Not sure why, but I feel compelled to take photos of practically every new flower I see on my travels. Here are some blooms we noticed during our Switzerland adventures. (I asked PlantNet what they probably are.) Beautiful garden in Mürren Garden lupine Lupinus polyphyllus High up on the peak of the Schilthorn, these grow and bloom on the rocky mountainside. Glacier buttercup Ranunculus glacialis More glacier buttercups, along with the light purple Round-leaved Pennycress Noccaea Rotundifolia Hiking along at lower elevations on the way to Murren, we saw a lot of what looked like grasses. Bladder Campion Silenus vulgaris Hairy Alpenrose Rhododendron hirsutum Round-leaf Saxifrage Saxifraga Rotundifolia My pic above, PlantNet verdict below Golden Hawk's-beard Crepis aurea I didn't take my own picture of this - at least not on our hike to Murren - but loved seeing th...
Tuesday, March 20, 2025 (continued) As Alessandro expertly maneuvered our bus up the winding mountain road towards Erice, we looked back at an impressive view. But first, a lunch stop. We were going to experience true Sicilian hospitality at Maria's place. A simple country lunch. I tasted the almond (mandorla) wine. Definitely for dessert. After everyone ate their fill, it was time to learn the secrets of Maria's Pasticceria Grammatico. Michael was our British interpreter... ...while Maria showed us how to shape the traditional cookies. Maria's voice was incredibly quiet so we really couldn't understand her, Even if we could understand Italian, but Michael helped us out. This book is the story of Maria's life and includes recipes. She was a nun who left the convent and started her own business making and selling cookies using the nuns' secret recipes. Sc...
On Sunday May 18, we met our Rick Steves group mid afternoon, along with our guide Andrea (pictured above). I’m looking forward to having him as our guide because he was born and raised just outside Palermo. I’m sure he will have a ton of knowledge. After meeting everyone, we all took a walking tour around the neighborhood to get our bearings, learn the history and see unique things. You can see Christine and I are fresh and ready to tour! On the way to our first stop, we saw a fountain nicknamed “the fountain of shame”. Legends say it got that name because in the building in the background with the dome lived the monks, and a dome, not pictured, but in direct line of sight of the fountain and the monks dome, was the convent. Of course, the statues are naked…thus the nickname. We also saw a peaceful Pro Palestine parade march past us. Our guide told us Sicily is fearful of war, since they have been occupied and ...
Hi! Hope comments are OK, but let me know. Looking forward to following your adventures!
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm using Chrome and this is working. Blogger must like me :) I wish I could add a picture to a comment but nooooo...
ReplyDeleteSafe travels ladies!
ReplyDelete