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Seen on the surrounds of a plaza on central Alicante, this grand stone church facade dominates the frame. Its large arched entrance with dark wooden doors, ornate stone carvings and religious statues in niches almost take the attention away from a decorative rose window and a cross that tops the triangular pediment.
Intriguingly, numerous motorcycles and scooters are parked along the street in front of this church. It led me to wonder whether this might even be a church especially popular with the motorcycling fraternity, of which I am one!
I liked how the partial cloud sky created soft, diffuse sunlight to emphasise the warm beige tones of the stonework apart from the vertical grandeur of the entrance set behind the parked bikes.
Not that I've been to Prague lately, what happens is that by checking my files I found it. It is the year 2005 and I think it was my second trip outside of Spain with a digital camera. The only photos I could find, tests apart, are from 2004 and was a trip to Russia, but they must be hidden in the bottom of some computer because I can not find them so this is the oldest digital photograph I could find.
I edited it after 12 years and the truth is that it cost me enough to leave it decent to dare to upload it to my gallery.
It is a view from the Charles bridge towards the old city with its towers, paved floors, Vltava, buildings of great beauty, street musician with all his instruments as well as tourists photographing me while I photograph them, etc. etc. I can not remember many more things about this trip, as I have been several times in Prague and all are confused in my memories.
The truth is that I have a lot of fun editing my first photos because they have a lot of flaws and all sorts of aberrations and even there are, but the size of Flickr is not enough to see them. I think the problem is in the sensor that was very small and could not fit all the information that gave the photographic lens.
Prague deserves to be visited. At least once.
Extend it to see it much better
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No es que haya ido últimamente a Praga, lo que ocurre es que revisando mis archivos me la encontré. Es del año 2005 y creo recordar que fue mi segundo viaje fuera de España con cámara digital. Las únicas fotos que he podido encontrar, ensayos y pruebas aparte, son del 2004 y fue un viaje a Rusia, pero deben estar escondidos en el fondo de algún ordenador porque no consigo encontrarlos por lo que esta es la fotografía digital más antigua que he podido encontrar.
La he editado al cabo de 12 años y la verdad es que me ha costado bastante dejarla decente para atreverme a subirla a mi galería.
Es una vista desde el puente de Carlos hacia la ciudad vieja con sus torres, suelos empedrados, el Moldava, edificios de gran belleza, músico callejero con todo su instrumental así como turistas fotografiándome a mi mientras yo los fotografío a ellos, etc. etc. No puedo recordar muchas más cosas de este viaje, pues he estado varias veces en Praga y todas se confunden en mis recuerdos.
La verdad es que me divierte mucho editar mis primeras fotos pues tienen cantidad de defectos y toda clase de aberraciones y aun las hay, pero el tamaño de Flickr no es suficiente para verlas. Creo que el problema está en el sensor que era muy pequeño y no cabía toda la información que le daba el objetivo.
Praga merece ser visitada. Por lo menos, una vez.
Ampliala para verla mucho mejor.
O Palácio de Hernando de Ovando, também conhecido como Casa dos Ovando, é um notável edifício renascentista situado no recinto monumental da cidade de Cáceres, em Espanha. Construído em 1519, o palácio sofreu uma remodelação no século XVIII, mantendo, no entanto, o seu carácter histórico.
Na fachada do palácio, destaca-se o brasão da família Ovando, um elemento arquitetónico que realça a importância histórica e social desta edificação. O Palácio de Hernando de Ovando é um excelente exemplo da arquitetura renascentista espanhola e constitui um importante ponto de interesse para os visitantes de Cáceres.
Looking towards Threave House, in Threave Garden (Dumfries and Galloway, in southwestern Scotland), on an afternoon of mixed sunshine and cloud at the beginning of June (2022).
Threave Garden & Estate have been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) since 1957. Established in 1960, the Trust’s noted School of Heritage Gardening provides intensive education and training in horticulture. It is located in Threave House, a red sandstone Victorian mansion that was designed in 1871 in the “Scottish Baronial” style (by architects John Dick Peddie and Charles Kinnear) and built for William Gordon and his family.
The talented students’ work is revealed in the widely varying garden sections or “rooms”; examples include the woodland garden, walled garden, arboretum, pond garden, and rockery, as well as the more recent Garden of Contemplation. Both over the seasons and through the years, Threave Garden continually changes, a development attested to by fellow visitors this year as well as by our own experience – we had first visited Threave Garden in 1994 and were struck this time by the newer features.
