The Loire Valley and especially Blois
There are two Châteaux à Vélo itineraries that include Fougères sur Bièvres so we often cycle there. The twell-restored own hall with its mullion window was looking its best when we went there on Thursday. Il y a deux itinéraires Châteaux à Vélo qui passent par Fougères sur Bièvres donc nous y allons souvent en …
Continue reading “Fougères sur Bièvre Town Hall – Mairie de Fougères-sur-Bièvre”
Henri Frick (1849-1919) made his fortune in coke and devoted his later years to building up an incredible collection of high-quality masterpieces which he housed in a buillding that he built as a museum that would be open to the public after his death. Unfortunately he only lived there for five years. You can only photograph …
Continue reading “Postcard from New York – The Frick Collection”
This is the Stata Center at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge. The architect is Frank Gehry who also designed the amazing Louis Vuitton Fondation in the Bois de Boulogne. Apparently there is a law suit against Gehry’s company because the building leaks. Sounds a bit like the problems IM Pei (MIT & Harvard …
Trinity Church in Boston, recognized as one of the most significant buildings in America, took shape on marshland in Boston’s Back Bay in the 1870’s. It is the birthplace and archetype of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, characterized by a clay roof, polychromy, rough stone, heavy arches, and a massive tower. I love the reflections in the glass …
Continue reading “Postcard from Boston – Reflections of Trinity”
Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of 9/11. As we walked across Brooklyn Bridge, the man in front of me stopped to take a photo of the One World Observatory. Crossing the bridge is a wonderful experience as you are above the cars (you can see the yellow taxi on the left below). We intend to …
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Yesterday I learnt the story of the ubiquitous fire escapes on the front of New York buildings. Initially there were only inside staircases but in 1860, two separate fires destroyed two crowded tenement houses. In both cases, fire and smoke blocked the sole stairway, trapping those on the upper floors and claiming a total of …
Continue reading “Postcard from New York – Friends and Fire Escapes”
The One World Trade Center (or 1 World Trade Center or 1 WTC) that you can see on the right, was nicknamed the Freedom Tower when construction begin. It is the main building in the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan and the highest skyscrape in the western hemisphere. The 104 storey tower has the …
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The 300-metre Gallo-Roman aqueduct near Luynes (19 km east of Tours) probably built in the 2nd century was our picnic lunch view today when cycling from Luynes to Langeais. Six out of the nine arches are the original construction. L’aqueduc gallo-romain à côté de Luynes (19 km à l’est de Tours), long de 300 mètres, et qui …
Meslay Farm near Vouvray, built by the Abbey of Marmoutier in 1220, is a somewhat rare example of a fortified monastic farm. The monumental square gatehouse forms the entrance to the domain. It consists of a ground floor with a vaulted passage leading into the courtyard and an upper floor which was originally the guard room. The barn …
We discovered this Renaissance porch which was built in 1555 quite by accident on the cycle route along the Loir River (not the Loire) between Montoire and Vendôme. Château de la Mézière belonged to the Taillevis family for many generations. Raphaël de Taillevis was a physician and friend of the King of Navarre, Antoine de …
Continue reading “A Renaissance Porch – Un porche Renaissance”