I believe the expression is more like a stroll around town, but this is a village. Today, I took the camera out for a stroll. I have taken pictures in the village before, but each time there is always something new. Now is the season of the rapeseed and there are many beautiful fields.
View of rapeseed
Rapeseed in black & white
Rapeseed in sepia
What is rapeseed? Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as rape, oilseed rape, rapa, rapaseed and (in the case of one particular group of cultivars) canola, is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family). The name derives from the Latin for turnip, rāpum or rāpa, and is first recorded in English at the end of the 14th century. Older writers usually distinguished the turnip and rape by the adjectives round and long(-rooted) respectively. See also Brassica napobrassica, which may be considered a variety of Brassica napus. Some botanists include the closely related Brassica campestris within B. napus.
Fields of rapeseed at the foothills of the Jura mountains
Field of rapeseed
Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel; leading producers include the European Union, Canada, the United States, Australia, China and India. In India, it is grown on 13% of cropped land. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, rapeseed was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000, after soybean and oil palm, and also the world's second leading source of protein meal, although only one-fifth of the production of the leading soybean meal. World production is growing rapidly, with FAO reporting that 36 million tonnes of rapeseed was produced in the 2003-4 season, and 46 million tonnes in 2004-5. In Europe, rapeseed is primarily cultivated for animal feed (owing to its very high lipid and medium protein content, and is a leading option for Europeans to avoid importation of GMO products.
Mont Blanc
On days when it is clear one can see Mt. Blanc from our village. The peak has snow year-round. Mt. Blanc is the highest point in Europe. It rises 4,810 m (15,781 ft) above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence. It is also sometimes known as "La Dame Blanche" (French, the white lady).
The mountain lies between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France, but it can be seen from different points in Switzerland. The location of the summit is on the French-Italian border but French cartographers place it within France's boundaries on maps. It is claimed by Italian sources that at a convention between France and the Kingdom of Sardinia, in Turin (1861), and in particular on the map joint to the convention, the border was fixed on the highest point of Mont Blanc, the south east ridge to Monte Bianco di Courmayeur wholly within Italy, and that this was the last official definition of this border.
Here are pictures looking across fields of rapeseed with Mt. Blanc in the bacground.
There is a nice little church in the village. It sits just above the shores of Lac Léman or Lake Geneva in the district of Terre Sainte. Just behind the church is a beautiful view of the lake and the vineyards of the chateau.
The village church with Lac Léman in the background
The church in sepia
The nice thing about sepia, it makes the image look really rustic.
In addition to the little church, the village has a chateau. Most villages have a chateau and it is usally the center point of the village. In some chateaus there are weddings, dinners and other receptions, but this chateau is privately owned. Once a year they open up the grounds for a wine tasting and visitors can view the caves, but other than that one goes there just to buy wine.
Here are two images, one in color and the other in black and white.
Walking along to see the sites of the village, the chateau, the church, the peak of Mt. Blanc, one also meets some of the local animals. There are horses and cows. Here are a few pictures to give an idea of life in a village.
Cows with Mt. Blanc in the background
A typical Swiss cow
A curious calf
A horse grazing
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