'Pause Café', a photo from Aquitaine, West

Photographer's Note

Labastide-d'Armagnac, sometimes spelled La Bastide d'Armagnac is a village and commune in south-west France in the département of Landes, in the region of Aquitaine. It is located in the ancient province of Gascogne (Gascony).

It was was founded in 1291 by Count Bernard VI Armagnac1 as Bolonia with the authorisation of the King of England, Edward the First.

Its urban form reflects that of many of the new towns founded in the south of France in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries during the Hundred Years War, both by the kings of England and local French Lords.

The streets and alleys form a checkerboard converging onto a large rectangular square with arcades, the Place Royale (or Royal Square) seen here. A remarkable Romanesque church dating from the twelfth century with a massive tower (dating from the fifteenth century) and the town hall occupy one of its sides.

Today it is regarded as one the most picturesque bastides in Landes. King Henry IV of France (1553 - 1610) liked to visit here where he lived in a house overlooking the Place Royale. It is this square that is thought to have inspired the creation of the Place des Vosges in Paris.

Extracted and freely translated from an article on French Wikipedea.

On the day we visited there was a large second-hand market or brocante in progress,

timecapturer, Romano46, Cricri, pierrefonds ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

emka (152108) 2013-07-03 23:51

Another charming view of this beautiful town. What a nice lazy holidays atmosphere. I wouldn't mind to sit there too in one of this small restaurants. The house on the corner looks very old. Very picturesque place.

Warm regrads

Malgo

siudzi (34141) 2013-07-04 2:06

Hi Stephen,
You have found a very beautiful square for taking this image! Like the small buildings built in the different styles and designs -- this must be a very moody place! Well seen and composed work. TFS.

Best,
Gosia

dkmurphys (77972) 2013-07-04 2:30

Bonjour Stephen,
Lovely place! What a great time you have to spend there, even just for a coffee. Good catch, enjoy the day.

Daniel

pajaran (102552) 2013-07-04 3:11

Dobar dan.
Vrlo interesanta i dobar tekst o starom selu, sa datim podacima i istorijom ...
Dobra kompozicija i perspektiva, lepo pokazana arhitektura.
Dobar trenutak snimka, sa posetiocima restorana.
Imajte lep dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good afternoon.
Some very interesting and good article about the old place with the given data and history ...
Good composition and perspective, beautiful architecture shown.
A good time recording with visitors of the restaurant.
Have a great day, all the best.
Paja.

timecapturer (49288) 2013-07-04 3:30

Hi Stephen
this shot is full of such beautiful pastel shades that it takes on a painting like feel. Composed perfectly with a wonderfully laid back atmosphere that is both compelling and soothing. Really like this!

Brian.

Sergiom (117241) 2013-07-04 4:53

Bonjour Stephen

Qui ne voudrait pas s'assoir à cette terrasse et profiter de la vue et du beau temps.J'aime beaucoup la texture de l'image ainsi que les détails bien nets.

Amicalement

Serge

Fis2 (155547) 2013-07-04 5:27

Witaj Stephen!
Nicely place.
Beautiful old houses.
Excellent frame and perspective.
FAntastic "your" colors.
I like it.
Nice afternoon
Krzysztof

chrisvek (7003) 2013-07-04 6:04

Hello Stephen

Wow.So excellent capture with amazing result.Perfect lightning usage,colors and POV.DId you use a filter?Like posterizing?

TFS
All the best
Chris

Nicou (193806) 2013-07-04 6:35

Hello

Merveilleuse iamge et compo quelle belle place et iamge avec ces terrasses, ce buisson dans le coin quel rendu au sol et sur les édiffices sueprbe.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

macjake (96157) 2013-07-04 9:31

Hi Stephen
another charming set up in the West of France...does France ever stop producing lovely scenes!!
Not sure which is more of a photo opp...France or Italy.

the only thing I would maybe change here is adding a bit more contrast levels as it looks a bit washed out. Other than that its classic architecture with pleasing tranquility because of the window shutters and balconies. And I like how you composed the scene on this particular angle and view.
nice shot
cheers
craig

Romano46 (18472) 2013-07-04 10:34

Ciao Stephen,
una bella pausa caffè, piacevole soprattutto per l'ambiente presso il quale si svolge fatto di colori piacevoli in un contesto di quiete e di tranquillità che sembra essere stato colto in tempi assai lontani.
La mancanza del traffico e gli elementi architettonico riportano infatti la mente indietro nel tempo quando la vita era più tranquilla e non disturbata dall'attuale traffico di auto.
Complimenti per la bella realizzazione.
Ciao e buona serata
Romano

Silvio1953 (205611) 2013-07-04 11:22

Ciao Stephen, great view of lovely place, nice scene, splendid light, wonderful pastel colors and excellent clarity, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

No_One (4) 2013-07-04 11:26

Hi Stephen,
A great name for the cafe, is is the type of place that anybody would want to pause and take in the atmosphere. I love the old world feeling of this scene, it could just as easily be a scene from two hundred years ago. It looks like little has changed here. Love the light again too.
Cheers
Noel

Cricri (176) 2013-07-04 14:47

Hi Stephen
Très joli le cadrage,le rendu des couleurs et des détails, telle une peinture, très jolie composition
Bonne nuit
cricri

pierrefonds (103465) 2013-07-05 7:09

Bonjour Stephen,

La présence des gens au café donne de la vie à la scène. L'étendue de la place donne de la profondeur à l'image. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails et les couleurs des immeubles et des maisons. La bonne luminosité rehausse les couleurs de l'image. Bonne journée.

Pierre

jcpix (14030) 2013-07-06 15:10

Hi Stephen,

I'm very much a huge fan of France, and love seeing these types of charming and quaint scenes, especially from places I'm not familiar with. :) This looks almost to good to be true, almost as if it were staged specifically for a photo or painting, I can just feel the ambiance and hear the birds chirping along with the the local's conversations as they enjoy the afternoon in the square. Beautifully arranged to enhance the atmosphere conveyed. Very well done, this is superb! Thanks for the view. Hope you're having a nice weekend.

All the best,

Jason