Blog Ani i Radka
Weather pampers us this fall, so we try to get as much of sun rays as possible before winter comes. Today we were passing by Swiss vineyards and we just couldn’t help and stopped for a brief walk along.
Grapes’ harvests are already finished but every now and then we could find a bunch on the grapevines.
With a remarkably beautiful weather today, we decided to go out to catch some sun. We went to Divonne-les-bains which we had visited a week earlier for Gourmandiv’ Festival. This time we went straight to the lake side (we hadn’t seen it earlier). We were planning to make a tour round water, but I was too tired, so we sat on a bench instead and relaxed in the calm atmosphere of warm sunbeams and surrounding nature.
Today we went to a Gourmandiv’ festival in a neighbouring village – Divonne-les-Bains. It was a second edition of what I would call festival of tastes and flavours. Except for a couple of tasting-stalls, there was also a contest for amateur chefs (audience could taste their cooking and vote for the best cook) and some other animations like vegetables carving.
Well, it wouldn’t be entirely honest from my part if I said it was a fantastic event, but in the end I enjoyed getting out from home.
Except from seeing tge gormandiv’ attractions, we also had a tour round the villgae. The weather was just perfect so we strolled through the streets, headed up to a castle hill and back to the venue. Nice and neat – as every village in the neighbourhood.
What to do when weather is rainy and „on foot” mobility is reduced? I asked myself that question on the gloomy weekend and decided to have a „waterfall excursion”. There are just so many of them in the neighbourhood – easily accessible by car. Not discouraged by the rain (which later turned into actually nice and warm weather), we set off to discover the beauties of French nature.
We started with Pain de Sucre cascade. I need to say, it was pretty awesome. It felt a bit like we were in a fairy-tale forest full of magic. Dark colours, soft drizzle and a waterfall you basically can walk around and hide yourself at its back. The only thing missing was a cave with a treasure 🙂 We really enjoyed the view as well as the humming sound of water.
Next stop: Cascade de Cerveyrieu. The water of river Seran falls down for around 60m to meet rocks on the ground and splash with great rumble. We watched it happen from the top, with a nice view on the valley.
Waterfall number 3 – Cascade de Claire Fontaine – was situated well in woods, but we managed to reach it by car and needed just a few steps up to see this beauty. I imagine it must be even prettier in spring or late autumn, when there is more water falling. Anyway, there is something ethereal about the waterfalls, is it the levitating mist? Perhaps gentle or aggressive roar of water? Crudity of rocks? Softness of moss? I don’t know, but for me they are enchanting.
Lastly, we saw Cascade de Glandieu, situated in the centre of a small French village. Although it was the biggest of all we had seen, it didn’t make such an impression on me. Perhaps the proximity of agglomeration stripped the waterfall from its charm? Other possibility, we had had enough of cascades for one day. I mean, don’t get me wrong – it was really nice, it’s just that we liked the other three better. Anyway, we stayed for a while in the village to have a meal in a restaurant and went back home.
In the past weeks we went for a couple of walks around the neighborhood, so here’s a collective post with the most beautiful photos from these events.
First on: vineyards in Challex:
Plateau de Solaison:
Ornex and view on Mont Blanc:
Vesegnin and sunset over fields (and Mont Blanc again):
Somewhere up Montreux:
Saint Jean de Gonville:
Quarry near Pugny and Radek in water:
When visiting Dombes region, Parc des Oiseaux (Bird’s Park) is an unquestionable must! I really can’t express how much I liked this place. We spent almost 4 hours there and I know it could have been even longer if we had had more time. The place is pretty big and it’s being expanded by new areas and new bird species. When we arrived, we headed straight to lories’ aviary because it was their feeding time and we could actively participate in this. Boy, it was fun… Apart from just marvelous, colourful birds, the real amusement was to actually give them food and to be able to touch them. Radek was lucky enough to experience close encounter of a third kind with some of the birds 🙂
When feeding was over, we still had some time before the big event – a bird’s performance organised by the park – so we just strolled around and watched different breeds.