The Threave Garden & Estate land is located in Kirkcudbrightshire (a county until 1975, now a lieutenancy area), near the town of Castle Douglas.
(Information from Threave Garden & Estate (the official NTS guidebook, ©2021) and the National Trust for Scotland website, last consulted 26 July 2022.)
[Threave Garden 36 House lawn 2022-06-01 f; DSCF0683]
Goathland railway station is a station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and serves the village of Goathland in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It has also been used in numerous television and film productions. Holiday accommodation is available in the form of a camping coach. Wikipedia
Froggatt New Bridge, with a datestone of 1781, probably built to carry the new turnpike road over the river. The road is now the B6054. On the northern side of this bridge (facing upstream) there is a 1781 datestone. It appears to have been the first bridge at this spot and was built to carry the new turnpike road from Greenhill Moor (south of Sheffield) via Owler Bar to Calver - a route which replaced a number of old bridleways and cart tracks across Big Moor. The bridge stands just north of the present Calver Weir (SMR 31114) and must pre-date both this weir and its predecessor.
In Andorra, there are many Romanesque churches, each one more beautiful in its style.
This one, is perhaps one of the smaller, with a disproportionate size tower of the church itself, but I like it.
Apparently, and although no written record or documentation, was built in the twelfth century with some later additions. At that time, there were no architects, only craftsmen who built without plans or computers. Only with a few bars, a plumb bob and a squad, built buildings able to withstand without muss thousand years, since I have no record of any restoration.
I have already taken my way, because I remembered that I had already photographed it, when I remembered that the last pictures I had of the church, were still analog and I have no idea where they stop, so I turned around and went back to pull a few from different angles.
This is the one that is more descriptive, as the vegetation, due to the high temperatures of this December, still retains most of its foliage.
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En Andorra, hay muchas iglesias de estilo románico a cual más bonita dentro de su estilo.
Esta, quizá sea una de las más pequeñas con una torre desproporcionada por el tamaño de la iglesia en sí mismo, pero a mí me gusta mucho.
Según parece y aunque no hay constancia escrita ni documentación, fue construida en el siglo XII con algún añadido posterior. En aquella época, no había arquitectos, solo artesanos que construían sin planos ni ordenadores. Solo con unos compases, una plomada y alguna escuadra, construían edificios capaces de resistir mil años sin despeinarse, ya que no tengo constancia de restauración alguna.
Ya había pasada de largo, pues recordaba que ya la había fotografiado, cuando recordé que las últimas fotografías que había hecho de la iglesia, aun eran analógicas y no tengo ni idea de donde paran, por lo que di media vuelta y volví a tirar unas cuantas desde diversos ángulos.
Esta es la que me parece más descriptiva, ya que la vegetación, debido a las altas temperaturas de este Diciembre, aun conserva casi todo su follaje.
A Calle Mayor de Los Arcos, burgo medieval do Caminho Francês, mantém o seu urbanismo linear de pedra, adobe e varandas em ferro forjado dos séculos XVI-XVIII, servindo de passagem aos peregrinos rumo a Logroño junto à barroca Igreja de Santa Maria.
Calle Mayor in Los Arcos, a medieval village on the French Way, retains its linear layout of stone, adobe, and wrought-iron balconies from the 16th through 18th centuries, serving as a thoroughfare for pilgrims heading toward Logroño, next to the Baroque Church of Santa María.
Mais informação:
clicksememorias.vmribeiro.net/2026/10/pelos-caminhos-de-s...
Hamilton Cemetery Gatehouse - Built in 1862 in Gothic Revival style, it is officially called the Cemetery Lodge and Chapel. This picturesque cemetery gatehouse was originally used as the home of the cemetery caretaker and is now used as the administrative office.
Hamilton Cemetery on York Boulevard is the oldest, public burial ground in the City of Hamilton. It is located on Burlington Heights, a high sand and gravel isthmus that separates Hamilton’s harbour on the east from Cootes Paradise on the west. It is also known as Burlington Heights Cemetery, Christ Church Grounds and Church of Ascension Grounds. From about 1850-1892 each burial ground was run separately but, to save costs, in 1892 the church wardens struck an agreement with the City of Hamilton to take over responsibility for all the grounds and it was renamed Hamilton Cemetery.
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I first saw this old house from the train years and years ago. I was hooked ever since. I'm glad I've been able to see it up close, but one day I'm going to go in! It is fenced and I didn't want to risk angering a land owner. But one day I'm going inside!
