Gateway to the Vineyards

In September it was decided to have a mini stay in the vineyards.

The weather forecast was excellent and it was easy to take a couple of short train rides

to return to the lakeside village of Chexbres in the canton of Vaud.

Two nights in the vineyards was sheer bliss.

The daily walks along small paths with no traffic was ideal.

The views over the lake and mountains were a constant joy.

The village below is called Rivaz.

The temperatures were still very warm and sunhats and bottles of water

were always with us.

This is the Hotel Prealpina where we stayed.

It's perched high above the vineyards and has wonderful views over the lake and mountains,

but it was quite a trek to get up there on foot from the village below.

It took us about thirty minutes pulling our suitcases uphill from the train station!

This was the sideview of the surrounding mountains.

From left to right, these are called La Dent de Jaman and Les Rochers de Naye.

These were the colours of the same mountain range very early in the morning before sunrise.

This is a wider view of the faraway mountains leading to the Valais

and the end of the lake.

I took this from my hotel room just as the sun was hitting the tips of the mountains

at 7:33 a.m.

Here comes the sun from behind the hill in the foreground

After breakfast, we walked down to the small Chexbres Tourist Office near the station.

I love the flower decorated window.

A beautiful hanging basket hanging from the roof covering the village fountain.

We walked down through the village to the vineyards below to start our first walk of the day

I rather liked this palm tree jutting out above the view on the lake 

looking towards the town of Geneva at the other end.

It sometimes seems that the vineyards lead right to the edge of the lake,

but below these vines are many others

and they go down in layers right down to the lake's edge.

Way below the vineyards, I zoomed in on a passing steamboat full of happy, waving passengers!

This is my favourite boat of the fleet called La Suisse.

A few weeks later, we were able to take a sunset cruise on this boat.

I liked the winding trail left in the water where the steamboat had passed by

We decided that it time for lunch and knew a restaurant that we'd been to in the past,

but first of all, we stopped off at a terrace, called the Deck, for a sparkling water

overlooking the fabulous view.

This is the terrace of a hotel where it would be nice to stay another time!

Here is the hotel called Le Baron Tavernier.

A pretty archway, with climbing roses, leads us to an sheltered area with a bench to sit

and enjoy the warmth of the sun and the view.

Up through the village again, past this lovely chalet and to enjoy

our books from the peace of our hotel surroundings before having dinner.

The sunset created pink hues on the mountain tips and in the sky.

This view is from the hotel restaurant.

Most of the light has gone now, but the surface of the lake and the mountain tips

look so lovely at the end of the day.

This is the last scene of our first day in the vineyards.

Between Sunrise and Sunset

In-between two bouts of heatwave, it was decided to have an overnight stay by the lake.

The sunrise sky was so beautiful in the early morning.

We went out walking at 5.45 am in the delicious freshness of that time of day.

The street lamps were still lit.

A swan was enjoying this marvellous moment of the day as much as I was.

The rising sun hit the landing stage and created beautiful reflections.

A bit later in the morning, after breakfast on the outside terrace, we walked in the lakeside park

under the welcome shade of the huge trees.

It was lovely to observe the beauty of the environment and flocks of birds

flying across the sky in their hundreds.

I was unable to identify the birds.

I was wondering if they could be Cormerants.

Here they are again

Flying very high above the mountain peaks.

Click on the photos to see things in more detail when enlarged.

The port of Morges and the beautiful Mont Blanc mountain.

The atmosphere on the lake changes constantly. 

This lighting makes me think of a watercolour painting.

The lakeside Dahlias are stunning and there are so many varieties and colours.

This bright pink one caught my eye as well.

Sunset over the Mont Blanc.

Such peace.

I have been making fewer blog entries lately, mostly because of our heat

which seems to make everything a huge effort!

I have decided however, to increase my blog entries and just make them shorter.

I know that it's often discouraging to wade through too many photos

and especially too many words!

It was so beautiful by the lake and we prolonged our stay by one night!

Now we are experiencing yet another heatwave and going out in the early mornings

is the only comfortable time of the day.

The Irresistible Lake

Just walking alongside the calm lake brings me equilibrium.

There's something really special about those aqua and blue tones.

Through the overhanging branches of the weeping willow,

I can see the mountains in neighbouring France.

A family gathered on the jetty to enjoy the closeness to the water.

The steamboats are back again for the season 

and I love to watch them glide across the water.

If you look carefully, you can see that this one is called 'Vevey'

which is the name of another lakeside town not far away.

A swan passes by with puffed up wings. I have a feeling that

he's using them like sails to move along a little faster.

The cloud formations clung to the mountain tops, as they often do.

The mountain to the left of the little sail boat is called La Dent d'Oche

and is in France.

We stopped for a coffee at the Hôtel du Port (with the pink shutters)

with a great view on the lake.

This lovely tree, called Albizia julibrissen was in full bloom with these

colourful powder-puff like flowers!

This statue represents The Flight of Icarus.

Greek Mythology tells us the story of Icarus, son of master craftsman Daedalus.

Icarus and his father attempt to escape from Crete by means of wings that Daedalus

had constructed from feathers and wax.

Despite his father's warnings, Icarus flew too close to the sun

and his wings melted and he tumbled out of the sky and fell into the sea.

Maybe you've heard of the idiom: "Don't fly too close to the sun."

I chose this lovely scene for my blog header for the month of July and August.

All the photos above were taken in Ouchy which is a port south of  the centre of Lausanne.

Now we're in the lakeside town of Vevey where I came to live when I first came

to the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

The statue represents a nymphe riding a seahorse on the water's edge.

There are two of them in the lake.

Another lovely boat on its way to Geneva.

This one is called La Suisse and is extremely elegant with a first class restaurant inside.

This is a view towards the Valais 

A closer view of the chain of mountains called Les Dents du Midi.

There are seven summits to this three-kilometre long mountain range.

the highest being Haute Cime which reaches 3.257 metres.

The range dominates the Illiez and Rhone Valleys in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.

The lake walkway in Vevey where beautiful flowers are always planted.

Now we're in the lakeside town of Morges, only twelve minutes away by train from Lausanne

The port is so pretty.

I love the hanging baskets of geraniums on one of the jetties.

This is the same jetty showing the imposing white building in the background.

This is the Casino Restaurant which has a beautiful outside terrace

 under the trees for welcome shade.

The tiny sailing boats were part of a sailing school and a motorized red dinghy

was there to give useful advice to all the youngsters learning new skills.

The flowers along the lake are always beautiful, like these Petunia blooms.

The Dahlias are stunning too.

I've never seen this kind before with amazing centres.

Their colour combinations quite take my breath away!

We all need colour and beauty in our lives right now as we do the best to live our lives

in complete safety, but still enjoy the loveliness of all that nature offers us.

Take care and be safe!

Note:

If you click on each photo, you will be able to see them in a much bigger size and you will feel part of the scene!