REMEMBERING THE SUMMER - PART I

Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.
- Yoko Ono

Although I love autumn's ravishing beauty and serene atmosphere, I must admit that this year, and for the very first time in my life, I am missing the warm season. Having had a grim spring and a depressingly glum July as well as August, I just wasn't ready for fall's arrival. Much to my regret, it came surprisingly early...

You see, I am the kind of person who needs to fully enjoy summer in order to get sick of it and look forward to cooler and moodier weather - in fact, it is exactly the same as with food; one needs to eat a few savory dishes before the urge for dessert makes its appearance. Hence, I feel nostalgic for summer's suffocating exuberance and insolent nonchalance.

Having said this, I am nonetheless really thrilled that autumn's here and that winter's on our doorstep as I am particularly fond of this time of the year. So, bring on the cold weather, frosty sunlight and snowstorms!

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #151 - CONCEALED

- Grape Before The Harvest - 

Of what is concealed can also be revealed.
- Pushpa Rana, Just the Way I Feel

This picture was submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook". This week it is hosted by Sanhita at "Pocket Full Of Spices" (click here in order to see who is hosting the next roundup).

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #118 - DREAMING OF VERDANT VINEYARDS

- Unripe Grape -

Picture taken in Sierne, Geneva (Switzerland) - July 2013.

This picture was submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook". It will be hosted on the 26th of February by Sreevali at "Amaji Recipes" (click here in order to see who is hosting the next roundup).

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #113 - TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE GRAPEVINES

- Vineyard Tag -

This picture was submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook" and which will be hosted by her on the 22nd of January (click here in order to see who is hosting the next roundup).

A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY - VEYRIER VINEYARDS IN AUTUMN PART III

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #111 - LEFT TO ROT

- Lonely Grape On A Vine -

This picture was submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook". It will be hosted on the 8th of January by Lynne at "Cafe Lynnylu" (click here in order to see who is hosting the next roundup).

A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY - VEYRIER VINEYARDS IN AUTUMN PART II

 

A PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY - VEYRIER VINEYARDS IN AUTUMN PART I

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #108 - AN AUTUMN WALK THROUGH THE VINEYARDS (VEYRIER - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND)

- Follow Me, Said The Meandering Path -

This picture was submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook". It will be hosted on the 4th of December by Priya "The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen" (click here in order to see who is hosting the next roundup).

BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #94 - A CALM SUMMER AFTERNOON IN SIERNE

-  Feeding On Sunlight -

This picture was submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook". It will be hosted on the 31st of July by Lynne at "Cafe Lynnylu" (click here in order to see who is hosting the next roundup).

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - AMONG THE VINES

AMAZING VIEWS FROM RUSSIN

After having walked to Dardagny and had a good look around, we decided to go back to Russin where we would take the RER (regional) train back to the central train station, Geneva Cornavin...

But we did not want to go back home without having another peek at that quaint village and it's surroundings. It is such a lovely place that I no desire to leave without taking a more in-depth tour of it. No matter how small it is there are surprises waiting for you every time you turn a corner or enter a new street.

Despite the strong wind blowing and the biting cold, it was such a clear and splendid day that it would have been a pity not to profit from the stunning view as well as landscapes that were to be admired at that very moment. The Frecnh Alps were obcenely visible and the Mont Blanc was standing proud between the small and the big Salève (see picture n°2 from the top). When such a spectacle offers itself to your eyes, you have to stare with amazment no matter how many times you've seen it all!

DARDAGNY, A PLACE WHERE WINE & BEAUTY MEET

In my photography post last week I talked about a little village called Russin which is situated in the largest wine-growing area in the Canton Geneva. Well once we had walked around it's streets, admired the pretty country houses and eaten our cold mini pizzas, we decided to hike (3kms one way - plan here) through the vineyards in the direction of another quaint yet slightly bigger place called Dardagny...

So, we strolled along a sinewy hill that led us down into a valley where the river Allondon flows peacefully towards the Rhône, went up a hill covered with steep fiery-red vineyards and headed for the idyllic Dardagny (pictures 4,5 & 6).

Dardagny is not only a village, but also a commune which is situated on a tiny hill at 495m above sea level and has about 1316 inhabitants. There, the vineyards are spread on harsh slopes, many different types of cereals grow on the plateaus and vast hardwoods spread till the foot of the Jura mountains.

One thing that is striking upon arriving in Dardagny is the amount of private wine cellars where you have the opportunity to buy and sample the local pruducts. Everywhere you turn your head there's either one cavern on your left or right! The wine tradition is so big in the region and many very good wines are produced there (Reds: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamaret, Zinfandel & Garanoir, all oaked or unoaked/Whites: Chasselas, Aligoté, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc & Viognier). After all Geneva is a canton that has about hundred wineries producing a range of high-quality wines (8-12 million litres of wine annually)...

Visit Robert's blog ("Lamiacucina", in German). He reviews some wine from Dardagny.