cathedral – Notes from the Cape

Published September 21, 2024

Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is a tiny Island off the Normandy coast, but it feels like something out of a fairy tale. This tiny island is home to a beautiful abbey that seems to float above the sea, especially during high tide when the waters surround it completely.

The streets are steep, narrow and winding, but the view from the abbey is breathtaking, offering a panorama of the surrounding bay.

The history dates back to the 8th century, and over the years the abbey has grown into a massive cathedral. It has survived wars and sieges. During the French revolution, it was even converted into a prision.

At high tide, Mont Saint-Michel becomes an island fortress, making it a truly magical and historically significant destination to explore.

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Published August 17, 2024

A visit to Bayeux

Bayeux is a lovely little town in the middle of Normandy. It is historically interesting for two reasons. It is the home of the famous “Bayeux Tapestry” which I highly recommend visiting, and it is where Charles de Gaulle gave the first liberation speeches after the Normandy Landings in World War 2.

The cathedral is the centre of the town, and is lit up at night.

There are a few water ways going through the town, while it looks like you “could” go boating on them, I never saw anybody actually boating. And clearly the above two boats are not in use. On my run I followed one of the canals for a couple of km out of the town, I don’t know how much further it went. Being France, it almost certainly would have joined one of the big boating canals further on.

An old waterwheel in one of the canals, I was unable to find what the mill drove, but I would guess flour.

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Published January 13, 2024

Budapest Castle complex

There is no cost to visit the castle complex, and you can wonder around most of the complex. The view of the river and the city from the castle is spectacular.

Budavári Palota – Buda Castle

Matthias Church dates back to the 13th-century, with the Fisherman’s bastion in the front.

The beautiful quad inside the castle, its also used as a live music venue.

Fisherman’s bastion, supposedly it was the inspiration for the Disney castle. Its a long flight of stairs up from the river (or you can cheat and take the elevator at the back of the castle complex).

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Published March 30, 2020

Sts. Peter and Paul Church

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I love visiting old churches, and the Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Gorlitz (yes, dedicated to two saints) is no exception. Just look at the lovely organ in the second picture. There has been a church on this site since the 1200’s.

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Published September 30, 2019

Vienna Cathedral

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I love the roof of this cathedral, the centre of Vienna.

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Published November 20, 2018

Notre Dame and the Seine River

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On our first evening in Paris we decided to take a short walk from our hotel to the river and back. When we arrived at the river I saw this vista; the sun setting behind the towers of Notre Dame cathedral. At the time I didn’t even know that it was the famous cathedral; it was simply a lovely view. It was only the next day when we went for some more exploration that we realised.

That was my introduction to Paris, a truly magnificent city.

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Published November 15, 2016

Barcelona Cathedral

The Barcelona Cathedral is a typical gothic cathedral with its tall detailed columns stretching up to the sky, spreading outwards like upside down tree routes to form the vaulted ceiling. When we were in Barcelona I visited the cathedral many times. Partly because it was so awe-inspiring to stand under that roof, and partly because it was about 100m from our apartment. Every hour we heard the bells of the cathedral beat out the time, and after a while it became almost reassuring to hear the bells as I drifted off to sleep after spending an evening wondering around the gothic quarter of Barcelona.

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Published September 5, 2016

Pipe organ at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna

This is one of the pipe organs in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna. I am not sure how many there are, but I counted 3 in total (the main organ is the largest outside USA).

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Published May 5, 2016

(another) Pipe organ at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna

…and here is another of the small pipe organs inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

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Published March 2, 2016

St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna

St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna. I love shooting the old gothic cathedrals. They are awe-inspiring, and this one is no exception. It staggers me that these buildings were build with no machines or computers over 700 years ago!

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