A few days break in the Mosel Valley (part one)...

After our brief stop from my previous post, we drove on towards the Moselle River. This is our 4th visit to the Mosel Valley and we just love it there. This time we stayed in the village of Lieser at Landhotel Steffen. This hotel was something I chanced upon while looking for a place to stay. It lived up to its description and more. We had a room with a view of the river and dinner included each evening. Jos was a little leary as food in hotels is not always good. But this could not be farther from the truth. Both evenings were excellent. We ate a starter that we would not have ordered but really enjoyed. Funny thing is we had it at the second place and would not have eaten it otherwise. But more about that later. There was a beautiful big terrace but the weather was not warm enough to sit outside unfortunately. We will certainly return here for another stay in the near future. 

We choose Lieser because it is close to Bernkastel-Keus. This is a pretty German village and we always enjoy walking here. Jos tried a Riesling ice cream while we were there which was delicious. It really did taste like frozen wine. 

The Italian restaurant was right across from the Bear fountain. I just love this fountain and have shown it before in my old blog. My father's nickname was Bear so I must be a bear cub...right? *grins* 

I always walk around in awe in villages like this as I adore anything wrought iron. They have beautiful hanging signs that just make me drool. And we discovered a Dutch connection with an iron shield hanging on the city wall. It reads "Vivat Oranien Nassau" or Long live Orange Nassau which is the Dutch royal family.

Jos peeked one morning to see what was right next to the hotel. He told me to come over and look as I would love this garden. Then he said "Oh no...don't look!" It was a wonderful garden for a shop. Lucky for Jos, the shop was not open on the days we were there. We did however go look in the garden. It was so beautiful and gave me some inspiration for my own garden. 

I loved the angels and wrought iron! I want to go look for a chair in the charity shop to sit in amongst my plants now. And I told Jos I wanted him to make me a ladder for our tree. He said he would so now I just have to hold him to it. *grins again* 

Heidi

Walking into a fairytale.....

On our way for our vacation last week, I searched for a good place to stop halfway there. I discovered this castle on the outskirts of Bergheim, Germany. It is the magical renaissance style castle of Paffendorf. You could easily pass through the village and miss this treasure which is set off the road behind the church. But from the moment you drive up, you are met with a fairytale castle...

We had lunch in the castle brasserie. Knowing we had a dinner booked that night at our destination, we ordered a starter to tide us over. Jos had white asparagus soup and I had the green asparagus salad. Both were delicious!

We then took a short walk in the castle park. As you walk in, you are met by the first of the ponds and giant sequoias. There were wildflowers in bloom all around you. 

There are gunneras in bloom all through the grounds. 

How beautiful dead wood is! It becomes a garden ornament when left to stand along the water's side or a piece left to sit and rot naturally. Since we are doing this now at Cranberry Cottage, I loved seeing this. 

The water in the ponds was so clear that you could see the fish swimming (left) and the tadpoles darting around (right). 

If you are ever in the area, this is a wonderful stop. We could not take the time for a tour of the castle but would love to go back one day...

Here are some links I found on YouTube so you are take a cyber tour for yourself...

You may want to turn off the sound on the second video. It is a good look at the grounds but the music is terrible for the scenery. 

Heidi

Pastoral.....

pas·tor·al  (pstr-l, p-stôr-, -str-)

adj.

1.

a. Of or relating to shepherds or herders.

b. Of, relating to, or used for animal husbandry.

2.

a. Of or relating to the country or country life; rural.

b. Charmingly simple and serene; idyllic. See Synonyms at rural.

3. Of, relating to, or being a literary or other artistic work that portrays or evokes rural life, usually in an idealized way.

4. Of or relating to a pastor or the duties of a pastor: pastoral duties; a pastoral letter.

n.

1. A literary or other artistic work that portrays or evokes rural life, usually in an idealized way.

2. Music A pastorale.

---

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pstrlis, from pstor, shepherd; see pastor.]

---

pastor·al·ly adv.