Then, the show… We didn’t know what to expect so we were quite excited before. In principle, the main idea of the show was: birds flying just centimeters from the spectators’ heads. Me during the show: -Look at that! -Look at this! -WOW, look at that! – Oh, look at this!… It was also educational because the lady was describing the birds, their habitats and habits.
When the show finished, we still had like 3/4 of the park to see. Fortunately, visiting all the aviaries was not tiring. There were few people and the path were made in such a way to make people feel being emerged in nature, rather than visiting a zoo. And so, we went past: parrots, flamings, chicks (these ones were pretty ugly, yet very cute), toucans, owls, ostriches, condors, penguins, ducks and many others I’m unable to quote… We even saw a kangaroo in an Australia-theme area of the park. Although I don’t like revisiting the same places – this time I hope I will have the chance to see those marvels again.
Today, because of Swiss holiday, we had a day off to use. Although it is September, the weather was like in July, so we decided to make a trip outside the city. Destination: Dombes region, France. The area is well known for its ponds and water-soaked grounds. Our plan for the day: les jardins aquatiques (water gardens), Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne village, Le Parc des Oiseaux (bird park), a medieval village of Pérouges. Looks like an action-paked day for us.
We started from a small but beautiful water garden, nurtured by a company selling water-garden stuff (like fish, pumps and plants). They really know their ropes – the garden was marvelous. It’s best known for koi carps – very colourful little fellows swiming in their ponds. I really enjoyed this short walk – it was a nice start of our day.
Next, we headed to a lovely village – Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne. There was nothing special to see or do there, so we just walked around narrow allays, visited the hill with a castle, sat down in a cafe and enjoyed the sunny day and the charm and idleness of the place.
Then, we drove to Le Parc des Oiseaux – but this is a place that deserves a separate post, so I will skip it here. A visit in the park took us almost four hours, so when we were actually free it was already late afternoon. Last in our plan: a medieval village of Pérouges. It’s listed among 'les plus beaux villages de France’ (the most beautiful villages of France). I would personally compare it to Yvoire, although I liked Yvoire more. When we arrived, the village looked… deserted. There were few people, restaurants were closed… It felt a bit strange. We had a fast stroll through the cobblestoned streets, tasted la galette de Pérouges – a local delicacy and went back to car.
First day of September might foreshadow autumn, not this year though… With a truly summer-like weather, we went for a 'Moulin de vert’ walk by the Swiss side of the border, along the river.
We set off from the dame (pretty cool, I’ve never seen a dame from this close) and went down the turquoise river on our right and ponds on our left. We passed by many families doing barbecue, crossed a field, had a short climb up the cliff and sat down on a bench by a view point. Then, we went down to a small Swiss village – Cartigny (they are all so nice and neat!) and then back to the car through the fields and barbecue site. Très agréable!
Today we went to a European Dog Show that was advertised to have witnessed over 3500 dogs. O boy, I was excited to see and pet all of them. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed by the venue. First of all, at the time we were there the contests going on featured only… small strange dogs. I was hoping more for wolf-like creatures 🙂 Second of all, it was not easy to pet the dogs… I only sneaked a couple of strolls (felt like a criminal). Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience to see such venue and get the gist how it looks like.
We devoted our last day in Paris for strolling in a park, wandering through the less popular streets and a Batobus ride. We started the day from Le Jardin des Plantes – a huge place of greenery, with the National Museum of Natural History placed in the area. We decided to see just one part of the museum – hall of the skeletons. We felt too tired to visit the rest of the exhibitions – a week in Paris was an intense experience for us and we simply had had enough of pacing through the alleys with showpieces. Instead, we sat down on a bench in the park and enjoyed the summer.
Since the day was exceptionally hot (so hot it actually was too much for me), we decided to head to the closest cofee shop to cool ourselves with a big iced latte. On our way we passed by some yet undiscovered places – like Place de Bastille or Gare de Lyon. We finished the day with a Batobus ride and dinner in a restaurant. Au revoir Paris!
