Skies and Mountain Silhouettes

More photos from Lavey-les-Bains following the first part here:

Mountains, Relaxation and River

Pine Branches against a late summer sky.

There were many beautiful trees in the grounds of the hotel.

Colourful fluffy clouds and birds flying high before the morning sun hit the mountain range.

The sun is arriving

At last the rich colours start to show as the sun illuminates the higher peaks.

So many interesting clouds at different times of the day.

I liked these in pink and gold.

Sitting on a bench in the grounds to read my book-

It's called : 'Standing in the Rainbow' by Fannie Flagg.

A charming story of people and their connections with each other in a small town

called Elmwood Springs in Missouri, U.S.A.

I'm also crocheting rainbows to make a garland and here are the first three!

I saw this hollowed out tree trunk full of treasures from nature

The mountains are extremely steep in some parts

and I prefer to admire them from afar rather than climb them!

Watching the sunset from the hotel room

and getting a last glimpse of an illuminated tip of a mountain,

the Dent de Morcles

which can also be seen in the preceeding blog entry.

These beautiful white flowers were in hanging terracotta pots along the covered terrace.

Just for fun!

As I passed a metal sculpture in the hotel on my way to the spa,

I had to laugh at my deformed image!

I think my next blog entry may be about flowers

there are still so many beauties blooming in this late summer period before autumn sets in.

Mountains, Relaxation and the River

Towards the end of August, it seemed the perfect time to take a little break.

We chose to go to a place we have been before: Lavey-les-Bains

in the Valais. It's a spa establishment which offers different treatments.

The water in the various pools is naturally heated and has curative properties.

It's less than an hour away by train from Lausanne.

The Rhône River runs in the valley in-between two mountain ranges.

We took this meandering path to enjoy the sights.

The waters are very rapid even though the level of the water was very low

due to lack of rain.

This is the view of the tip of a mountain called the Dent de Morcles.

I took this shot from the bridge to get a more extensive view.

It looks very impressive in a silhouetted form against the blue of the sky.

Don't you think it looks like a big bird stretching its wings?

Or with just the illuminated tip showing at sunset.

We experienced some beautiful clouds in the early morning and and in the evenings.

A crescent moon peeps through the branches of a pine tree in front of the hotel room.

More colourful clouds reminding me of unfurling waves.

The hotel is set in a lovely park full of trees offering us welcome shade.

A closer, partial, view of the hotel with the outside terrace for eating.

This wispy cloud in the shape of a heart brings me joy.

I took so many photos during our little getaway that this will be the first part

of several blog entries, probably three in all. 

I feel it's preferable to make shorter entries with a manageable number of photographs. 

I'll be posting a bit more often.

September is round the corner.

I love the cooler days and beautiful lighting during this month.

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!