The Lerma Ducal Palace is the palace of the dukes of Lerma in Lerma in Spain, occupying the whole of one side of the city’s Plaza. Originally it had immense gardens below it, on the banks of the river, with fountains, stately homes and seven chapels, of which one (Cristo) remains. All documents relating to […]
Postcard from Spain
Fields of grain and an old farmhouse near Lerma, Rioja.
Today in Olite, Spain
We stayed at the gorgeous and historic Parador at the former 14th century palace in the center of tiny Olite, Spain last night. It was a night to remember. The Paradors of Spain are government-run hotels that help to preserve what might otherwise be a derelict structure. Our rooms were massive, with fireplaces large enough […]
Starting on the Camino Frances, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
We arrived at this pretty riverside village late in the morning today and were immediately enchanted by the narrow medieval lanes, the old stone houses and of course, the bridge where the Camino Frances begins to make its way more than 700 kilometers later to the burial place of St. James in Santiago di Compostela, […]
One night in medieval Carcasonne, France
The fortified city itself is essentially of concentric design with two outer walls with towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines. The castle itself possesses its own draw bridge and ditch leading to a central keep. The walls consist of towers built over quite a period. One section is Roman and is notably […]
St-Remy-de-Provence
A visit to the charming village at the foot of the Les-Alpilles in the Luberon, Provence. We had lunch there the other day and here are some vignettes from our stroll around after our meal.
Postcard from France
The hamlet of Le Percy, in the French Alps near Grenoble.
Vézelay burial place of the relics of Mary Magdalene
All photographs on this blog by James Derheim, founder of European Focus Vézelay’s hilltop location has made it an obvious site for a town since ancient times. According to legend, not long before the end of the first millennium a monk named Baudillon brought relics (bones) of Mary Magdalene to Vézelay from Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. In 1058 […]