Autumn foilage photo hunt

Each year my husband, RennyBA, and I take a trip (or two or three) out for our fall foliage photo hunt. Blogging has added a new dimension to this pass time as we have become a bit more competitive while enjoying the autumn splendour. We are now in the middle of October and autumn is definitely here so the hunt is on! All photos are taken with my SonyEricsson G502 mobile telephone camera.

Golden leaves on the shores of Vänern

This year our quest for the peak colour of the season took us around the Göta Canal and Lake Vänern area in Sweden. This area has some great colour, and we happened to be using our vacation home for the weekend so we chose the area here instead of Oslo.

Göta Canal near Lyrestad, Sweden

All along the Canal one can find the most charming little watch houses. This one is decorated in traditional Swedish fashion, notice the white frames around the windows and the special shape of the siding on the upper section of the house over the window. The Swedish are quite passionate about their gardens and decorating their homes, especially country homes and cottages.

Watchouse on Göta Canal

Here you see the same watchhouse from the other side of the Canal.  Here you can see the draw bridge beside it which goes over the canal and must be opened to let taller boats through. If you wish to learn more about Göta Canal read RennyBA’s post, here you may learn the history of this architectial acheivement of the 1800’s.

Watchouse with a drawbridge

Typically enough of any good chase. The catch was really in our own back yard…or rather our front yard. Here you see the most colorful maple tree standing right outside our window. But of course if we were satisfied with that we would have missed out on a whole day of fun!

You can't beat a Maple tree

Have a good week everybody! And thanks for stopping by!

The beauty of fall filling our lives

Fall is the time for leaves flying off of branches, blowing in the wind, and painting our world in yellow and golden reds. This week is fall vacation and we have a visit from our little friend T. We took her with us to our vacation home in Sweden for a long weekend and some quality time with the family.

Crisp apples and fresh picked pears

Even though the warm summer sun is gone it is still wonderful to be outside and enjoy the nature. Digging in the sand is not just for midsummer beach trips, children love to play with the natural elements all year long as T can well show you. She sat for hours singing and digging in the play area, while we together with our neighbors raked the leaves and prepared the outside area for the winter season.

Digging in

On Sunday we took us a nice walk in Mariestad and were fortuntate enough to stumble over a fall cultural exhibition. This weekend is the fall culture festival in Mariestad and some of the oldest houses in the old town are open to the public. These are not museums, they are privately owned, but are protected also as cultural monuments and some of the owners allow us a look at this time of the year.

Historical courtyard

There was one beautiful enclosed court yard open to the public and it was a real treat to see this place as it normally isn’t open to the public. I have always dreamed of having a garden like this, a peaceful place to forget the daily stress and eat my breakfast or take a cup of coffee in the afternoon. These gardens are of course a lot of work as well, and this one was as well taken care of as they come.

Give me a cup of tea and solitude

Hope you have accepted that fall is here and gotten out into the fresh air to enjoy it while it lasts!! Have a great week!!!

Remembering blog gathering in Le Castellet, Provence

Now that we are home again, and our everyday life has started up as normal, it is especially nice to look back on the fabulous vacation we had and remember the days we spent at Claudie and Pierre’s house. RennyBA posted tonight on Le Castellet and I will continue on that day and share some of my impressions with you all.

Le Castellet atop the mountain

Every day was special on our trip, and visiting this Medieval town helped to fulfil some of my “fantasy” of Provence. Whenever we travel someplace we have a fantasy of how it will there. My fantasy of Provence involved lots of wineries, beautiful old architecture, history, light terracotta colored buildings, narrow cobblestone streets and lots of old world charm. Of course my fantasy also involved lavender fields, but fortunately I did my homework and knew that the time we were there was outside of the lavender harvest. As I understand it they harvest two times, earlier in summer when the lavender first blooms, and again in the fall taking a second flowering. I did at least find a lot of lavender products for sale.

Lavender products

The grapes were well underway though. I remember being so excited looking out the car window and I could actually see the grapes growing on the vines (like this was some big shock….hehehe I think some thought I was a bit strange!) Well you have to understand that grapes do not grow well in Norway!

Le Castellet Chapel

There was a simple but beautiful chapel at the top of the city, and it really made an impression on me. I went inside and the atmosphere was so serene. I thought “Mom would love this place” so I just had to light a candle in her memory and leave it in the presence of this Madonna.

Madonna statue

And of course we ended our day with a trip to one of the many charming cafés! This one was a creperie with delicious filled crepes. Mine was filled with vine fresh tomatoes, herbs and cheese. Yummy!!

Crepes...MMMMMMMMMMMMM

Thank you for joining our blog gathering online, and remember to visit RennyBA, TorAa, Lifecruiser and of course Claudie to see their updates as well!

Sightseeing bloggers in Aix-en-Provence

Now everyone is blogging about our trip to France to visit Claudie and Pierre and get together with our blogger friends and it is so much time reliving the memories. While reading about the first day I got the idea to tell you all about what we did while we waited for Mrs. Lifecruiser and her husband to arrive.

RennyBA and I arrived in Marseille the day before we were due at Claudie’s and met up with TorAa and Anna who had driven their car through Europe this far. There were some events at the hotel which we will keep secret (no no keep your mind out of the gutter…it had something to do with getting us a taxi hahaha) but all in all a fine evening with a welcoming Rosè wine and Anna proclaiming that now that we had arrived the real fun could start!

Charming side street

The next day we had some hours after our hotel breakfast to wait for the Lifecruisers to arrive. Since Tor knows the area he took us to visit a charming town, Aix-en-Provence which is about 30 km from Marseille.

Lovely and simple fountain

A charming town this was our first real taste of Provence. The town is known for its warm spring and many fountains.

La Rotonde

The shopping wasn’t half bad either. There were plenty of typical french items to buy.

Gourmet foods

Fashion too of course!

White cotton dresses

And we also visited our first Creperie, although I chose the salmon tartar…I soon learned to love the French Crepes!

Delicious and delicate salmon tartar

More fun to come from our lovely vacation with good friends! Stay tuned!

Alsace, France is incredible

Hello fellow bloggers! We are now on the trip home, terrible sad to leave Claudie and Mrs and Mrs Lifecruiser! We have had a very good trip home so far. We have seen different areas of France, and a short trip in Switzerland. We are now in the Alps and enjoying the lovely wine district of Alsace. I never knew it could be so beautiful. It is like a fantasy village but it is all real!! We are having a wonderful time and look forward to sharing more pictures with our friends!

Au revoir!

Diane CA & RennyBA, TorAa & Anna