A September Evening Cruise

This was my first evening cruise
and September seemed the perfect month to do it.

Coming into port to let the daytime cruise passengers off
and allow us to embark.

I do love the big chimneys on these paddle steamers
and the captain is surveying things from his perch above!

Gazing down at the gorgeous reflections as we queue to go aboard.

You can see the paddles in the water right under the name of the cruise boat.

We had reserved seats in the lovely restaurant for the Cheese Raclette Cruise
See more about raclette below.

Off we go.
It's a wonderful evening and the sunset should be lovely.
I can't resist being outside on the deck.

This is our window-side table.

Look at the beautiful wooden panels shining in the early evening sun.
I love the draped curtains.

Almost impossible to take these shots without reflections.
There are windows on both sides of the boat.

The view across the lake onto the vineyards in the early evening light.

The light changes as we move forward

The waitress brings a good red wine to accompany the raclette

The sun has almost disappeared from the sky leaving a yellow glow

Balancing on the horizon

and the sky turns orange and creates warm reflections on the water's surface.

Since the raclette is a long drawn-out meal,
I have plenty of time to go outside with my camera.
The reflections are just wonderful!

The outside lights are turned on against the darkening blue sky

and the crescent moon rises high.

The boat turns round and we cruise towards the sunset
as we admire the view through the open window.

We have disembarked and watch the boat edging its way into mooring.
What a lovely first experience of an evening cruise!



***
About cheese raclette:

This is what raclette looks like.
It's usually served with boiled potatoes, gherkins and pickled onions.

The actual cheese is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese.
It's usually fashioned into a wheel of about 6 kg (13 lbs).
It is most commonly used for melting.
The word 'raclette' comes from the verb 'racler' which means to scrape.
The melted cheese, which is done on a special apparatus,
is scraped onto the plate with a wide-bladed knife or special instrument.

An extra note:
"Raclette was mentioned in medieval writings,
in texts from Swiss-German convents dating from as far as 1291,
as a particularly nutritious meal consumed by peasants in mountainous Switzerland
and Savoy (now part of France).

Traditionally, Swiss cow herders used to take the cheese with them
when they were moving cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains.
In the evenings, around the campfire, they would place the cheese
next to the fire and, when it had reached the perfect softness, scrape it
on top of bread."

With thanks to Wikepedia for this extra information.

***

Water, my Muse

What colour is water?
It's often the reflection of the sky
like these fresh turquoise tones

Or when the sun sinks low in the sky
and creates molten gold reflections

Forever changing and fascinating
often calming

and giving us wavy reflections from all around.
This was taken partially under a bridge
and you can see the tiny design of the metal structure
when you click on the photo to enlarge it.

Tiny waves catching the sun and my attention.

Since I no longer have my car,
it is more difficult to get out into the country and away from the town.
I have been more and more tempted to go down to the lake
which takes about half an hour on foot and by metro.

I like to contemplate the different moods of the water
at different times of the day.

Water brings me peace and serenity
and restores my inner balance.

When I choose to cross the lake on the ferry, 
I enjoy the swell of the waves,
the tiny patterns on the water's surface
and the wind in my face
as I stand on the deck for the whole of the crossing.

Capturing reflected patterns  gives me pure joy
and I never know how they will turn out
because the ripples in the water change constantly, even as I press my shutter.

Liquid cobalt blue fit for an artist's palette

The Impressionists would love to paint the movement
and orange reflections in this capture.

Rhythm and blues
Don't you feel like dancing?
I do!

Look at those turquoise tones
I want to melt right into them!

Sometimes,
the blue of the sky and the water's edge just blend together
and become one.

All the blues
Looking very much like a water-colour painting.


The heat of these last three months 
has allowed me to connect to water even more deeply
than before.

I have felt cooled and refreshed and re-energized
and so happy that I can get down to the lake
in rather little time.

Chilled sparkling water has kept me hydrated
all through these extremely hot months of the year.

For other entries on water
see under
and just scroll down.


***

Kim Manley Ort
has just written a beautiful piece on water
entitled:

***

BLOG BREAK:
I shall be taking a break until some time towards the end of  September
I'm going on a steam train journey!


Where shall I go today?

Wherever I go
There I am.

So says the book by Jon Kabat-Zinn
entitled
"Wherever You Go
There You Are".

I am in the soft greys and blues of the sky

and my face is turned upwards as the pink and blue pastels 
come in at the end of the day.

and stand amazed as the clouds turn fiery red

or allow the blues to intermingle

 I soar with the bird on outstretched wings

 and still ask myself since I was a child
"How high is the sky?"

Look up at the break of day
and welcome dawn with outstretched arms.

Where shall I go today?
No need to ask...
I'm already there!