Petit Palais Museum, Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon, France A stone’s throw away from the Palace of the Popes is an impressive 14th century building which is home to an impressive collection of medieval statutes and paintings. Like the other museums of Avignon, it had been raided by Christian Lacroix for his exhibition across the square, but nonetheless it was…
St Benezet Bridge, Pont Saint-Bénézet (Pont d’Avignon), Avignon, France Sometimes I’m a little baffled by life. When I suggested to Mama-Chickpea that we go to Avignon in the summer, she randomly started singing at me. Apparently, this song was “Sur le pont d’Avignon“, a tuneless ditty she’s been forced to learn some fifty years ago at school, and had inexplicably refused…
…continued from Part One… In Part Two of this look at the highlights of the National Museum of Denmark, I’ll be concentrating on the medieval art of Denmark. It was a fascinating collection, with objects from Iceland, as well as German made religious art which was used in Danish churches. The Middle Ages in Denmark are defined as starting in…
Les Grandes Médiévales d’Andilly, Andilly, France Quite by chance, Sister-Chickpea came across an exciting looking event that was held not far from home. It was a Medieval spectacle, over two weekends in May, and although I wasn’t sure what to expect – or whether it was worth the hefty €25 fee – I had the most amazing time. Andilly is a…
Museum of Medieval Stockholm, Stockholms medeltidsmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden Ah, the Middle Ages! They are so creepy, so fascinating, so… Swedish. Yes, I know that doesn’t make sense, but in my little brain the medieval world is summed up in ‘The Seventh Seal’ – a Swedish film. Not that you get to play chess with Death at this museum, but you do…
In Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France There is something about the Middle Ages. They are exciting but quite frightening; they are attractive, but have a very ugly side. They are full of character, but not necessarily of the kind you like. The Christmas Market at Ribeauvillé has a Medieval theme, and actually captured a lot of the beauty, and some of the creepiness,…
In Bremgarten, Switzerland It’s not often that history geeks like me get to indulge their geekiness, and it’s really not often that we get to experience the past in a way that feels almost authentic. Every year in the northern Swiss town of Bremgarten, people who are trained in the crafting skills of the Middle Ages come together to demonstrate…