Category Archives: Architecture
Hidden Promises – Un caché potentiel
A new roof and a paint job could do wonders. Un nouveau toit et un bon coup de peinture pourraient faire des miracles.
Spires and Rooftops – Flèches et toits
Postcard from Portugal – Guimarães
Guimarães, about 50 k north east of Porto, is where Portugal began with the first king, Alfonso Henriques, in the first half of the 12th century. There is a lovely medieval centre and castle. Guimarães, qui se trouve à une cinquantaine de kilomètres nord-est de Porto, est le berceau du Portugal où naquit Alfonso Henriques, …
Postcard from Portugal – Aveiro
We took the train to Aveiro today, 80 k south of Porto. We loved the old train station, unfortunately abandoned. The rest of the town was disappointingly dilapidated. Nous avons pris le train aujourd’hui pour aller à Aveiro qui se trouve à 80 kilomètres au sud de Porto. Nous avons beaucoup aimé la vieille gare …
The Wedding Gate – Le portail de mariage
I can never resist going past this gate in Onzain but it’s the first time I’ve seen bows on it. It’s a wedding reception venue. Je ne manque jamais de passer devant ce portail lorsqu’on est à Onzain mais c’est la première fois que je vous des noeuds. C’est un lieu de réception pour des …
Capital Faces – Visage de chapiteaux
These are just some of the faces on the capitals lining the horse ramp in Amboise Castle. Any suggestions for naming them? Voici quelques-uns des visages sur les chapiteaux qui longent la rampe à cheval au château d’Amboise. Avez-vous des suggestions pour leur donner un nom ?
Postcard #25 – Baroque & Renaissance Doorways in Görlitz
Görlitz has a surprising number of very beautiful baroque and Renaissance doorways. The first is the most richly sculpted while the second is the most popular among tourists. It was discovered quite fortuitously in the 20th century that someone standing on the left of the arch could hear quite plainly what was being whispered by …
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Postcard #19 – Krakow
Unlike Warsaw and despite the terrible extermination of 200,000 Jews who were confined to a ghetto, Krakow remained relatively undamaged at the end of World War II, sparing most of the city’s historical and architectural legacy. Above is the Renaissance Cloth Hall in the main Market Square, and below, Wawel Castle, which we intend to …
Postcard #17 – Armenian Houses in Zamosc
There are five very colourful 17th century Armenian houses on the market square in Zamosc, whose style combines Italian and oriental influences. The blue house is decorated with a young married couple while the yellow shows a polychrome Virgin of Mary slaying Evil in the form of a dragon. The red house depicts the Archangel Gabriel …