It seems I have been seeing many scenes which evoke the images reminding you of toile de jouy fabric. While on vacation this year in France, Belgium and Holland, I enjoyed these scenes of simple country pleasure. Whether a windmill on a hilltop with cows grazing (photo 1) in Holland or a small orchard beside L'Abbaye du Val Dieu (photos 2 and 3) in Belguim, they make you pause and sigh. A peace falls over you. 

In spring, we visited the Chateau de Rambures and I spotted the cows grazing way off the side of the castle grounds. They are in the farmer's field near the castle but just visible as you come near the walkway. Again...a pause to sigh...a reminder to slow down...to really see what is around you...

Heidi

Vacation is hard but fun work.....

Our summer vacation has ended and was wonderful from start to finish. We started with a long stay at Cranberry Cottage. It was so quiet and peaceful which is something we needed. Our goal was to do a project which was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest leading me to this blog post. Thank you Ronda for sharing your brilliant idea! It worked a treat on a wall we were unhappy with at the cottage.

We have a great deal of sunlight that shines on this wall. After wallpapering, we found out that direct sunlight will cause vinyl wallpaper to shrink and pull away from the wall while the paste is drying out. The same wallpaper in the guest room was no problem but here it has gaps and a few bubbles. But my problem is that I LOVE this wallpaper and do not have enough to redo it. It is not a paper that is available any longer. So how to fix the problem and be able to salvage something I love??? 

Ronda's idea of creating a grid was just right! We painted thin wooden slats. We sanded them after painting to give them a worn look. Then measuring first the vertical lengths, we divided the wall into four sections. The horizontals were then glued into place creating 5 sections. We were lucky that we did not have to created the trim around the wall as it already had a trim. We simply painted it to match the slats. 

Both Jos and I are thrilled with the results. It really creates a nice feature wall. We got rid of a couch that was far too large for the room and brought our sheep leather chair to take its place. Our next project is a mantle for the fireplace. Humm...time to look around on Pinterest once again.....

Heidi

Garden inspiration.....

We love to visit gardens for inspiration. Visiting the tiny city of Gerberoy in France to see the garden of the French painter Henri Le Sidaner did not disappoint us. The addition of this beautiful ornament, which if you look closely in the photo collages, you will find in the artist's garden too. When I found this ornament in at a Dutch farm that sells ornaments, I knew it was the perfect way to remember our visit to Henri's garden...

To enter the gardens, you walk around the outside of the village along the old medieval walls. There is a door in the arch of one wall that enters into the garden. The day we went there was noone else there and it helped create the magic of the world where Henri painted.....

Click to enlarge the photos and get a closer look. 

I love this photo I shot of Jos sitting in the quiet garden enjoying the morning sun.....

Ornaments and statues were everywhere throughout the garden.....

What a privilege to be able to stand in front of the little summerhouse/atelier he painted. And what a summerhouse! I loved all the details in this tiny building. During the exhibit, this was one if my favorite paintings which came to life in the garden.....

The gazebo built on the foundations of a medieval tower allows you to take in the beautiful views of the landscape in and around Gerberoy..... 

Henri Le Sidaner passed away 75 years ago today 16 July in 1939. But his spirit lives on in his timeless paintings but also in the magical gardens he created in Gerberoy, France. 

Heidi

For those interested in seeing more, here is a YouTube film of his time spent in Gerberoy. It is in Dutch but well worth watching even if you cannot understand the language. 

A little well kept secret in France.....

In December, I went to an art exhibit of the paintings of an (to me) unknown painter. It was close by at the Singer Museum. I felt like I was able to slip away to France on a late spring afternoon in the dead of winter. Roses and wine around me.....I loved it so much that I made my husband go back with me another time before the exhibit ended. 

In december 2013 heb ik een tentoonstelling in het Singer Museum in Laren bezocht  om het werk van een (voor mij) onbekende schilder te kunnen zie. Ik voelde alsof ik in Frankrijk was op een late lente middag , terwijl het hier winter was. Met Rozen en wijn om me heen in Frankrijk...... Ik vond het zo leuk dat ik samen met mijn man nog een keer deze tentoonstelling heb bezocht.

