Montmajour Abbey, FRANCE

Montmajour Abbey, (French: Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour), was a fortified Benedictine monastery built between the 10th and 18th centuries on what was originally an island five kilometers north of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department. Among the sections of the Abbey we find a cloister, built during the 12th and 13th centuries; the Tower of Abbot Pons de l'Orme, dating from the 14th century; and several chapels and monasteries. The abbey is noted for its 11th–14th-century graves, carved in the rock, its subterranean crypt, and its massive unfinished church. It was an important pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages. The abbey and the landscape around it were frequently painted and drawn by Vincent van Gogh.

Photos from Summer 2012

Sigiriya. SRI LANKA

Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress located in the central Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 metres (660 ft) high. King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) built his new capital on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure —Sīhāgiri, the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace was abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka.

Photos from April 2016

ROMANIA

Highlights from two travels in 2001 and 2002.

Barçana Monastery

Oradea Folkloric festival

Bucovina countryside

Baile Felix

Maramures Landscape

Sapanta cemetery

Voronet monastery

Folkloric Dances in Braçov
Sibiu

The Danube

Women from Crihalma, Transilvania

Wooden Church from Maramures

Avila. SPAIN

Photos from February 2016

Beagle Canal. ARGENTINA

Photos from October 2014

Pocitelj. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

The historic site of Počitelj is built in a natural karst amphiteatre on the left bank of the river Neretva, about 30 km. to the south of Mostar.

It is believed that the fortified town were built by Bosnia's King Stjepan Tvrtko I in 1383. The walled town of Počitelj evolved throughout to the 18th century, two stages of evolution are evident: medieval, and Ottoman.

Photos from Octobre 2015

Sillustani. PERU

Sillustani is a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo near Puno in Peru. The tombs, which are built above ground in tower-like structures called chullpas, are the vestiges of the Colla people, Aymara who were conquered by the Inca in the 15th century. The structures housed the remains of complete family groups, although they were probably limited to nobility.
Photos from Summer 2009