Two Little Finches – Deux petits verdiers”
Every day sees another spring flower. The grape hyacinths are the little blue flowers in the background. Chaque jour emmène une autre fleur de printemps. Les muscaris sont les petites fleurs bleues derrière.
This photo was also taken from the bike path in Blois yesterday. In another month, those trees will completely obscure the view. Cette photo est également prise depuis la piste cyclable à Blois hier; Dans un mois, les arbres en premier plan cacheront totalement la vue.
Just look at that sun and blue sky! It was 22°C today and we were back on our bikes for the first time this year. This was taken during our tea break opposite Cour-sur-Loire. Regardez ce soleil et ce ciel bleu ! Il faisait 22°C aujourd’hui et nous avons chevauché nos vélos pour la première fois …
Continue reading “A Boat and a Bough – Une barque et une branche”
This original piece of architecture in the village of Macé has an interesting history. Pierre Hague bought the property in 1874 and made significant alterations. He added a belvedere formed by a dome made from 4 curvel panels, topped by a skylight surrounded by a circular balcony and covered with a copper roof in the shape …