All this because of this man...Henri Le Sidaner. He was noted for his intimate style and capturing atmospheric light in his paintings. I was so entranced by his work! Part of the exhibit was reading about his life and listening to the story as you went along. There I heard about his house and garden. 

Dit alles vanwege deze man ... Henri Le Sidaner. Hij staat bekend om zijn intieme stijl en het vastleggen van licht in zijn sfeervolle schilderijen. Ik was helemaal in de ban van zijn werk! Een deel van de tentoonstelling ging over zijn leven waarbij ik ook hoorde over zijn huis en tuin.

There is a tiny village in the Picardie region of France. This tiny village is Gerberoy and was where Henri Le Sidaner first rented and then bought a house in 1910. When researching the painter, I discovered that the village still contained this house and his gardens which were also open to the public. We just had to visit and see it all ourselves! 

The medieval village celebrates the rose each year and like walking in a museum. It is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France. In this picturesque place there is one bed and breakfast. Above is a photo of Le Logis de Gerberoy which is every bit as enchanting as it looks in the photo. We were so warmly welcomed by Cécile when we rang the bell to her home. 

Er is heel een klein stadje in de Picardië (Noord Frankrijk.) Deze kleine stad is Gerberoy en was de plaats waar Henri Sidaner eerst gehuurd en daarna het huis gekocht heeft in 1910. Ik ontdekte dat het  huis en zijn tuinen opengesteld zijnvoor het publiek. We besloten toen om zelf te gaan kijken in Gerberoy.  

De middeleeuwse stad viert elk jaar een mooi rozenfeest  en lijkt  een openlucht museum. Het wordt beschouwd als een van de mooiste dorpen van Frankrijk. In deze schilderachtige plek is er ook een bed and breakfast. Boven is een foto van Le Logis de Gerberoy te vinden, in het echt net zo betoverend als het eruit ziet in de foto. We werden hartelijk ontvangen door Cecile  nadat we onderstaande bel gebruikt hadden:.

She and her husband having been lovingly restoring their old home. They have created a warm and relaxing atmosphere to spend your time in Gerberoy. We loved it so much that we asked Cécile if we could stay an extra night. We were so glad she was able to give us the room for a third night. The rooms are comfortable and we slept like on a bed of roses only to be awakened to a delicious breakfast and walks in the lovely village. 

Zij en haar man hebben deze oude herberg weer gerestaureerd.. Ze hebben een warme en ontspannen sfeer gecreëerd om je tijd door te brengen in Gerberoy. We vonden het zo leuk dat we Cecile vroegen of we een extra nacht konden blijven. We waren blij dat er ruimte voor een derde nacht was. De kamers zijn comfortabel en we sliepen als op een bed van rozen , om wakker te worden met een heerlijk ontbijt en wandelingen in het mooie dorp.

I enjoyed taking some detailed photos of things around the bed and breakfast to give you an impression of this magical house. Thank you Cécile for a memorable stay in your home. 

We did however go to Gerberoy for a specific reason...to visit les jardin des Henri le Sidaner. Come back for my next blog post to visit the gardens with me.....

Ik heb genoten van het nemen van detailfoto's  rond de bed and breakfast. Deze foto's geven een goede indruk van dit magische huis. Dank je Cecilia voor een onvergetelijk verblijf in jouw huis. 

We zijn  echter wel gaan naar Gerberoy voor een reden: specifiek om de tuin van Henry le Sidaner te bezoeken. Kom s.v.p. terug voor mijn volgende blog post zodat je ook de tuinen met mij kunt bezoeken .....

Note: Thank you so much for the comforting thoughts sent our way over the tragic loss of Elwin in my previous blog post. Your thoughts and concerns have really picked me up and helped soften the hurt I felt over his sad passing. 

Opmerking: Dank je wel voor de troostende gedachten over het tragische verlies van Elwin in mijn vorige blog post. Jullie gedachten hielpen de pijn te verzachten die ik voelde over zijn trieste heengaan.

Heidi