finally, last pics of switzerland

these pictures have been on hold for a few weeks now, and as there isn't much else going on in the kitchen or in the garden, here they are.

first, diessenhofen CH, the bridge is one of the border crossings between switzerland and germany







the bridge was built between 1816-1816







clear waters of the rhein







a twike crossing the border







a rhein resident







an architectural accent, or time doing its thing?







rheinfalls











plenty of carp, and ducks, live in the still waters of the falls











now, we're in stein am rhein







up on the hill, burg hohenklingen







then, easter was around the corner...







sunset at my friend's house

swiss trip II, details, flora & some fauna

more (a lot) from switzerland...this post is all about little details, curiosities, and pretty things. the shutters of my friend's house.






i thought these guys were french?!?







at kartause ittenger, by the stable, somewhere to park your horse...







i wished it had rained, the gushing water would have made quite a sight.







more of the same, in fact, these dragons were all over.







i would not have thought of putting a face on this shutter stopper...







house decoration in diessenhofen







thirsty?







my friend's cat, monster. her tail really is that short, there was an accident...







although she is very catlike in many ways, she does not meow but bark.







morning dew on primroses at kartause ittinger







i want these in my garden...







i must have told you i love pink?







my friend's neighbour







a very elizabethian picture of branches.







want these too!







my friend's horses






there are lots more pics, i will only pain you with one more batch...in a day or two.

swiss trip, kartause ittinger

here at last, first of the swiss pictures. i visited the kartause ittingen for the first time over 20 years ago as my friend happens to live in the village of warth. a lot has been done during that time. the place itself dates back to 1084, it used to be a monastery, then a farm for 110 years before a trust was formed in 1977 to restore the buildings.

nowadays there is a hotel, a restaurant, conference facilities, gardens, art museum and a residence for handicapped people, who work on the property.






the restaurant is located up there







can't help but wonder the skills of the builders hundreds of years ago







the resident stork







this little pond is in the middle of the property







the rose garden. i wished it had been june already with all the roses blooming...such a tranquil place.







even a bench to sit and contemplate, or admire the beauty of the gardens.







on that particular morning i wanted to be one of the gardeners...right now i realize that the reality of the job might not be as romantic as i imagined it. although, there must be a reward in the beauty and serenity of the surroundings despite the hard work.







they also have sheep, and other animals on the premises. there is a shop that sells wine, cheese, butter, dried herbs, all grown and produced on the property. there were plenty of products i wanted to buy to take home, but i settled on a bottle of "birne edelbränd" (a grappa style beverage made of pears).







the apple and pear trees were already in bloom everywhere. i'm sure this horse is very happy when the pears start falling from the tree in the autumn...







ps. happy may day! hope you're not too hung over...