High Above the Lake

The day was almost perfect
It was warm and great for walking
but a slight haze made the lake look a little misty.

We took the little train up to a place called Chexbres, 
high above the lake.
The flowers were all gorgeous, especially the geraniums.
This is a decorated old fountain on the way down to the vineyards.

This is just one of the decorations right next to the Chexbres train station.

These wonderful dark berries were ripening against an old wall.

A rusty gate and some steep steps led up to some vineyards

So prettily decorated with wild growing flowers
but not to be used by tourists or visitors.
The grape vines are protected at this time of the year.

We stayed to the public paths between the vines.
You can see how steep these slopes are.
Ideal for ripening the grapes and exposed to the sun and the reverberation
from the lake.

Here's a wider view of the vineyards with the slightly hazy lake and mountains beyond.

The grapes are protected both from passing walkers and the birds
by nets. I put my camera lens through the mesh of the nets to take this photo.

Here's the church steeple from the village called St. Saphorin
where we had lunch.

The church door as we made our way down some steep steps.

The ornate and lovely sign of the well known restaurant
called l'Auberge de l'Onde.

We sat next to an open window in the restaurant facing the church.
This refreshing drink is called 'Blanc cassis.
It's a mixture of cooled white wine with a dash of Blackcurrant liqueur!

A pretty dark pink rose on each table.
You can see the reflection of the church wall and blue sky
in the shiny dark vase.

The delicious looking ripe white grapes
just about ready for harvesting!

The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The last time I walked in these vineyards was in May 2016.
You can see what they looked like

24 comments

  1. Replies
    1. It really is a beautiful area, Sandi. Thank you!

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  2. Sandra, these are such beautiful images! I love vineyards in the fall when the leaves start to turn but often the heavy grapes are still hanging on the vines. Here, the grape harvest has already begun for some - it will be interesting to see how the wine turns out after this summer. The Blanc Cassis sounds very similar to the French Kir which I love - is it?

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    1. 24 September 2018 at 07:32
      Thank you, Carola. It's a wonderful time of the year to walk in the vineyards. The last time I walked there was in May 2016 and it was lovely too, but no grapes were formed at that time. I'm sure the harvest is in full swing over here now too. The grapes looked amazingly plump and ripe!
      Yes, Blanc Cassis is the same as the French Kir! The blackcurrant liqueur mainly comes from the town of Dijon in France and I read: "The Kir is named after its jovial French creator, Canon Felix Kir (who was also the mayor of Dijon) invented the first cassis cocktail, the Kir, made with white wine, and the Kir Royal, made with champagne."

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  3. It all looks rather wonderful. What a great day out.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Yes, a great day out in nature. Thanks, Sarn! You see all this when you come to Switzerland!

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  4. Such a lovely area! Your photos are gorgeous - I especially l like the flowers.

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    1. Thanks so much. We've had such a sunny and beautiful late summer!

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  5. Beautifully captured day out. Those vineyards are gorgeous. The views. I have to visit this place. Thanks for sharing Sandra.
    Xxx

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    1. So nice to see you here, Annette! It's a beautiful area for walking and they must be doing the wine harvest now. It's well worth a visit at any time of the year!

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  6. What a lovely day! The flowers and the views are amazing!

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    1. It was a gorgeous day, Cathy. A real pleasure to be out in nature on such a day!

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  7. The vineyard looks amazing on the hillside next to the lake. So beautiful! I bet their wine was good too. I love the wildflowers growing on the stairs and the old rusty gate. What a fun day. Thanks for taking us along. :)

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    1. Thank you, Michelle. This is a beautiful area to walk in, especially when the grapes are looking so ripe and lovely. I believe it will be a good wine this year as there was so much sunshine!

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  8. What an absolutely perfect day to be out and about soaking up the sun and blue sky and all that nature has to offer, Sandra! Your photos are breathtaking and perfectly capture your special day :)

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    1. It was a simply wonderful day out, Carol. There was just a little haze over the lake which prevented me from taking the usual shots of the lake and mountains. You can see those however if you look back to my May 2016 blog entry under "Lavaux Vineyards"!

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  9. Picture perfect! I love the fountain in Chexbres and the rusty gate and stone steps leading to the vineyards. How wonderful it would be to be just a walk or a train ride to such glorious places! Or to live and work in them!

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    1. Thanks so much, Susan. I love the cascading geraniums very much too! I am so glad that I can get to this area so easily with a couple of short train rides!

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  10. Gorgeous photos of this lovely area. I do love the one you chose for your blog's header. Those berries with the striking red stems, wow.

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    1. Thank you, Tammie. It's such a glorious time of the year and this month of September has been exceptionally warm and the ripening grapes have flourished in these conditions. I do love the autumn season!

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  11. How beautiful Sandra! Love these posts you share with us on all the charming places to get to visit. We love Switzerland and I keep telling my husband, we need to back there soon! Have a great day!

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    1. Thank you so much. It's a beautiful area in this part of Switzerland and I love taking a day out to visit my favourite spots! Perhaps you will return to Switzerland one of these days and enjoy them all too!

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  12. I never knew that Switzerland had vineyards. This one is stunning. What a setting!

    The grape leaf photo is so beautiful, and those geraniums! Words fail me. I loved the red stems and dark blue berries too, so perfect against the green of the leaves.

    Thank you for sharing this beautiful place with us.

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    1. Thanks so much, Sue! Oh yes, Switzerland is a big wine producer. Very delicious it is too! I prefer red wine, but an occasional glass of white is very good too. The steep slopes above the lake are perfect for ripening the grapes!
      It's such a beautiful time of the year right now and the month of September has been exceptionally warm and sunny!

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