The German news magazine show DW, which is broadcast in English, is one of my favorite shows. I don’t really catch it too often, but am happy to find they have a channel on Youtube.
This series is from the “Great Gardens of Europe.”
The Loire Valley is also known as the Garden of France. The valley is filled with world-famous castles (chateau) and beautiful botanical gardens too.
Chateau Villandry was completed toward 1536 and was the last of the large chateaus built in the Loire Valley during the Renaissance. Balloon ride over the geometric garden would be amazing. Image source.
The misty garden of Chateau Villandry, looks like a nice place for a walk. You can take a virtual tour here.
“The Loire Valley was made a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000. We report on two examples, the Gardens of Villandry and Chateau Rivau. Known for their strictly geometric settings, romantic rose gardens and medieval plantation and innovative landscaping, Villandry and Chateau Rivau are two classic examples of the renaissance garden design.” - DW
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We had a one day storm here in northern California. Not a real storm because there really wasn’t much rain. Mostly high winds and lots of fallen tree branches. So I say, “Let it rain!”
The day of the storm wasn’t cold, temperature in the 70’s and a bit humid and warm then anything else. So it’s not yet time to take out the sweaters and scarves. Maybe next month. But it is nice to enjoy the warm weather for a little bit longer.
What better way to remember summer, then images of Greece.
Seaside alley in Mykonos. The contrast of the white washed walls and turquoise ocean is beautiful. What’s missing here are cats! Photo by Marcel Germain of Flickr.
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If I could pick a city to travel to in Europe, I would first chose to go to Portofino, Italy. Even more so then Paris, France! Portofino, Italy is is a small fishing village located in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. It is considered to be among the most beautiful Mediterranean ports. I think it would be a simply cheerful and relaxing place to visit.
So in the meantime, I wanted to collect some nice photos or paintings of the place. Then I came across a painting of Portofino by John Ruth. He did a beautiful job of capturing the colorful harbor in Portofino. John Ruth is an artist who lives and works in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
You can visit his gallery here and see more of his lovely paintings. There are more paintings of other charming European towns from Portugal to Amsterdam.
A little bit more about John Ruth:
“Most of my paintings are landscapes, but other themes have been family, figure studies, portraits, domestic interiors and fantasy. I strive to convey my sense of wonder at the world around me through my art and to bring out the magic of commonplace things and ‘the everyday. I paint mainly in acrylic on board, using the versatility of the paint to create delicate watercolour effects and overlay with stronger pigments. I like to use repetition and rhythm of line to suggest the rhythms and oneness of life.”
Here is another photo of Portofino, Italy from Wikipedia. Interesting steps leading up to the homes via the ocean.
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