A Evening Walk At La Col De La Faucille, Jura, France

It has been very hot this last week so we drove up the Jura mountains yesterday evening and went for a walk at La Col De La Faucille. It was amazingly fresh and cool. There was a pleasant breeze.




The trees are tall here and smell strongly of pine resin.











Looking out over the valleys toward the West huge stretches of sky can be seen. (As usual, click on photos to enlarge.)





At the edge of the path is an incredibly steep drop all the way to the bottom of the first valley.





We saw a very odd tree stump...



...that looked like something had melted it into some sort of wax figure or piece of coral.


There were flowers everywhere, even the dandelions had only just gone to seed up here.





There were lots of wild roses.






There were yellow, white, and lots of purple flowers.


Among the vegetation there is often a huge boulder or two here and there.








The rock formations on the Jura are very interesting.












The rock looks squished together from lots of smaller rocks and there are fissures all throughout. The color is exquisite, mixing blues and greys with reds and rusts.




We walked further along the mountain for nearly an hour when we realized it was getting rather late and we did have to walk back! The sunset was gorgeous.



The light reflecting from the tree trunks glowed pink red.


















As we walked back at a quick pace to avoid being eaten by all the insects that were gathering. I guess we looked like a great feast, and whenever we stopped we were instantly surrounded.Yes, Jazzy did come along, though she was most surprised at our late departure from home for such an outing. She's usually in bed at about this time. Here she is, with one of the flaps on her backpack cage down to keep her protected from the breeze as the sun receded.


The sky grew luminous after the sun had set.










The light reflected off a long expanse of cloud further north up the same valley.










Looking North towards the Geneva valley side of the Jura there was a huge set of clouds building up to storm proportions. During the drive back down we saw lightning flashes from this foaming mass.






As we came to the end of our walk and arrived back at our starting point, Jazzy was sleepy. You might be able to detect her phasing in and out here, it even showed up on the camera!One last glimpse back before driving back down to the other side of the Jura. We arrived home, refreshed, contented and well exercised.

Rain Rain Rain and More Rain in the Pays de Gex, France

We've had a tremendous amount of rain these last weeks. It rains almost every day and the sun shines infrequently. This is great for air quality, but we're beginning to wonder if we'll all evolve into fish soon! The land is green, very green.





The skies are often a dull grey, floating by in an amorphous mass. But sometimes the clouds transform into masses of shapes and shades.
Every once in a while it looks as though it'll clear up and let some light comes through.


Occasionally the sky is filled with brilliant hues of pinks, purples and blues. I had never seen a sky quite like this one with such a variation in greys along with this vibrant, almost cornflower blue.

This orange-hued sky is totally dramatic, looking like a dust storm is whirling its way forward at high speed.

















This morning Jasmine and I went for a walk. Well, Jazzy was in her travel cage scrambling around the bars while I did the actual walking.

She announced every few minutes: "I'm going for a walk" a phrase she invented as I've never said to her "I'm" going for a walk, because "walks" are something we always do together. So she's always heard me say "We're going for a walk."

We have code names for different activities so Jazzy gains an awareness of how long we'll be away and if she's joining us or not. And I've often said "I'm going out" or "I'm going jogging" (which really means I'm going for a walk on my own for about an hour or so) and other things. She must have decided that saying "I'm going for a walk." was a good thing to say. And she's right!

While we were out it was sprinkling gently and the air was clean and fresh, even a bit chilly. The clouds were covering the mountains and creeping down the foothills.


Jazzy entertained herself by trying to remove the press stud on the cage backpack window flap that I'd put down in order to protect her from the breeze and getting cold.

The countryside looks a bit tropical, or at least that's what pops into my imagination.












Here and there are flower buds waiting for a bit of sun to shine before they burst out.










These cows looked perfectly posed for a group shot.

The dashing apparel of this Iris can't be subdued by the rain.
And even the puddles have interesting features and colors in them.
Jazzy also had a great time on her 'walk', and to enhance her trip she ate some of her favorite food: banana. So, while we long for some sunshine brightness, there's still a lot to enjoy when going out and about.

A Short Wander Through Budapest, Hungary

There are all sorts of things to do in Budapest. There are shops, shopping malls, spas and baths, cafes, restaurants, museums, grand architecture - there's even a zoo.

There's a huge shopping mall next to the central railway station. The contrast of this bright, modern shopping mall with the old railway station and historic, but often run-down exteriors of the buildings surrounding it, is quite astounding and unexpected.

Budapest has an interesting and fairly complex history. It's a place where the majesty and previous power of its success can be seen, but alongside it there's a lingering impression of the extremely hard times that have been endured by its inhabitants in the past.

