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Ancient cross outside chapel near Dinard, Brittany

Ancient cross outside chapel near Dinard, Brittany


Dinan tower house courtyard

Dinan tower house courtyard


Ceiling, Bayeux Cathedral

Ceiling, Bayeux Cathedral


Bishop, Bayeux Cathedral

Bishop, Bayeux Cathedral


Griffin in Bayeux Cathedral

Griffin in Bayeux Cathedral

The Cathedral at Bayeux was built by Bishop Odo, brother of William the Conqueror and wielder of a mace at the Battle of Hastings, as immortalized in the Bayeux Tapestry. Bishops were not allowed to shed blood with a sword, but smashing someone's head in with a mace was allowed.


Here lies the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin, Dinan, Brittany

Here lies the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin, Dinan, Brittany


Dinan church, God the Father and God the Son

Dinan church, God the Father and God the Son


Here lies the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin

Here lies the heart of Bertrand du Guesclin


Carving in Lehon abbey church, Brittany

Carving in Lehon abbey church, Brittany


Lehon stone face

Lehon stone face


Gisant, Lehon

Gisant, Lehon


Gisant with beard, Lehon Abbey

Gisant with beard, Lehon Abbey


Gisant

Gisant


Gisant, Lehon Abbey

Gisant, Lehon Abbey

An early Tiffany, the niece of Bertrand du Guesclin.


Face of a gisant, Lehon Abbey

Face of a gisant, Lehon Abbey


Tiphaine du Guesclin, a woman dressed in male clothes

Tiphaine du Guesclin, a woman dressed in male clothes


Gisant, Lehon Abbey, Brittany

Gisant, Lehon Abbey, Brittany


Face of a woman, gisant, Lehon Abbey, Brittany

Face of a woman, gisant, Lehon Abbey, Brittany


Gisant at Lehon Abbey, Brittany

Gisant at Lehon Abbey, Brittany


Pointe du Hoc, June 3, 2004

Pointe du Hoc, June 3, 2004


Omaha Beach from the American Cemetery, June 6, 2004

Omaha Beach from the American Cemetery, June 6, 2004


Shield of the city of Paris

Shield of the city of Paris

The motto of the city of Paris is FLUCTUAT NEC MERGITUR. This means "It floats and does not sink."


Avebury Stone Circle, September 2002

Avebury Stone Circle, September 2002


Bridge at Lehon village, near Dinan, Brittany

Bridge at Lehon village, near Dinan, Brittany


Dinan castle, Brittany

Dinan castle, Brittany


The Oldest Road: the Ridgeway near the White Horse, Uffington, England

The Oldest Road: the Ridgeway near the White Horse, Uffington, England


Wayland's Smithy on the Ridgeway

Wayland's Smithy on the Ridgeway


Wayland's Smithy

Wayland's Smithy

Wayland's Smithy, on the Ridgeway, is named after the legendary Anglo-Saxon magical smith, but is far older than even the Celtic invasion of Britain.


The goddess Diana at the Richelieu wing

The goddess Diana at the Richelieu wing

This statue of Diana is in the image of the beautiful Diane de Poitiers. This is one of the first Renaissance nudes in France, and stood originally at the château d'Anet in the middle 1500s, where Diane lived with her husband, Louis de Brézé, lord of Anet and Grand Seneschal of Normandy. It was originally a fountain.


Louvre, Richelieu Wing, Madonna

Louvre, Richelieu Wing, Madonna


Jeanne de Bourbon, Countess of Auvergne

Jeanne de Bourbon, Countess of Auvergne

This was the end of the Middle Ages, and the last of the grim grave statues. Look at the worms and skull!


Richelieu wing, Louvre: Carving of ramparts, no flas

Richelieu wing, Louvre: Carving of ramparts, no flas


Richelieu wing, Louvre: Maiden and unicorn

Richelieu wing, Louvre: Maiden and unicorn

The unicorn symbolized virginity.


Richelieu wing, Louvre: unicorn with a maiden

Richelieu wing, Louvre: unicorn with a maiden


Richelieu wing, Louvre: married couple

Richelieu wing, Louvre: married couple


Richelieu Wing, Louvre: Reader, no flash

Richelieu Wing, Louvre: Reader, no flash


Richelieu wing, Louvre: reader, no flash

Richelieu wing, Louvre: reader, no flash


Richelieu wing, Louvre: Reader, flash

Richelieu wing, Louvre: Reader, flash


Richelieu wing, Louvre, man with beard, 1400s

Richelieu wing, Louvre, man with beard, 1400s


Richelieu wing, Louvre: nun, reading

Richelieu wing, Louvre: nun, reading


Richelieu Wing, Louvre; hooded reader

Richelieu Wing, Louvre; hooded reader


Richelieu wing, Louvre, King and Queen of France

Richelieu wing, Louvre, King and Queen of France

I believe this is Henri II and his queen Catherine de Medici, but I didn't write it down. Will correct after my next visit!


Richelieu wing, Louvre, Green Man

Richelieu wing, Louvre, Green Man

This Green Man-- a face in leaves, a pagan survival-- is found all over Western Europe in cathedrals.


Richelieu wing, archaic smile

Richelieu wing, archaic smile


Richelieu wing, Louvre, Bishop, w flash

Richelieu wing, Louvre, Bishop, w flash


Richelieu wing, Louvre, Bishop, no flash

Richelieu wing, Louvre, Bishop, no flash


Richelieu wing, fuzzy scribe

Richelieu wing, fuzzy scribe


Port Royal fort, Nova Scotia

Port Royal fort, Nova Scotia

This is a reconstruction of the original fort built by the French on the Bay of Fundy in the early 1600s. My ancestors were there then.


Topkapi Palace, outer entrance

Topkapi Palace, outer entrance


Topkapi Palace, first courtyard

Topkapi Palace, first courtyard

The first courtyard of Topkapi Palace, the former residence of the Ottoman emperors, is now a public park.


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