The Vine Cross is known in heraldry as a Foliated Cross or erroneously, an Ivy Cross. Curiously, it is not a common Christian symbol. I was not able to find any information on this cross in front of the church at Rilly-sur-Loire (below). La Croix feuilles de vigne n’est pas semble-t-il un symbole chrétien répandu. …
Category Archives: Monuments
They died for their country – Morts pour la patrie
Bracieux had a population of about 1000 in 1914. Nearly 60 died during the First World War, two in WW2 and one in Indochina. The population today is about 1300. La population de Bracieux en 1914 était environ 1000. Près de 60 hommes sont morts au cours de la Grande Guerre, deux pendant la deuxième …
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Postcard Summer 2020#9 – Nuremberg
Until now we have avoided Nuremberg because of its tainted past but today we cycled there from Erlangen, a 53 k round trip and loved the old part of the town including the ramparts and Albrecht Dürer’s house. Jusqu’aujourd’hui nous avons évité Nuremberg à cause de son triste passé mais notre visite en vélo depuis …
Postcard #18 – Hluboká Castle, Bohemia
We cycled a total of 87 km return today in a heat wave to visit Hulboká Castle only to learn that there is only a guided visit in Czech lasting an hour! We decided it wasn’t worth it :). A Gothic castle was initially built on the site in the 13th century. During its history, …
Princesse Bibesco
While we were walking in Ménars on Sunday, I saw a street sign that said “Princess Bibesco”. It led to a cemetary with a large mausoleum and I discovered more about this intriguing princess whose photo you can see below. The daughter of the Prince of Chimay and Emilie Pellapra, Valentine was born in Ménars in 1839. Married at …
Château de Saint-Denis-sur-Loire
Saint-Denis Castle goes back to the middle ages. The original stronghold was bought by the Hurault family in 1341 and converted into an elegant manor house. The base of the old fort has been preserved and forms a terrace. The bill of sale mentions the presence of a thermal spring. After Catherine de Médicis was crowned …
Hero of the Resistance – Héros de la résistance
This memorial in nearby Chaussée-Saint-Victor was erected in honour of Roger Auger and Maurice Caillard, heros of the Resistance, who were shot down on 19th Apri 1944 by the Nazi, a sad reminder of the past. Ce mémorial à deux héros de la résistance se trouve à la Chaussée-Saint-Victor, triste souvenir du passé.
Orléans Court of Justice – Palais de justice d'Orléans
This is the main court room in the Orléans Court of Justice designed by François_Narcisse Pagot and inaugurated in 1824. Below you can see the outside. The sculptures and bas-reliefs are by Romagnesi. Among other things, it contains the Appeal Court where I was sworn in yesterday as an expert translator which means I can …
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The American Memorial – Le mémorial américain
On July 15, 1944, at 7.29 pm, Robert E. Jenkins, a Californian pilot in the 63rd squadron, 56th fighter group of the 8th US Air Force based at Boxted airfield in South-East England crashed in his “Thunderbolt, in the forest of Blois near Molineuf. He was confirmed dead by the German senior doctor and his …
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Postcard from New York – The Freedom Tower
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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