Flowing between the two halves of the city is the River Danube. The city is actually made up of three cities: Buda and Obuda (Old Buda), which are on the west bank, and Pest on the east. These were united to form one city in 1873.When I was a kid, and had never heard of the Danube and had no clue where it was, an elderly friend of the family made me aware of Strauss': The Blue Danube. It was her favorite melody and somehow it seemed to encompass some distant dream she had held close for many a decade. Some of the magic of her reverence for this music and place, where that legendary river flowed, remains with me. Even now, when I hear of the Danube I think of her. So I was quite surprised when I found myself, continents away from my childhood setting, standing by that very river.The Danube was very important for fishing, especially during the Middle Ages, and has also been a source of drinking water. In our times, both of these for the most part have ceased to be practical because in most places the river is too polluted.

The Danube is the second longest river in Europe and flows through, or forms a part of the borders, of ten countries. Ocean ships from the Black Sea are able to travel up part way, transporting a tremendous amount of goods. During the second half of the 19th century, Budapest became a hub for industry and the river port played a very important role.We made our way across the river and headed up towards the Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church - you can see, in the photo, it's steeple reaching high up over the other buildings on the hill.


Fisherman's Bastion is a very pretty and appealing place. I did a painting in egg tempera, using this photo for reference. You can see the painting in a previous post, or in my art gallery on DweezelJazz Art web site.

The Fisherman's Bastion is in the Castle District in Buda. It was built around 1900 next to Matthias Church.




It's made up of seven round towers to symbolize the seven Magyar tribes.




To see a little more about the Magyar tribes see previous post "Heroes' Square At Night, Budapest, Hungary".

The view from the Fisherman's Bastion is fantastic. Below are 6 photos stitched together showing most of the view from the Bastion. Click on the photo (as is the case for all the photos on DweezelJazz blog) to see larger.
On the other side of the Danube from the Fisherman's Bastion is the Parliament Building, the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary. It's one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings, its construction being completed in 1904, and it is the second largest Parliament in Europe. A wikipedia article states that there were about a thousand people involved in the construction, which included the use of 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kg of gold.




Fisherman's Bastion is a lovely place to walk around. The turrets, statues and light-colored stones contribute to a fairyland wonder.








There are covered passageways with arches overlooking more views.











It feels a warm, friendly place (even in the cold air of January, which is when we were there!).
Amidst its embrace stands the 13th-century church: grand, majestic, fabulous and tall, domineering and serious in its beauty by contrast.

Officially it is named "Church of Our Lady", but is popularly known as Matthias Church after a 15th-century king who rebuilt the church and added the towers.

Heroes' Square At Night, Budapest, Hungary

I'm currently working on an egg tempera painting based on a reference photo taken in Budapest, Hungary. This reminded me of the rather dramatic scenes from a visit which we took there over a year ago.
The first evening we were there, after dinner, we walked down Andrassy Avenue and came upon Heroes' Square. The city is very grand and it almost feels like once upon a time it was inhabited by giants - the architecture is dramatic, the buildings are tall, and rooms are typically constructed with very high ceilings. Heroes' Square is a fantastic display of this grandeur.

The monument is known as the Millenium Monument because it was built in 1896 to commemorate 1000 years of Hungarian history since the Magyar tribes conquered the area in 896.

(Even at this late hour of the evening it wasn't possible to take a photo without tourists getting in the way!)

The colonnades show the kings and princes of Hungary in chronological order.




In the center of the square is a 36 m high column with the Archangel Gabriel on top of it.







Surrounding the column at the bottom are statues of the Magyar chiefs who conquered the land.
Directly opposite one another, on either side of the square, are the Museum of fine Arts and the Palace of Arts. During our visit, there was a Van Gogh exhibition.

Stay tuned for another DweezelJazz post about Budapest, showing views over the city and more interesting architecture.

Seagulls At Lac Leman, Switzerland

Lac Leman, Switzerland, is home to a large variety of birds throughout the year. There are many seagulls, and on our last visit to Corsier, a tiny port on the lake, we saw an amusing gathering of them.




They were sitting in a row apparently just taking in the day.












As we got closer they stayed where they were.

It was quite funny to see them sitting lined up as though watching a movie...



...companionably sharing the view.






Occasionally a newcomer arrived and sometimes would displace a comfortably seated gull.


There seemed to be no shortage of seagulls looking out across the lake.



The view was spectacular as we were leaving at the end of the day.

The Waterfront: A Day In Venice, Italy, Part IV

Near the waterfront there was a small open market. It was nice to walk along with the trees making it very pleasant. Continuing along the walkway opens up onto the waterfront.






The waterfront was bustling with activity. There were boats everywhere docked along the sidewalk.






The harbor was also filled with boats.





Lots of people were waiting to get on boats of all types. (Click on photos to enlarge)




It's very striking to see the long line of buildings right down close to the water.The buildings on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore look majestic from here.

There are so many beautiful sights to see.










Looking closer usually brings even more interesting details of architecture and decoration.
The four cranes visible in this one photo shows that quite a bit of construction or reconstruction is taking place.
The Piazza San Marco is an incredible place. There are more archways than it seems possible to count.













