A Stay in the Vineyards

 

This time of the year is perfect for visiting the vineyards.

The weather forecast was so good that we decided to stay the night.

This is the village of Chexbres, well know for the quality of its wines.

This was the mist over the lake when we arrived in the morning.

We walked through the vines on small paths with no traffic.

The wine harvest had taken place just the week before.

The views on all sides were stunning

On many of the slopes, the vines were taking on a golden hue.

I love seeing one of the steamboats pass by too.

The view from the hotel room was breathtaking!

This is a partial view of the hotel

and I stayed on the top floor in the third balcony from the left.

These are the mountains seen on the left of our balcony

The small thumb shaped mountain to the left is called la Dent de Jaman

and is 1.875 metres high.

I climbed that mountain once many years ago

and trying to come down again was a bit hair-raising!

a kind and experienced man helped me by telling me where to put my feet.

Whew! I don't have a head for heights!

The longer range of mountains to the right is called les Rochers de Naye

and they stand at 2.042 metres high.

I've been up there on an electric cogwheel train.

We see another steamboat go by in the opposite direction.

I believe we saw five of them gliding across the lake during our stay.

This boat is called the Simplon. It is named after a mountain pass.

A view from the balcony towards the end of the lake and the Valais.

The views took on a warmer tone towards the end of the afternoon.

There's a big cedar tree planted just below the hotel.

Luckily it only cuts off a part of the view.

Towards the end of the day, we noticed murmurations of starlings coming across in swirling clouds.

It was so difficult to get a shot of them as they were so fast

so the quality of this photo is not as representative as I would have wished!

Murmurations are huge groups of starlings that twist, turn, swoop and swirl

across the sky in beautiful shape-shifting clouds.

Just before dusk, small groups of starlings from the same area

come together above a communal roosting area.

We saw them settle into surrounding trees.

After a light supper, we sat on the balcony to watch the sunset.

This photo was taken at 18:28 (6.28 pm)

This one was taken at 19:03 (7.03 pm) after the sun had set

and the lake seems to be illuminated from within!

The next morning a purple and pink sunrise announced a new day.

This was taken at 7.56 am

Just a few minutes later.

So beautiful!

We walked into the village for breakfast and came back through the vineyards

 to enjoy them again.

The vines leaves were catching the light so beautifully

There were even a few grapes leftover.

Often these grapes are allowed to ripen and sweeten to make a very delicious

November wine which has the sweetness of the early autumn sunshine.

So vibrant and lovely with the vines in the background.

This is a partial view of  The Deck belonging to the hotel.

It was closed at lunchtime, but we did have lunch in the adjoining restaurant with the same view.

We had just finished the last drops of our delicious red wine!

An original deck decoration: hanging bottles of roses.

Some of the lovely autumn leaves I picked up on my walks.

The leaf on the upper right is a vine leaf.

The colours of the leaves inspired me to crochet a big mandala to go on the top

of a small round table next to my couch.

Here it is on the table, with an orange cotton cloth that seems to fit with the colours.

This a rather photo-heavy blog entry, but maybe you don't mind too much!

If you have time, do a double click on the images to enlarge them.

I hope that October has been a beautiful month for you so far!

October Outings

October can be such a beautiful month and we have had many sunny days.

I like to take the metro down to the lakeside in Ouchy and enjoy watery scenes.

Sparkles on the lake

I liked all those chimneys and the mosaic decorations on the side of the roof.

One day, I took the train to the small lakeside town of Rolle.

I met a friend who lives in a nearby village.

This is the 13th century Rolle Castle.

It was a windy day and the lake was full of white tips to the waves.

The slopes behind the castle are covered in vineyards.

We walked all along the lake front and had lunch in a lakeside café.

The group of trees are growing on an artificial island on the water.

The island is called l'île de la Harpe, located on the territory of the municipality of Rolle,

in the canton of Vaud.

It was built in 1837 and was named after the political leader Fédéric-César de la Harpe

after his death in 1838.

Walking back to the castle  after lunch.

There were posters of creative photography all along the lake.

This one was my favourite and is the île de la Harpe in the winter months

when the trees have lost their leaves.

The town hall or meeting place (maison de commune) in the village of Tartegnin.

I like the clock tower and the profusion of geraniums.

Horse Chestnuts were falling from the trees in the lakeside parking

and we couldn't resist picking up lots up to bring home and enjoy their shiny rich colour!

My daughter and I went to a spa for two days, staying one night.

It's called Les Bains de Lavey

and the hotel is set in a beautiful park.

This is one of the lovely views.

The Chestnut Tree leaves were showing their autumn colours.

Tree shadows and fallen leaves

Walking through the shade of the trees

In-between our water activities, it was lovely to walk in the park.

There are several metal sculptures, like this one, which reflect the surroundings.

Mountains that surround the spa.

We certainly had a lovely time there, including a massage and watching a

lights show from the main pool at night.

There were illuminated dancers, acrobats and projections with clever lighting effects

on the trees surrounding the different pools.

There are relaxing rooms with colour therapy and sounds of nature.

I enjoyed the outside jacuzzi and the hammam

and generally bobbing about in the thermal waters!

You can see a link to this thermal centre HERE

So October, so far, has not been without outings.

As long as this beautiful weather lasts, there will be more!

Regular walks in my neighbourhood are still showing late blooming flowers

like these lovely deep pink anemone or wind flowers.

A late afternoon walk showed me some beautiful autumn leaves

illuminated by the sinking sun.

They remind me of a stained-glass window.

A wild rose and rose hips

Shiny red berries and Black-eyed Susan.

Now the cooler days are here, I feel like doing some crochet work again.

It's always fun to create colour combinations

and one of the dahlias from my balcony garden inspired this little mat.

I hope that you are all enjoying sunshine and lovely autumn days.

Our temperatures vary between 15-18C.

The rains will come and grey days too, but in the meantime let's enjoy the now!

Lakeside Art

Several outings to the lakeside town of Montreux have amazed me

with their sculptures and other original art forms.

I particularly liked these huge red sculpted metal wings.

This very tall metal bird is full of character.

Even the little sparrows used him as a useful perch.

I can count seven of them!

Window frames have been used in beautifully decorative ways.

Climbing plants have been incorporated to make them part of the scenery

and this one has a statue nearby.

Colourful shutters hang from a tree

I really like this statue of a man reclining on long poles

against a background of mountains

called Les Dents du Midi.

A crystal ball reflecting an upside down image of the surroundings.

A yellow metal sculpture which seems to be blowing in the wind.

A bench to sit and admire the view and more hanging window frames.

An open door and frame and a view on the lake and mountains.

Modern art framing a steam boat in the distance.

Colourful Begonia flowers and three window frames.

Such a clever idea!

I'm so glad that I visited the lakeside in Montreux more than once.

There was so much to see.

Framing a small boat with palm tree silhouettes.

There were striking and very large Hibuscus blooms growing in the gardens.

The Léman Lake taken in Montreux.

There have been many lovely outings in August and September.

This is just one of them.

There are so many photographs waiting to be shown!

I can't believe that it will be the first day of October tomorrow.

September has been beautiful and mostly warm with wonderful lighting.

Today it was 19C which is still very warm for the season.

Remember to click on each image to enlarge it to fill your screen!