Illustration - Loire Valley

Illustration - Loire Valley

FRANCE - LOIRE VALLEY - LOIR ET CHER (41) - CASTLE OF CHAMBORD : MOLIERE THEATER. PORTRAIT OF MOLIERE AFTER HOUDON. THE PARTIES OF LOUIS XIV IN CHAMBORD ALTERNATE BETWEEN COMEDY AND APARTMENT ENTERTAINMENT. A THEATER IS THUS CREATED IN THIS ROOM, FROM THE FIRST STAYS OF THE KING. THE STAGE OCCUPIES HALF OF THE SPACE, WHILE TIERS FOR COURTIERS AND ROYAL FAMILY SEATS SHARE THE OTHER PART. IN OCTOBER 1669, MOLIERE AND LULLY PRESENT A COMEDY-BALLET, "MONSIEUR DE POURCEAUGNAC". THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THEY PLAY FOR LOUIS XIV THE NEW COMEDY "LE BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME", WHICH PARODIES THE RECENT OFFICIAL VISIT TO FRANCE OF A TURKISH DELEGATION. THE KING DECLARES: "MOLIERE, YOU HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING YET THAT HAS ENTERTAINED ME MORE AND YOUR PIECE IS EXCELLENT". THE THEATER IS DISASSEMBLED AROUND 1745. Photo by Stephane Compoint/Only France/ABACAPRESS.COM

Russian troops attack suburbs of Odesa with drones

Russian troops attack suburbs of Odesa with drones

A childrens outdoor play castle in the yard of one of the private residential buildings damaged by the fall of the wreckage of downed Russian drones in the suburbs of Odesa, Ukraine, on March 5, 2025 (Photo by Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform)

Heavy snow hits Sea of Japan coastal area

Heavy snow hits Sea of Japan coastal area

NAGOYA, Japan - Young people play with snow from the hedges of Nagoya Castle in Nagoya on Dec. 19, 2009. Heavy snow covered the Sea of Japan coastal area as a strong cold front remains in the atmosphere above northern and western Japan.

Tourist sites on high alert following "Pokemon Go" launch

Tourist sites on high alert following "Pokemon Go" launch

Over 100 people gather in Osaka Castle Park in Osaka in the early morning of July 24, 2016, to play the smash-hit "Pokemon Go" smartphone game. On the first weekend after the game's release in Japan, tourist site operators and summer festival organizers across the country remained wary of safety issues involving people using the augmented reality app, which encourages visits to real-life locations to hunt virtual monsters. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Noh play performed on outdoor stage under Osaka Castle tower

Noh play performed on outdoor stage under Osaka Castle tower

A Noh dance is performed on an outdoor stage, set against the backdrop of Osaka Castle in Osaka, western Japan, on Sept. 20, 2015, with bonfire lighting. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Hradcany Square, Prague Castle

Hradcany Square, Prague Castle

Two boys with scooters play in castle guard booths on the Hradcany Square in front of the Prague Castle during the coronavirus epidemic, on October 17, 2020. (CTK Photo/Ondrej Deml)

Snow in central Japan

Snow in central Japan

A mother and her daughter play with their pet rabbit in the snow near Nagoya Castle (back) in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Dec. 29, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Heavy snow hits Sea of Japan coastal area

Heavy snow hits Sea of Japan coastal area

NAGOYA, Japan - Young people play with snow from the hedges of Nagoya Castle in Nagoya on Dec. 19, 2009. Heavy snow covered the Sea of Japan coastal area as a strong cold front remains in the atmosphere above northern and western Japan. (Kyodo)