Postcard from Sicily – Taormina

A few rays of sunshine at last and a change of architecture in Taormina. Piazza del duomo with is cathedral built in 1400. Very subdued compared with all the baroque we’ve been seeing. Quelques rayons de soleil enfin et un changement d’architecture à Taormina. Piazza del duomo avec sa cathédrale construite en 1400. Très soft …

Postcard from Sicily – Piazza Archimede

Archimedes after whom the piazza was named was born in Syracuse in the 3rd century BC but the fountain of Diane the Huntress was built in 1906. The second photo is a typical street on the island of Ortigia on the tip of Syracuse. Archimède qui a donné son nom à cette place est né …

Postcard from Sicily – Agrigento

A Greek temple built in the 5th century BC, a 500 year old olive tree and a contemporary statue of Icarus stand side by side at the Unesco World Heritage site of Agrigento. Un temple grecque construit au 5ème siècleavant Jesus Christ, un olivier de 500 ans et une statue contemporaine se trouvent côte à …

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 #29 – Chagall in Metz Cathedral

Right at the top of the triforium, Chagall’s stained glass windows in Metz Cathedral are less visible than in Reims, but still as easy to recogise. Incrusted with saphirs, topaze, rubies, emeralds and amethysts, they were mounted between 1958 and 1968. Last stop before home. Montés tout en haut du triforium, les vitraux de Chagall …

Photo #28 – Wertheim am Main, Germany

This is the Main River that we have been cycling along for the last two days. The photo is taken from the top of the castle in Wertheim. Tomorrow we’ll be on the Moselle in Metz. Voici la rivière Main. Nous la suivons en vélo  depuis deux jours. La photo est prise depuis le château …

Postcard #26 – Miltenberg, Germany

After a six-hour drive from Görlitz yesterday, we were delighted to be cycling along the Main River in the evening but we were not expecting the sheer beauty of the little town of Miltenberg, which is given two lines in one of our guidebooks and not even mentioned in the others! My favourite house is below. This …