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.

***

32 comments

  1. I want to go on that boat ride, looks like fun and definitely a great photo opportunity. beautiful shots.

    have a lovely day.

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  2. Thanks, Lissa. Yes, it was a great boat ride!

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  3. First, the comment from Focusing On Life above that was deleted was from Me. I forgot to sign out of the account when I was through posting this morning!! So here's what I said . . . What a lovely evening on a beautiful vessel! I'm in awe of your sunset pictures. They are gorgeous! I've not heard of raclette. It's always amazing how different our worlds are.

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    1. Hello Cathy, I was able to delete the leftover remark that was removed by the author (you!) No worries. That happens sometimes! Raclette is a very popular dish over here, as much as cheese fondue really.
      Glad you enjoyed the sunsets. It seems to me that they were particularly wonderful in August and September!

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  4. What a wonderful adventure, Sandra, and now I know what a raclette is!!!
    Thank you for taking us along with you, and have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Lisa. Yes, it was rather a lovely outing and the evening cruise at sunset has a particularly beautiful atmosphere!

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  5. You had a fabulous night for a cruise, and thank you for the information on the Raclette. I had no clue. I have done two sunset cruises, both wonderful.

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    1. Thanks, Sarah. It was the perfect September evening for a cruise and now I want to do one every year! I'm glad I described cheese raclette. It's rather unknown overseas.

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  6. What a fantastic experience. I just KNEW you'd take some beautiful photographs. Thanks for sharing.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Hi Sarn! The steam-train photographs are yet to come... I'm getting them ready! Watch this space!

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  7. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous what a lovely way to spend a evening. I remember Heidi's grandfather doing this with cheese for her in the book.

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  8. There you are, Heidi's grandad was a raclette maker! It is very delicious! So nice of you to visit! The evening was indeed a particularly beautiful one!

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  9. A sunset cruise on a perfect night. It looks beautiful, Sandra! I always thought raclette was akin to fondue, but I see that I'm wrong.

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    1. Yes, it was the perfect evening for a cruise. Raclette is very different from fondue, but of course they are both cheese based and both delicious when you like cheese!

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  10. Oh that looked a beautiful evening cruise on a lovely boat. your photos are beautiful. Your post made me 'homesick' for a boat ride on the Thunersee on the old "Blumisalp" ship.

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    1. Thank you for popping in to comment, Diane. I've never been on the Thunersee, but I'm sure it's very beautiful. Maybe you could do that boat ride again someday?

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  11. such beautiful images
    i always see your special style in your images
    light, airy and beautiful
    looks like September was indeed the perfect time to go and enjoy
    melted cheese, this is new to me, served like this.

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    1. Thank you for such a friendly comment, Tammie. September seemed to whizz by and was a wonderful month. October brings us beautiful cooler days and more colours to come!

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  12. How posh [ Port Out Starboard Home probably doesn't apply on this type of hourney :-)]
    Such lovely pictures and i feel I can taste the cheese :-)

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  13. How wonderful love all the blue, just gorgeous. Oh and how I miss that Raclette. Just the best and gave me back such a great memory when I was there.

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    1. So nice to see you, Barbara. I'm glad that you got to taste raclette when you came over! It certainly was lovely to have it on a cruise!

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  14. Such glorious photographs. You've captured the mood so well.

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  15. Everything about this is gorgeous! The vessel, the views, the food. Wow. What a wonderful experience beautifully captured. I would love to do exactly this one day.

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    1. Thanks, Sherry. I feel so lucky living not too far from the lake. When connections are good with public transport, I can get down there in about 35 minutes! I just love lake cruises and did quite a few this year during this summer of humid heat!

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  16. What a lovely boat and fantastic pics ! Thanks for bringing me on that trip, and thanks for the information !!
    All the best to you

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    1. So nice to see you again, Lasse! Thank you for coming in to say hello!

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  17. Gorgeous photos as always..I really think I need to save up my dollars and make a trip to Switzerland. It is so beautiful on your lake!

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    1. Thanks Mary! The lake is a big attraction and so nicely set with mountains on either side. I can't see it from where I live, but I can get down there by bus and metro pretty easily and it's always a joy!

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