The pigeons provide additional entertainment.











There were many people here, having come to visit from all over the world.


In all directions there's something grand that catches the eye.









The buildings are huge and incredibly ornate.










The attention to detail in sculpture and artwork is almost too magnificent to fully appreciate in just one visit.A proper study of the city would take dedicated enthusiasm and time.

On a more leisurely note, we sat down for a refreshing drink to absorb the atmosphere of the surroundings.













Looking to the right we could see beautiful buildings...












...and to the front, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore...














This quaint image is my most favorite of all that we saw on our visit to the city of Venice.

Walkways And Canals: A Day In Venice, Italy, Part III

There are many pretty walkways along the canals in Venice.












The gondolas are always there to take people directly along them.Elegant taxis for a city.















The carving on the woodwork is beautiful.










The buildings are very interesting because there are so many different styles and colors. This gentle pink with the deep green of the water is appealing.














There are restaurants dotted all over the place where tables are set by the waterway.











The views from the different restaurants are pretty.

It's fun to see the doors of houses opening up onto the canal, pretty much as you would in a normal street.










The fronts of some of the buildings are especially warm and attractive.




Looking up also brings lots of novel sights...











Worn, but warm surfaces...












Varieties of colors and brick...



Dark and mysterious narrow alleys...


















Utilitarian spaces...


























Graffiti, bringing us back from the quaint surroundings with a reminder of what today's 'street art' looks like...

Beautiful doors making a grand entrance...



These characters above the nameplates, the doorbells, are striking.










Here's a closeup showing how piercing those eyes are. His tongue, nose and even ears are certainly shiny!

Looking up from the narrow walkways down below, the gentle afternoon light can be seen glancing off the side of the walls.














Much of the city takes place above eye level.








The scene is so relaxing with the calm water up against the buildings.




Larger canals give room for more grand buildings.



Venice is a remarkable place.


Walking out from the small walkways and canals enclosed by the city brings you out to the more open waterfront with large squares and very grand buildings. To see more of this, stay tuned for the next, and last one, in the A Day In Venice posts.

The Shops: A Day In Venice, Italy, Part II

The shops in Venice are almost a wonder in themselves. (Double click on images to see larger.)







There are all sorts of shops and items for sale.









Dolls and crafts...









sleek clothes stores...




market stalls...

Glass pottery that looks like candy.

This type of glassware has appealed to me ever since I first set eyes on it as a kid. I guess it's all the bright colors.

















The soft pastels in this 'shell' pottery are gorgeous.








There are lamps and all sorts of glassware...













The food displays are sumptuously and decoratively arranged.
Some of the shop fronts take care of their security needs with delicate, almost lacy, ironwork.




Shoes and handbags...









Perfume shops...









Swim wear...










There are many shop fronts with all manner of souvenirs displayed in them.












Glass pendants for necklaces...


















Masks...

















Fruit and vegetable shops...


















Bakeries...














Restaurants...








...this one was decorated with an amusing bread mask.




Grocery stores...







Fine stationary...













Toys...

















All varieties of things...









Elaborate animal masks....
Colorful glassware.

And here this eagle stands out, almost ready to fly out of the shop window.




Stay tuned for Venice, Part III to see many of the walkways and canals in the amazing city.

A Day In Venice, Italy, Part I

I recently read an article in the BLDG BLOG by Geoff Manaugh called "Post-Residential Venice", where he points out that Venice is said to be on course to becoming a city virtually without residents within the next 30 years. It seems that it could become something like a Disneyland, teeming with holidaymakers by day and ghostly empty by night except for a security guard here and there.

This image of Venice by night and being a security guard there keeps popping up in my mind since I read Manaugh's article. I had a very short-lived try at being a night security guard, which confirmed only too well that I'm a complete coward and scared of the dark, with too good an imagination.

And so I've found myself thinking of the day trip to Venice that we took a couple of years ago, where we had a great time - during the day.
We arrived on the train and crossed the bridge over the Grand Canal. The views from the bridge are tremendous.



Boats are docked along the edge of sidewalks like cars.














The canals are filled with gondolas and many small motorboats as well.


The smaller avenues of canal between the buildings offer much more quaint views, with small bridges criss-crossing along the way.










The buildings are very grand. Zooming in on the last photo you can see the many statues elaborately decorating the top of the building.




The gondolas are beautiful.













It's fun to see them making their way between the buildings.




Here's a top-view of one.









And, at a somewhat funny angle in the camera viewfinder, an even closer look shows the relative luxury of the seating, carpeting and ornate styling of the gondola.


The narrow streets were filled with people.







There are restaurants dotted all over the town, some in busy areas, while others are tucked away in more quiet, secluded places.




The canals wend their way around the buildings in irregular paths.


There are lots of things to see, with many narrow 'streets' and walkways.





The buildings are a mixture of many different styles. Stay tuned to see more of Venice.