DSE_8103.NEF — A light show on the cathedral at night was spectacular!
DSE_8106.NEF — Constantly changing.
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DSE_8112.NEF — Little animated figures are “building” the cathedral.
DSE_8123.NEF — The figures in the light shows actually danced.
DSE_8119.NEF — More lights around town.
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DSE_8151.NEF — Chartres was more than just the cathedral but a well preserved medieval town.
DSE_8163.NEF — This bridge looks quite a bit different at night.
DSE_8176.NEF — Chartres has to keep up to date!
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DSE_8195.NEF — Malcolm Miller—The foremost authority on Chartres Cathedral was our tour guide. We had a tour with him 32 years ago. &ldquop;I do not compete with babies,” (Carla) he said at the time.
DSE_8219.NEF — The South Rose Window. The windows are actively been cleaned—bringing out their colors in full glory.
DSE_8201.NEF — The cathedral is being cleaned to its original white stone—not without controversy.
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DSE_8238.NEF — Malcolm
DSE_8224.NEF — Christ sitting in judgement.
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DSE_8256.NEF — Lunch at a creperie.
DSE_8259.NEF — School kids
DSE_8264.NEF — A visit to a stained glass museum showing old and contemporary works.
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DSE_8290.NEF — More Salade Niçoise—a favorite.
DSE_8299.NEF — The light show was all over town. We were guided by a trail of blue lights in the sidewalk
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DSE_8303.NEF — Another church participated.
DSE_8313.NEF — On the road to château country.
DSE_8324.NEF — Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years in Amboise.
DSE_8317.NEF — Francis I receiving the last breath of Leonardo da Vinci in 1519, by Ingres.
DSE_8343.NEF — A Leonardo invention
IMG_4604.JPG — Anne Marie admires the art.
IMG_4605.JPG — Pêche Melba!
DSE_8358.NEF — Entering Chenonceau.
DSE_8360.NEF — Chenonceau—considered one of the grandest of the châteaux.
DSE_8368.NEF — The classic view of Chenenceau.
DSE_8436.NEF — One of the two gardens of Chenonceau.
DSE_8402.NEF — The main gallery.
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DSE_8425.NEF — Old Dutch paintings—Protrate of a Man, by Ravesteyn
DSE_8427.NEF — Lady in a Collar by Miervelt.
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DSE_8458.NEF — All the châteaux had magnificent boquets refreshed daily from their own gardens.
IMG_6396.JPG — Our group of intrepid travelers, including us.
DSE_8521.NEF — Vlllandry—with the most extensive gardens.
DSE_8464.NEF — A model of the château shows the gardens.
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DSE_8543.NEF — Herbs and vegetables were also in formal plantings. They grew most of their own produce.
DSE_8578.NEF — François Clouet: Dame au Bain
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DSE_8568.NEF — The tapestries were quite faded. This has been enhanced.
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DSE_8584.NEF — After wine tasting, there was a quiz. Nobody got all the answers.
DSE_8647.NEF — We stopped in Mortemart for a picnic lunch.
DSE_8616.NEF — The “Whomping Willow” from Harry Potter
DSE_8630.NEF — Our picnic. Toni picked these up at a nearby shop.
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DSE_8631.NEF — Not hamburgers and fries!
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DSE_8668.NEF — The stormy weather from the morning was breaking up
DSE_8683.NEF — The entry Oradour-sur-Glane
DSE_8686.NEF — Here, 642 men, women and children were martyred by the Nazis in 1944.
DSE_8701.NEF — The town was deliberately left as a memorial. It looks like Pompeii!
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DSE_8728.NEF — Women and children were herded into this church, and then it was set afire.
DSE_8733.NEF — The remains of a baby carriage.
DSE_8744.NEF — The town cemetery with memorials to individual martyrs.
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IMG_4611.JPG — Three nights in Sarlat—fois gras country!
DSE_8788.NEF — Local cows all have these sad faces.
DSE_8767.NEF — Fois-gras on the hoof.
rouffignac01.jpg — Rouffignac Cave, our first stop of the day. (Published photo)
DSE_8802.NEF — Cénac, the start of our canoe trip down the Dordogne River.
DSC02732.jpg — After we took a spill in the river. See our blog for details. All turned out well.
DSE_8806.NEF — Market day in Sarlat. Hundreds of stalls, thousands of locals.
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DSE_8854.NEF — Lunch in Sarlat, fois-gras, of course!
DSE_8861.NEF — Cocktail party provided by Toni.
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DSE_8866.NEF — Sarlat that night was lit by votive candles for a French holiday—fire codes be damned!
DSE_8889.NEF — A crowd watching performers.
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DSE_8902.NEF — Carcassonne, Europe's largest fortified city.
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DSE_8980.NEF — The ramparts of Carcassonne were “updated” in the 19th century to attract tourists.
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DSE_8953.NEF — eanne d'Arc in the Carcassonne cathedral.
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DSE_9046.NEF — Sylvie and her husband Serge took over and completely rebuilt an old winery that uses organic growing techniques.
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DSE_9077.NEF — Serge prepared this feast for our lunch.
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DSE_9111.NEF — Pont du Gard, the largest existing Roman aqueduct.
DSE_9089.NEF — People on the bridge show how large it is.
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DSE_9127.NEF — Tunnel that fed water to the aqueduct.
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DSE_9156.NEF — Part of dinner.
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DSE_9165.NEF — Our tour guide for Arles.
DSE_9176.NEF — Roman Théâtre Antique
DSE_9232.NEF — Considered the best preserved Roman amphithéâtre. In better shape than the coliseum, it is still used today for performances and bullfights.
DSE_9226.NEF — Walkway around the amphithéâtre.
DSE_9200.NEF — The building has been restored to way it looked when Van Gogh painted it.
DSE_9257.NEF — Le Bistrot de la Mule, recommended by the tour guide
DSE_9261.NEF — My lunch, salad with duck.
DSE_9263.NEF — Barbara's lunch, swordfish with pesto—an inspiration.
DSE_9164.NEF — Place du Forum at night.
DSE_9266.NEF — Cryptoporticos—“a dark drippy underworld of Roman arches.”
DSE_9291.NEF — At the cloisters of St. Trophime.
DSE_9307.NEF — We stopped at a random bistro that went way above our expectations.
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DSE_9171.NEF — More school kids.
DSE_9358.NEF — Les Baux, and walled city that is now a ruin.
DSE_9326.NEF — Rebuilt medieval siege machine
DSE_9327.NEF — Giant crossbow.
DSE_9355.NEF — A “dovecote’ was a pigeon coop built in the rock.
DSE_9356.NEF — The Les Baux dovecote can be seen here.
DSE_9364.NEF — Our group
DSE_9340.NEF — Young tourists.
DSE_9370.NEF — On the way to Nice we stopped at market day in St. Rémy for lunch.
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DSE_9488.NEF — We arrive in Nice.
DSE_9419.NEF — Our hotel on the Promenade des Anglais.
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DSE_9455.NEF — Le Safari Restaurant.
DSE_9460.NEF — Activities on the pebbly beach.
DSE_9469.NEF — The pebbles. We took one home.
DSE_9504.NEF — Yachts galore in the yacht basin.
DSE_9511.NEF — The Mediterranean.
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DSE_9545.NEF — The Chagall Museum was closed so we went to the Matisse.
DSE_9548.NEF — He painted in many different styles, all quite different from each other.
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DSE_9546.NEF — His palette presented as art.
DSE_9553.NEF — Our final full day in Nice.
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DSE_9586.NEF — Profiteroles for dessert.
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DSE_9597.NEF — Toni provided champagne for a toast to a terrific trip.