As you can see, I took a lot of close up photos in an attempt to see inside.
Does anyone know anything about this old place? The story behind it? What's with the partial stone facade? It's just so weird and interesting and cobbled together!
Read ahead here: pictureprairieplaces.weebly.com/adventures/late-november-...
I spotted these two out buildings when I was photographing barns and fall color on neighboring roads here in Upstate New York. I decided to include a little blurred color to help frame these buildings.
The Gallarus Oratory, a well-preserved stone chapel in Gallarus Townland, in Kilmalkedar civil parish in the northwestern part of the Dingle Peninsula (in County Kerry, Munster Province, southwest Ireland), on a heavily overcast afternoon in mid-May 2024.
The date when the corbel-vaulted Gallarus Oratory – in Irish, Séipéilín Ghallarais – was built is not known or agreed upon; it may well have been an Early Christian structure built some time between the 6th and 10th centuries but may, alternatively, have been built during the 11th or 12th century. Today its appearance suggests drystone construction, although mortar may have been used originally.
The Dingle Peninsula is the northernmost of the five peninsulas of southwestern Ireland that stick out like fingers into the Atlantic Ocean. Its name in Irish is Corca Dhuibhne, sometimes Anglicised as Corkaguiny. The western Dingle is part of the Gaeltacht, one of the areas of the Republic of Ireland where Irish is officially designated as the primary spoken language. The townland's name in Irish is Gallaras, and that of the parish is Cill Maoilchéadair.
(Archaeological information from The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture, edited by Colum P. Hourihane (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2012), and from Wikipedia, both last consulted 2 June 2024. Place names in English and Irish from logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland (reference numbers 22681 and 1394430), also last consulted 2 June 2024.)
[Gallarus 14 Gallarus Oratory angle 2024-05-17 f]
A solitary bench rests against the ancient walls of a stone building, a silent witness to the passage of time. The damp cobblestones, discreet stained-glass window, and the raw texture of the walls create a timeless scene, almost medieval. Shadow and light gently intertwine, revealing the depth and scars of the stone, inviting a quiet pause away from the noise of the world.
Un banc solitaire repose contre les murs anciens d’une bâtisse en pierre, témoin silencieux du passage du temps. Les pavés humides, les vitraux discrets et la texture brute des murs composent une scène intemporelle, presque médiévale. L’ombre et la lumière s’entrelacent doucement, soulignant les reliefs et les cicatrices de la pierre, et invitant à une pause contemplative hors du tumulte du monde.
Old Town (Vieil Antibes) of Antibes, a coastal town on the French Riviera, France. Antibes is a historic, walled town known for its picturesque streets, beaches, and large marina.
A Plaza de San Mateo, no ponto mais alto do centro histórico de Cáceres, classificado como Património Mundial pela UNESCO, revela a história da cidade através da sua arquitetura. Ocupando o local da antiga alcáçova almóada, a praça apresenta edifícios em alvenaria de pedra ocre, típicos dos solares fortificados da nobreza local dos séculos XIV a XVI. O pavimento empedrado tradicional unifica o espaço, que conecta monumentos como a Igreja de San Mateo, erguida sobre uma mesquita, e o Convento de San Pablo. Palácios como os Golfines de Arriba e o das Cigüeñas, com elementos góticos e renascentistas, circundam a praça, testemunhando a evolução arquitetónica da cidade. A praça mantém o seu carácter defensivo e senhorial, preservando a autenticidade do ambiente medieval, notavelmente conservado e refletindo um período de expansão económica após a Reconquista. A integração de estruturas modernas, como o Hotel Atrio, demonstra a harmonia entre a preservação patrimonial e a funcionalidade contemporânea, consolidando a Plaza de San Mateo como um dos núcleos mais emblemáticos de Cáceres.
Plaza de San Mateo, at the highest point of the historic center of Cáceres, classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, reveals the history of the city through its architecture. Occupying the site of the former Almohad citadel, the square features ochre stone masonry buildings, typical of the fortified manors of the local nobility from the 14th to 16th centuries. The traditional cobblestone pavement unifies the space, which connects monuments such as the Church of San Mateo, built on top of a mosque, and the Convent of San Pablo. Palaces such as the Golfines de Arriba and the Cigüeñas, with Gothic and Renaissance elements, surround the square, bearing witness to the architectural evolution of the city. The square retains its defensive and stately character, preserving the authenticity of the medieval environment, remarkably well preserved and reflecting a period of economic expansion after the Reconquista. The integration of modern structures, such as the Hotel Atrio, demonstrates the harmony between heritage preservation and contemporary functionality, consolidating the Plaza de San Mateo as one of the most emblematic centers of Cáceres.
