Postcard from Lisbon – Rooftop Pinnacles

These pinnacles are very common in Lisbon but they look particularly effective on the terrace of the Monastery of Saint Vincent  Outside the Walls. Ces pinacles se trouvent un peu partout à Lisbonne mais ils sont particulièrement décoratifs sur la terrasse du monastère de Saint Vincent Hors les Murs.

Postcard from Lisbon – La Fontaine

The Monastery of Saint Vincent Outside the Walls in Lisbon has a magnificent collection of 38 azulejos depicting different fables by La Fontaine. This is one of them. The dog with his master’s dinner round his neck A dog was carrying his master’s dinner and another dog tried to steal it. When more dogs appeared, attraced by …

Postcard from Lisbon – Fully tiled fireplace – Cheminée entièrement carrelée

Like Spain, Portugal has a long tradition of azulejos or ceramic tiles. This fully tiled fireplace is in the Swan Room of the National Palace of Sintra built in the early 15th century, which is up on a hill outside Lisbon and therefore much cooler in winter. Comme l’Espagne, le Portugal a une longue tradition …

Postcard from Lisbon – Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Today I fell in love with a World Heritage site- the early 16th century monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon. The two-storey cloisters with their intricately sculpted columns and arches are quite extraordinary. Aujourd’hui je suis tombée amoureuse d’un site inscrit au patrimoine de l’Unesco – le monastère de Jéronimos à Lisbonne. Le cloître à deux …

Postcard from Lisbon: Azulejos – Terreiro do Paço

This beautiful mural made with LIsbon’s famous azulejos (tiles) is in a little garden in the Alfama quarter and depicts the  square shown in yesterday’s photo before the earthquake. Ce beau mural en azulejos, les faïences célèbres de Lisbonne, se trouve dans un petit jardin dans la quartier d’Alfama et représente la place d’hier mais avant le …

Postcard from Lisbon: Commerce Square – Place du commerce

We are spending a week in Lisbon on a home exchange.The Praça do Comércio is near the Tagus river, is still called Terreiro do Paço because it was originally the site of Paços da Ribeira (Royal Ribeira Palace) destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755. It was rebuilt (and remodelled) by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, who …

A Shade above the rest – De l'ombre au-dessus des autres

This very tall tree stands in front of the 17th century church of Saint Vincent de Paul with its lovely classical façade. Ce très grand arbre se dresse devant l’église de Saint Vincent de Paul avec sa belle façade du 17ème siècle.

Nazelles-Négron Town Hall – Mairie de Nazelles-Négron

This is another disproportionately large town hall in Nazelles-Négron (near Amboise), a village of 3500 people called Nazellois. I couldn’t step back far enough to get a better photo with my iPhone 5. Voici la mairie de Nazelle-Négron près d’Amboise, une fois de plus disproportionnée par rapport à sa population de 3500 habitants qui s’appellent des nazellois. …

Cupid on the Roof – Cupidon sur le toit

Fougères Castle has two weathervanes – I’ve already posted a photo of one of them depicting a cock and a moon. This is the second. I like the way there are two arrows. Le château de Fougères a deux girouettes ; l’autre que j’ai déjà publié représente un coq et une lune. Voici la deuxième. J’aime bien …