Through the Garden GateWrought iron gate leading
into Seitenstetten Monastery's
Baroque kitchen garden
Flowering Pear TreeSomewhere in the hills around
Seitenstetten
The Hills are Alivewith row after row of pear trees,
source of the region's famous cider.
Eveningdescending after a hazy
summer-like Sunday in spring.
Courtyard FountainA water's lullaby
perfectly atuned to the region's
spring colours.
Seitenstetten Monastery
The Mostviertel's picturesque hills
lie less than an hour's drive
west of Vienna,
mostly south of the Danube river,
in Lower Austria.
Most: Hard Cider
Photographed by Merisi
on Sunday,
April 26, 2009
Oh how absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeleteLL
I have no idea how you lived elsewhere. And when are the pears harvested and the cider made?
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful photographs, as always! Each one is a treat!
ReplyDeleteHappy First of May to you!
Betty
Thank you, LORI LYNN! :-)
ReplyDeleteHEXE,
Rome and Washington DC were not bad either! ;-)
THE GOSSAMER TEAROOM,
thank you, Betty,
a Happy First of May to you too!
Austrians are celebrating labor day today, a holiday. We had a late lunch, and we shall take a walk around town now, to catch some of the festivities going on outside today.
HEXE,
ReplyDeletethe pears are harvested in the fall and then pressed.
I plan to publish another post about the cider valley, and its interesting history. Until the 17th century, wine was grown in the region, a cashcrop for the farmers there. When the climate grew cooler (Europe entered a sort of ice age back then), the farmers were robbed of their cash source. Empress Maria Theresa (1740 to 1780) ordered millions of pear treas planted in the region, laying the foundation for the region's wealth in the centuries to come.
Divine. I wish I was there! Thank you for your thoughts on my last pieces btw!
ReplyDeletewow, beautiful...I love the picture of the gate especially!
ReplyDeleteAlways learning new things when I come "visit" your site. When we were in Vienna, I became fascinated with Empress Maria Theresa. She was quite a woman.
ReplyDeleteOn another note.....would LOVE to have that garden gate! I've got a "thing" for wrought iron. :D
Happy May Day!
~Allie
mmmmm, cider.
ReplyDeleteI've never had pear cider, but the trees are so beautiful the cider must be delicious! The photos are as always, breathtaking!
ReplyDeletehugs
Sandi
I love pear cider and juice.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful, peaceful slopes! Your photo of the fountain is so alive I can almost hear the drops!
That pear tree is at such an angle it looks as if it could be uprooted with the slightest breeze! Amazing. And that gate is magical. Lovely photos. I particularly love the final water shot.
ReplyDeleteMerisi, all the patterns of land or colour in your last few posts are staggeringly beautiful....you have such an eye! I can only aspire!!
ReplyDeleteOh that gate, oh those trees, oh that green, oh that water! Spring has sprung. What beautiful photos! The things you see on a daily basis are just mind boggling. You are a treasure...thanks for showing us too!
ReplyDeleteCatherine
Mmmmm, pear cider--I'd love to come and do a taste test between the Viennese version, Canadian and British varieties. Such gorgeous scenery you captured so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteFabulous shades of green. I particularly love the green hills of Seitenstetten.
ReplyDeleteI love all the greens in these pictures!
ReplyDelete