Hvar Island, Croatia, is renowned for its tightly packed, historic stone houses topped with vibrant, sun-baked terracotta tiles. This iconic orange and red terracotta traces its roots back to the Roman Empire and creates a bright, historic patchwork across the Dalmatian coast. (Actually. terracotta translates to "baked earth" in Italian.) These roofs sit atop old, white, stone buildings and and provide striking visual harmony against the bright blue of the Adriatic Sea.
An octagonal stone building on the grounds of the former Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in Oka, Quebec, Canada.
The former Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac was re-built in 1918, having fallen to flames twice since the land it rests upon was first settled by Trappist monks in 1881.
Two nearby brick buildings are dated 1921, so I suspect that this stone building most likely dates around that period.
That being said, this building is featured in an image on the Internet dated 1919.
The former flour miller's house built in 1785 and owned by Cyrille Gagnon, still standing, was briefly occupied by the Trappist monks in 1881.
16C mansion, donated to the town by the prince of Manville, boasts a beautiful facade decorated with mullioned windows. It houses the town hall.
Omirou Street
Rhodes has been famous since antiquity as the site of Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Built by the Hospitalliers, Rodos is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe.
The Medieval city is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Integrado na paisagem granítica da União das Freguesias de Chorense e Monte, em Terras de Bouro, o trilho "Moinhos de Santa Isabel" serpenteia pela zona de transição do Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês. Este percurso circular de aproximadamente 18 km revela a harmonia entre a natureza e a atividade humana ao longo dos séculos. O trilho, que atravessa aldeias como Campos Abades e Seara, permite observar 28 moinhos de rodízio, vestígios do uso histórico da água na moagem de cereais. A paisagem, pontuada por carvalhos, ribeiros e levadas, integra ainda elementos como espigueiros, eiras e socalcos. A presença de afloramentos graníticos, a vegetação de mato e a prática de queimadas controladas, comuns na gestão do território, definem a identidade desta região com raízes que remontam ao período megalítico, onde a agro-silvo-pastorícia moldou a paisagem e o património.
Integrated into the granite landscape of the Union of the Parishes of Chorense and Monte, in Terras de Bouro, the "Moinhos de Santa Isabel" trail winds through the transition zone of the Peneda-Gerês National Park. This circular route of approximately 18 km reveals the harmony between nature and human activity over the centuries. The trail, which crosses villages such as Campos Abades and Seara, allows you to observe 28 rotating mills, vestiges of the historical use of water in the milling of cereals. The landscape, punctuated by oak trees, streams and levadas, also includes elements such as granaries, threshing floors and terraces. The presence of granite outcrops, bush vegetation and the practice of controlled burning, common in the management of the territory, define the identity of this region with roots dating back to the megalithic period, where agro-silvo-pastoralism shaped the landscape and heritage.
Cat about town: a calico coat on paving flagstones in the harbour town of Stromness (on the island of Mainland, Orkney, above the north coast of Scotland), on a mostly overcast day in early September.
Towards the right, one of a number of sharp bends in the main street, at Melvin Place. The coat of this cat (who appeared to be waiting for company!) happened to echo the colour of the building and wall flagstones.
(From the "archive" -- 2007.)
[Stromness calico cat and stones waiting 2007 sep 8 n; DSCN0118]
Looking across the castle grounds from the south west gatehouse of Corfe Castle in Dorset UK. The northern end of Corfe Castle railway station can be seen through the mist.
Corfe Castle is a National Trust Property.
No idea on the name of the chapel, but it's atop Mnt. Joy. 2008.
Mamiya C330, 80mm lense,
Kodak Tri-X 400,
Xtol 1+1, 8 minutes,
Canoscan 8800f and Vuescan x64,
Edited in Exposure X5.
