theonlyD800inthehameau
Photography by theonlydeadheadinthehameau
Thursday Doors: Cahors (2)
Posted on October 19, 2017
More doors from Cahors, he said rhymingly.
After the helter-skelter mini-train journey that featured last week, a more leisurely approach, with a cruise on the River Lot that runs through the town and beneath the striking three-towered, medieval Pont Valentré, which is worth seeing in all its glory:
Although to maintain the door theme, here’s a close-up of the middle tower:
Here’s another door halfway up a wall, taken from the mini-train:
Finally, a few more down-to-earth examples:
Thursday Doors 19 October 2017
Thursday Doors: Abbaye de La Reau (3)
Posted on August 31, 2017
A final set of doors from Abbaye de La Réau this week.
As we started last week’s instalment with an image taken from inside looking out, here’s another of the same, this time from the smithy/workshop:
This one is in the Visitor Centre:
In the grounds of the Abbey are the ruins of a round defensive tower, a refuge for the monks if some of their theological debates got a little heated:
And a couple more interesting doors from other buildings within the complex:
Thursday Doors 31 August 2017
Thursday Doors: Abbaye de La Reau (2)
Posted on August 25, 2017
This week we’re continuing our exploration of Abbaye de La Réau with some internal doors. I doubt whether any of these are absolutely original, but most of them are pretty old-looking, it has to be said.
However, to bridge the exterior/interior divide, here’s an image looking out from inside the monks’ living quarters:
A few examples of the doors leading off from this entrance space:
Rather prosaically, this is the door to the (communal) privy. Three seats (holes in a plank, to be more precise), no waiting:
And finally for this week, a door situated in the inner courtyard of the complex. Comes complete with bonus door within a door:
Thursday Doors 24 August 2017
Brooding
Posted on June 9, 2017
Monochrome helps to create a sense of brooding menace in this image of a medieval building in the French town of Chauvigny.
Tuesdays of Texture: Undrinkable
Posted on April 18, 2017
I wouldn’t even try to drink the water from this ancient pump, which can be found hard up against the ramparts of the medieval centre of the nearby town of Confolens.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise
Posted on April 13, 2017
I was very surprised to turn around while at the annual medieval fair in the town of Rancon to see that I was being stalked by a witch. Although from her reaction I think she was rather surprised too.
Thursday Doors: Confolens
Posted on March 2, 2017
After four weeks of the doors of St Junien, I suspect we’re all ready for a bit of a change of scenery so today the caravan has packed up and moved on to the town of Confolens, in the neighbouring Charente département. Like St Junien, Confolens has a modern shell around a medieval core, and it’s also on a river, in this case the Vienne, but overall – at least in my opinion – it’s a lot more scenic.
There’s plenty to look at, especially in the older part, so I might as well crack on with this first instalment, beginning with some characteristic sixteenth-century exteriors (in the UK, we’d call this ‘Tudor’).
Maintaining the careworn theme:
Although so as not to give the impression that the whole place is just falling to bits, here are a couple of more dignified – and blue – examples:
More from Confolens next week: perhaps some doors that have found themselves a good home.
Thursday Doors 2 March 2017
Mundane? Staircase
Posted on February 27, 2017
This little-used, but intriguing, stone staircase is tucked away in the narrow streeets of the medieval quarter of the town of Confolens. The composition is almost abstract and puts me in mind a little of Escher.
Mundane Monday
Thursday Doors: St. Junien (1)
Posted on February 2, 2017
St Junien is one of the major towns of the Haute Vienne département and claims to be (or have been) the glove-making capital of France. Leather gloves, that is; they’re quite particular about that.
As with many other similar conurbations, there is a medieval centre that has become increasingly surrounded by more modern, and largely featureless, developments. Be that as it may, a recent ‘doorscursion’ provided plenty of photographic opportunities that will keep my ‘ Thursday Doors’ contributions well-supplied for the next few weeks, so here is the first instalment.
This ancient wooden door is set into what’s left of the old city walls:
By contrast, this house is obviously occupied and well cared-for:
as is this:
This one is more colourful than the norm:
Although these last two are a little more careworn:
(The white street sign in the last image is in the Occitan language, which was what was spoken round these parts until French became the official language of the whole country after 1789.)
Thursday Doors 2 February 2017
Thursday Doors: Honfleur
Posted on December 15, 2016
Honfleur is a small port in north-west France, at the mouth of the Seine. Now dwarfed by its neighbour Le Havre, back in the Middle Ages it was a key European trading entrepôt.
We made a detour on our route back from Zeebrugge to home to have a look. Unfortunately, it was the middle of a long bank holiday weekend so, despite it being the end of October, the harbour area was very crowded.
In the back streets, though, and more specifically in the rather menacingly named Rue de la Prison, I came across some interesting old doors, the first one with a highly topical question posed outside:
And finally, with a welcome splash of colour:
Thursday Doors 15 December 2016
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