Photo Gallery

Transhumance in the Camargue - Recognizable by their white hair coat, the Camargue horses, with their perseverance and their small size, meet all the requirements of the shepherds. In the Camargue, there are numerous herds of bulls, but the breeding of horses is rare and requires, depending on the season, long and arduous migrations. (Pond Scamander, Petite Camargue, France) - 1979

Bavella Needles - Corsica is no ordinary island; it is, in fact, an actual mountain in the sea. The Bavella Needles are 1899 meters high. Punta di u Furneddu and Punta Mufrareccia are part of a long ridge that extends across the island from northwest to southeast. - 1980

The Sénanque Abbey, cosily located in a little valley near Gordes (Vaucluse, F), is one of the most beautiful examples of Cistercian architecture. It is still home to a small community of monks, who grow mainly lavender and lavandin.

The strength of age - In his village in Sardinia, old Azeglio does not age. In fact, there is no age limit for him. Or age simply no longer exists – unless it is hiding behind his beard. How come? In Sardinia, as in all places where wisdom is not easily acquired, the youth of the heart lasts as long as life. - 1980

F - Provence - lavender field at Sénanque

Norway - Koppvatnet - The northern province of Nordland features various glacial lakes divided by imposing gneiss mountains. The E6 road passes by lake Kobbvatn and leads through numerous tunnels, for which toll fees must be paid.

Venice - Italy - View of the island and the Church of San Giorgio, seen from the Piazzetta on a high-water day.

The largest glacier in the Alps (23.6 km long and around 117.6 km2 big in 2001) flows at a speed of 200 meters a year. The climate change is threatening to melt 80% of the alpine glaciers. (Aletsch Glacier, Valais, Switzerland)

Landscape in Belgium

Schächental - Canton Uri - Switzerland

Community flags at Expo64 - Lausanne - Switzerland

Landscape in Finland

Region of Audienne - Brittany - France

Evening atmosphere at the seaside - Brittany - France

On the island of Ouessant - Brittany - France

Fisherman in the Gulf of Morbihan - Brittany - France

Lonely tree on a field of rape - Brittany - France

Cornwall Festival in Quimper - Brittany - France

View from the Lighthouse St. Mathieu - Brittany - France

Sunset on the Atlantic - Brittany – France

Mont St. Michel - Normandy - France

Farm in the south of Exmes - Normandy - France

Landscape at Sommervieu - Normandy - France

Artichoke harvest - Brittany - France

Menhirs alignment in Carnac - Brittany - France

Costume Festival in Pont l'Abbé - Brittany - France

End of the day near Roscoff - Brittany - France

F - Provence - The Rhone and the bridge of Avignon

F - Provence – The roofs of Moustier

F - Provence - L'Arlésienne festival in Arles

F - Provence - Detail wall in the village of Tende

F - Provence – Vineyards, to the village of Les Baux

F - Provence - Field with summer flowers

F - Camargue - transhumance in the Rhone Delta

F - Provence - Spring is here....

F - Provence - The lavender in July

F - Provence - In the streets of Barjols

F - Provence - Carriage to rest, at La Palud-sur-Verdon

F - Provence - Gypsy in Ste. Marie-de-la-Mer

F - Camargue - Transhumance in the Rhone Delta

F - Provence - Backyard in Sospel

F - Provence - The picturesque village of Moustier

F - Provence – Lavender fields in mid-July

F - Provence - Blossoming almond trees and vines in spring

Four elderly men are enjoying the warm spring sunshine and reminiscing about days gone by. A typical street scene from Istanbul in Turkey. Such authentic moments, featuring elderly gentlemen sitting on wooden benches, have been a familiar sight in the cityscape of this metropolis on the Bosphorus for decades. – 1989

In the streets of Istanbul, one often comes across street vendors selling the characteristic ring-shaped bread to passers-by. The city’s location on the Bosphorus, where the Sea of Marmara meets the Black Sea and where Europe meets Asia Minor, has shaped its development; as Constantinople and Byzantium, it enjoyed centuries of prosperity. Istanbul’s many architectural monuments bear witness to this history, which is comparable in significance to that of Rome. – 1989

The Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul was built on the site of the former Venetian Market, opposite the Galata Bridge and behind the Yeni Mosque. The elongated building is topped with low domes. Amidst an atmosphere of oriental scents and mystery, every conceivable item is on offer here, including, of course, a wealth of spices. – 1989

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is situated in the heart of the old town. The first market halls were built in 1461 on the site of an old wooden market square and were used exclusively for the wool and silk trade. Gradually, however, the bazaar opened up to other trades and developed into a proper neighbourhood. This gigantic marketplace has eighteen gates, and nearly four thousand shops are crammed along the grid-like layout of arcades, streets and alleys. In the past, specific sections were reserved for each trade, which is no longer so strictly the case today. Nevertheless, carpet dealers, jewellers, leather goods and clothing sellers, for example, are still concentrated in certain sectors of the bazaar. – 1989

This impressive globe is on display at the Correr Museum in Venice. It makes it easy to trace the route of the Spice Route from Asia to Europe. - 1989

Just as in the days of the Spice Route, sailing ships occasionally drop anchor in the Giudecca Canal in Venice – a sight that is, sadly, becoming increasingly rare. During the heyday of the Spice Route in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance (from around the 13th to the end of the 15th century), Venice was the undisputed economic hub and the wealthiest city in Europe. The Republic of Venice held the European monopoly on the trade in Asian spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Venetian merchants did not travel to India or China themselves. They purchased the luxury goods at the end points of the Asian caravan and sea routes in the Middle East – primarily in ports such as Alexandria (Egypt), Aleppo and Antioch (Syria). Through skilful diplomacy and treaties with the ruling Mamluks, they secured exclusive access rights there. – 1989

Marco Polo’s house in Venice, with its doorway showing strong Byzantine influence (in the corner in the background). In the centre of the courtyard, the Corte Seconda del Milion, stands a well. The house was built in the 11th/12th century, and Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254. He travelled extensively throughout Asia and lived for nearly seventeen years at the court of Kublai Khan, the Great Khan of China. After returning to his hometown, he took part in a naval battle against Genoa and was taken prisoner. During his exile in Liguria, he dictated his memoirs, the ‘Book of the Marvels of the World’. This masterful travelogue remains to this day an inexhaustible source of information on the history, customs and traditions of Asia in the Middle Ages. Marco Polo died in 1324 as a highly respected man, known to his fellow citizens as ‘Messer Marco Milione’, as he was in the habit of estimating the Great Khan’s treasures in millions of gold ducats. – 1989

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice – built between 1505 and 1508 on the ruins of an older warehouse and, until 2025, set to become a luxury shopping centre and cultural hub near the Rialto Bridge – was, at the beginning of the 15th century, effectively a finance and customs ministry that played a fundamental role in the spice trade. – 1989

A 13th-century relief depicting a camel driver in Moorish attire, located on a wall of the Palazzo dei Cammello (or Palazzo dei Mastelli) in Venice. It is easy to imagine that the dromedary’s pack-sack is filled with spices. – 1989

Statue of a Levantine merchant on the corner of Campo dei Mori and Fondamenta dei Mori. The three statues at Campo dei Mori form part of the Mastelli family coat of arms; the Mastellis were renowned merchants during Venice’s heyday. Naturally, a spice shop is a must! – 1989

This statue of a Moor (Moro) or Levantine merchant is one of the three figures in the Mastelli group on the Campo dei Mori and stands next to the house of the painter Tintoretto, opposite the Rio della Sensa. This leading master of Venetian Mannerism was born in Venice in 1512 and died there in 1594. – 1989

In Venice, the hub of the medieval spice trade, food shops still sell bunches of fiery hot peperoncini on the high street, in keeping with a centuries-old tradition. – 1989

Sailing cutters and picturesque houses in Amsterdam’s Zandhoek district. This scene could have been painted by a Dutch master from the era when the Dutch rose to become Europe’s leading maritime power thanks to their dominance of the spice trade. – 1990

The Oostindische Huis in Amsterdam, the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC), is located on Oude Hoogstraat. The Governor-General and the Council of the Indies used to meet in the halls above the entrance. The building and its owners were closely linked to the cultivation, transport and sale of spices. – 1990

The famous, extremely picturesque Hooy spice shop in Amsterdam has been in business since 1743. It is one of the few remaining reminders of a bygone era when spices played a dominant role in the economic life of the Netherlands. – 1990