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Το album για το Άγιον όρος Holy Mount Athos
στο προσωπικό μου blog ΛΟΓΕΙΚΩΝ Logicon
Περιλαμβάνει περίπου 150 εικόνες ,σκέψεις μου,πληροφορίες και παραπομπές ώστε να αποτυπώνεται πλήρως η εμπειρία μου στο "Περιβόλι της Παναγίας"
The album for Άγιον όρος Holy Mount Athos
on my personal blog ΛΟΓΕΙΚΩΝ Logicon
It contains about 150 images, my thoughts, information and references to fully reflect my experience at "The Virgin's Garden"
Η Ιερά Καλύβη της Παναγούδας,εξάρτημα της Ιεράς Μονής Κουτλουμουσίου στον Άγιον Όρος όπου εγκαταβίωσε αφού την ανεκαίνισε,μετά την εις τον κόσμον περιπλάνησή του και μέχρι την εις Κύριον εκδημίαν του ο μέγας σύγχρονος Άγιος γνωστός ως "Γέρων Παΐσιος" ο Αγιορείτης. Αξίζει να σταθούμε στον αυτοσχέδιο τρούλο και στο μικρό(υπάρχει και μεγάλο αριστερά της εικόνας) "αρχονταρίκι" με τα κούτσουρα για καθίσματα όπου ο Άγιος εδέχετο τους πολυπληθείς "επισκέπτες" του.
Καλό μήνα και καλή Παναγιά!
The Holy Shrine of Panagouda, part of the Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou on Mount Athos, where he lived after he renovated it, after his wandering around the world and until his death, the great modern Saint known as "Elder Paisios". It is worth staying in the makeshift dome and the small (there is a big left of the picture) "archontariki"(=Reception area) with logs for seats where the Saint welcomed his many "guests".
Looking down on New Road and King's Beck at Robin Hoods Bay.
Robin Hood's Bay is a village in North Yorkshire, England. It is 6 miles (10 km) south of Whitby and 15 miles (24 km) north of Scarborough on the Yorkshire Coast.
It is an ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand. It is on the Cleveland Way national trail and also the end point of Wainwright's Coast to Coast route.
The origin of the name is uncertain, and it is doubtful that Robin Hood was ever in the vicinity of the village (if indeed he ever existed). The place is attested in the early sixteenth century as "Robyn Hoodis Baye" in 1544. The English ballad The Noble Fisherman tells a story of Robin Hood visiting Scarborough, taking a job as a fisherman, defeating French pirates with his archery skills, and using half the looted treasure to build a home for the poor. However, the ballad is only attested to in the 17th century at the earliest. It is considered more likely to be a work original to the 17th century rather than an older medieval popular legend passed down, and very unlikely to be based on any historical incident. However, it is possible the author knew of Robin Hood's Bay, and sought to tie the story he wrote to the Scarborough area to explain and justify the name.
The Wellington clock tower is a structure that stands on the seafront at Swanage in Dorset, England. It was originally built by the Commissioners for Lighting the West Division of Southwark at the southern end of London Bridge in 1854. It was intended as a memorial to the recently deceased Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, though funds proved insufficient to provide a statue of the man at the top of the tower, as had been originally intended. It housed a clock with four faces that were illuminated from within and a small telegraph office. Within 10 years the structure was overshadowed by the construction of nearby railway structures and became an obstruction to traffic using the bridge. It was disassembled in 1867.
The structure was saved by the Swanage-based contractor George Burt and shipped back to his hometown, without the clock mechanism. He gifted it to fellow contractor Thomas Docwra who erected it in the grounds of his house at Peveril Point. Later owners removed the spire in 1904, though the structure remains a prominent landmark in the town and was granted grade II protection as a listed building in 1952.
Text curtesy of Wikipedia.
At Monschau, Germany
Monschau is the most beautiful little German town that you can imagine.
We saw a Heron, we enjoyed walking through the narrow streets and looking in the shops.
We each bought a hat; finally we enjoyed a Latte Macchiato in a lovely cafe.
We love this place, and will visit again!
Monschau
Germany
View from the bridge over the Indre in the village / small town of Azay-le-Rideau (the département of Indre-et-Loire, located in the Centre-Val de Loire region in central France), on a mostly clear midday in mid-October.
Riverside houses are reflected in the calm water above one of the mill-races. As is characteristic of the area of the Touraine, a historical, pre-Revolutionary province, the buildings are of pale, silvery-grey to near-white tufa limestone (in French, tuffeau or tufeau).
While broadly considered part of the "Loire Valley" or Val de Loire, Azay-le-Rideau actually lies along the River Indre, which is a tributary of the Loire itself. Several mills were established in and near the village. The village is probably best known for the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, a small gem of the Renaissance period primarily built between 1518 and 1527. The château is surrounded by the Indre, which forms a natural moat, as well as a garden and parkland.
Azay-le-Rideau is located within Le Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine (the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Natural Park).
