Day 25 - The Chenonceau Wines

To our delight the wonderful gardens and the chateau itself were not the only things you could experience at Château de Chenonceau. They also make wine and you are welcome to taste them in the wine cellar right there on the grounds. Naturally we did so, and of course we couldn't resist buying some bottles. We limited ourselves to 12, because it would be less handy getting them to our car if we had bought more, but they came in handy boxes with a handle so 12 were just perfect. Since we like collecting wine it really enhanced our visit and this "wine memory" certainly stands out a bit compared to the others, even though we only had very nice memories of visiting other vineyards to begin with. This was perhaps not as personal as meeting the actual wine makers, but what it lacked in that area it made up for with the flair of having such a beautiful chateau and gardens right outside, making the whole experience something special.

/MrsHjort

Day 20 - Cool and Damp

A trip to France is just not complete without a visit to a vineyard, and that goes double if you're doing a road-trip and are able to buy some of the wine to bring home with you. It's wonderful to create a nice memory of the place where the wine you drink months later came from, to remember the beauty of the surrounding area, the passionate wine makes themselves and the charm of wine cellars such as this one, at Domaine de la Chevalerie. Once a mine where they quarried stone, the caverns that were left behind turned out to be the perfect place to store and age wine. They have just the right temperature all year around and they're humid too, just the way the wines like it. Not to mention how beautiful they are.

/MrsHjort

Day 30 - Le Bignele

Both Mr and I love wine, so of course we couldn't resist going to a vineyard while we were in Italy. After doing a bit of research we visited the highly recommended Le Bignele. We were not disappointed. The people here really know their business and they're very used to visitors. They were very welcoming and professional. We got a great tour and the wine was excellent. I highly recommend going here.

So, today is the last day of the challenge. I've had a great time. It has felt so good to finally have gotten around to processing some of those photos I've been saving in my shoebox and, as always, I really enjoy chatting with the other participants, and getting inspired by their works. A huge thank you to all of you who have commented on my pictures and shared this experience with me. You are a talented bunch and you all rock! Now for the finals! May the best person win, I'm rooting for you guys :D

/MrsHjort

Day 31 - Final Curtain

I'll put in this last shot from France, because what is France if not a country famous for its wines? I simply couldn't leave it out of the French set. It's not part of that day at the medieval market, but it may as well be. France and wine is like Scotland and bagpipes, which incidentally brings me to my next point, and that of my next series. I've decided to continue with my Edinburgh shots next :)

Ah will se ye a' th'morra

/MrsHjort

Day 27 - Lions and Vines

I have a feeling that this combination of lions and vines found above the door is not very common outside of France. At least it felt very french to me. I love little details like that, they convey the heart and soul of the places they're in.

The village surrounding the castle looks like it came straight out of the fairy-tales, and this shot is typical of what it looks like - very authentic, filled with lovely flowers and oh, so beautiful! You could easily film a movie set in the medieval ages here, or why not an episode of Game of Thrones? Remove a few modern details, like the lamp, and I could see Daenerys stopping here on her way to Westeros :).

I was a bit surprised to find out that people actually live in this beautiful place. Walking through the streets, I thought that it felt closer to a museum than a place where you park your car and go inside to relax on the sofa. What a lovely place to live. I envy the people ho get to call this place home.

/MrsHjort

Day 6 - The Gentleman Bagpiper

Having just been in Scotland a few days ago, I was very surprised to see Scotsmen at the French medieval market. And not just one of them, but a whole Scottish bagpipe band, all dressed up and complete with four bagpipers, two drummers and three tambourine players! And they played... oh how they played! I'm sorry to say that even on my trip to Scotland I did not hear such music! It was very powerful!

After further research, is seems it's not strange at all to find Scotsmen in Burgundy. A Scotsman settled down not far from Chateauneuf en Auxois, where the market was held, and started growing his own grapes on the slopes of Cote d'Or in 2004. Sadly, the winery was sold a few years back, but it seems the Scottish traditions remained. And oh what wonderful traditions they are. Having a dash of Scottish blood in my veins myself, the music almost brought a tear to my eye.


/MrsHjort

Vistas of Madeira

I never sease to be amazed by the dramatic beauty of Madeira. It makes my heart sing. I wonder if you could ever grow immune to it, if you lived there. I'm guessing; no! My home is situated in a relatively flat area in comparison, and yet, I find myself marveling at the view quite often. Every landscape has it's own charm I guess, no matter where you are. Though, I've always preferred mountains and lush green hills. That's part of why Mr and I keep returning to Madeira I think.

One of the other reasons we keep coming back is the wine. Madeira wine is quite unique in taste and ranges from rich (sweet) to dry. If you're ever on the island, make sure you taste a Bolo do Mel de Cana (a sweet kake). It should be accompanied with a rich Madeira wine, and it's an excellent way to end the evening.

Speaking of ends, as this month draws to a close, I'm getting more and more exited about the next. You see, next month the 30-day challenge is on again. I missed it last time, due to workload, but now I finally have the time to do it. I'll be shooting each day, and you'll see my top pick here, every day. Fun fun fun! I love how the intense shooting gets your creative juices flowing. The previous challenges have really helped me develop as a photographer, and, they've been a lot of fun too. I can't wait :)

So, see you Sunday for my first post.

Cheers

/MrsHjort