[Azay-le-Rideau bridge reflections river autumn 2016 oct 10 f; DSCF0268]
Partly ivy-covered restaurant in the village of Chenonceaux (Indre-et-Loire, in the Centre Region -- central France), on an overcast afternoon in late May 2009. It is also graced with climbing roses.
Situated along and near the River Cher, Chenonceaux is best known as the location of the Renaissance Château de Chenonceau, one of the "Loire Valley châteaux." (The name of the château lacks the final "x" present in the village name.)
Please note that the region's name when this picture was taken in 2009 was Centre, but in 2015, as a result of the merger of regions, the name was changed to Centre-Val de Loire.
[Chenonceaux Village restaurant side roses 2009 may 28 c; IMG_2744]
The wonderful old and historic Highfield House in Stanley on Tasmania's northwest coast.
I may post the original colour version of this one day as there was a wonderful blue sky, lush green lawns and the colour of the rust on the old cart really stood out, but somehow, it looks appropriate in black and white with a feel of maybe having been taken any time in the last hundred and fifty years. I even managed to avoid any power lines that were around the property.
The colour 3D version of this slide was on display in the Stanley visitor information centre in the days when I ran a small 3D photography display business.
Original colour slide was taken between 2007 and 2009 with a 3D World medium format stereo film camera using Fuji Provia 100F colour slide film. Scanned with a Canon R10 with RF24-240mm lens and Nisi close up attachment.
This little group of farm buildings known as Dunnabridge Pound Farm lies just off the B3357, a couple of miles east of Two Bridges in the centre of Dartmoor. Just out of shot to the right is Dunnabridge Pound, which is a medieval stock enclosure with parts dating back to the Bronze Age. There is a second farm a few hundred yards to the south, but otherwise it is quite isolated. I was therefore amused to find a traditional postbox in the wall. I didn't check to see how often the postman calls to empty it.
A mill and mill-race in the village / small town of Azay-le-Rideau (the département of Indre-et-Loire, located in the Centre-Val de Loire region in central France), on a mostly clear midday in mid-October.
Other riverside houses are reflected in the calm water above the mill-race. As is characteristic of the area of the Touraine, a historical, pre-Revolutionary province, the buildings are of pale, silvery-grey to near-white tufa limestone (in French, tuffeau or tufeau).
While broadly considered part of the "Loire Valley" or Val de Loire, Azay-le-Rideau actually lies along the River Indre, which is a tributary of the Loire itself. Several mills were established in and near the village.
The village is probably best known for the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, a small gem of the Renaissance period primarily built between 1518 and 1527. The château is surrounded by the Indre, which forms a natural moat, as well as a garden and parkland. Azay-le-Rideau is located within Le Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine (the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Natural Park).
[Azay-le-Rideau bridge mill race side view 2016 oct 10 f; DSCF0271]
Looking back down towards St Davids Cathedral, in the city of St Davids (Pembrokeshire, in southwesternmost Wales), on an afternoon in late October 2024.
The cathedral, known in Welsh as Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi, is located on the site of a monastic community established during the 6th century by Dewi Sant – the Welsh name of St David – who became the patron saint of Wales. Unlike many such churches, instead of being on a prominent height, it is tucked into a hollow, which would have made it less visible from the nearby sea, providing some (although not sufficient) protection from Viking raids and other piracy during the early medieval period. The local stone is a characteristic grey with pink-to-purple tints.
Bishop Peter de Leia began the construction of the current building in 1181, during the reign of Henry II. By then, the place had official papal privilege as an important pilgrimage destination. Repairs, redesign, and expansion continued through 1540, but pillaging and destruction resulted from periods of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the (so-called “English”) Civil War. Noted church architect George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878) restored most of the building, including a redesigned tower; the building and its decorations thus incorporate Victorian elements. St Davids continues to be active as an Anglican cathedral as well as a historic site welcoming visitors.
The cathedral city of St Davids (also spelled St David’s, based on the Welsh Tyddewi, or House of David) has the official status of a city, the UK’s smallest city by population and urban area, even though its size corresponds to that of many a large village. In addition to the cathedral and other listed historic structures, the Oriel y Parc Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Visitor Centre is located in St Davids. Some of the Park’s varied landscapes are visible in the background.
(Historical information from panels in the cathedral church as well as the official website of St Davids Cathedral and Wikipedia, both last consulted 24 December 2024).
[St David's 67 cathedral from above 2024-10-23 o; PA232052]