Winery – Valerie's Voice

Terceira

We arrived on the island of Terceira a day before our official tour with OAT began.

We wanted to acclimate our body clocks, plus we wanted to get a hike in with our friends we travel with.

We had a good weather, a sunny day and an interesting hike up Mount Brasil.

Looking over a caldera, to the Atlantic Ocean.

The next day we met our OAT tour group. OAT promotes discoveries and experiences, so they bring the groups to small, local businesses and out of the way places, and even make unscheduled stops. One day we stopped at a farmer’s market and a fishing dock to talk with a local fisherman, neither one on the schedule for that day.

At the fishing dock, a local fisherman shows us the bait that has been assembled for the next round of fishing. These are fish heads/parts secured on a hook for a fishing line.

A few of the many experiences on the island of Terceira was a small winery tour, an organic coffee/banana plantation tour, seeing the dramatic tide pools, and having dinner with a local family. All were remarkable in their own way.

Buildings for the winery built from lava rock.

Several volcanic rock walls create an amazing vineyard.

The Materramenta Winery was interesting. The vineyards were enclosed, and divided, by volcanic rock walls making it picturesque,

Some grapevines were planted in rows in a small area.

Other vines were planted in deep volcanic rock holes – a special planting method. photo gb

plus adding a unique and great flavor to the wines apparently.

The olive tree in the corner is to detract birds from eating the grapes. photo gb

The lava rock walls were strategically put together to allow air flow.

After a tour of the vineyard, we were invited into a tasting room with a long, welcoming table.

Setting for our wine tasting at this small winery.

The coffee/banana plantation was so different from the winery, yet beautiful in a different way. It was very lush.

José, the owner of an organic coffee and banana plantation gives us a tour.

José, has expanded his small business into eco lodging and built a few small camping cabins in the midst of the plantation.

A nice camping cabin on the coffee plantation, complete with indoor plumbing!

The a-line cabins were inviting, and are creating more income for this family.

One of my favorite pictures at one of my favorite spots on our trip.

One of my two favorite activities on Terceira was going to the Biscoitos tide pools to watch the waves crash over the volcanic boulders along the shore.

Mini waterfalls created by waves crashing in.

It was mesmerizing. A fellow traveler commented with waterfalls the water flows down, but along the shore when the waves hit the rocks the water bursts up into the air.

Another favorite activity was a local home visit. One evening our big group was divided into three small groups and folks on the island invited us into their houses for a home-cooked dinner, and for a peek at how the islanders live. It was wonderful.

We were invited into this beautiful home for dinner. photo gb

Due to different circumstances, our host was on his own with all six of us, but his wife had the meal mostly prepared and he pulled it off flawlessly. He was a great host and his 17-year-old and 6-year-old joined us near the end of dinner. We had a delightful evening.

Roger, our home host, adding the final touches to dessert.

And that was not all (that we did on Terceira)…But it is enough…(for now).

Aspelund Wine & Peony Gardens

Last weekend a friend and I went to delight in the peony gardens in Aspelund. I was reminded to visit this lovely acreage now, this time of year, when the peonies are in bloom.

In the background is one of the out buildings on this acreage. The peony gardens are front and center.

This year there was a lot of color, yet there were many buds to still open, which was the stage of the peonies in my garden, and that’s why I had to be reminded that the Aspelund gardens may be ready to explore.

The location is a scenic, peaceful, country setting, about twenty minutes from Northfield. There are a couple of out buildings, the wine tasting room with an attached deck and table and chairs, there are rows of grapevines, and a lot of rhubarb growing all over…and of course lots and lots of peonies.

The peonies are for sale…but you are most welcome to visit these gardens without purchasing anything.

The coral color was one of my favorites.

There is a tire swing hanging from a large, old tree and two little girls, in cute little dresses, were enjoying themselves on the swing that afternoon. It was a very nostalgic and sweet picture…that I didn’t capture on my camera.

We met up with a blogger friend of mine, and her husband, who were at the gardens the same time we were. We meandered the peonies, found chairs on the lawn since all the outdoor tables were taken, and ordered a flight of wine to taste a couple of the many variety of wines they offer.

It was a lovely and relaxing way to spend a late spring, almost summer, afternoon.

It was hard to get a photo of this yellow peony, but the color was delicous.

These are a few photos of the vibrant peonies I took, but I want to share a link to an expanded blog about this Aspelund Winery, written by the friend with whom we were enjoying the wonderful afternoon in Aspelund. Check out Minnesota Prairie Roots and enjoy a great tour.

Aspelund Peony Gardens

‘Tis the season for peonies. After the lilacs finish blooming next comes the peonies to enjoy.

I have a couple of peony bushes in my yard. I love the shape and color and smell of them, and I always cut a few stems to have in the house. But the flowers, like lilacs, do not stay blooming for long.

So I was glad to be reminded on a friend’s blog site, Minnesota Prairie Roots, that the peonies were in bloom at Aspelund Peony Gardens, near Aspelund, MN, about a half hour from Northfield. It was a beautiful afternoon so we took a drive to have a look.

The gardens were full. As with many flowers, there are a lot of varieties and colors of peonies. It is amazing. We took our time to stop and smell the flowers and “ouu and ahh” over each color and variation.

A tire swing from a tall old tree. I was focused on peonies so I didn’t look to see what kind of tree it is. But it was fun to see it being used by children.

There is also a winery on site but we did not stay for a sample…it was a very busy place and all the outdoor seating was taken, so we passed.

I took a lot of photos…too many photos to share. The proprietors have a list of each variety of peony they grow on their property. The intention is for you to identify which kind you would like to purchase. Then the chosen bush stays in the garden until fall when you go pick it up and transplant it into your own yard.

But they welcome all visitors. We chose just to simply walk through the peony gardens, and meander in the wide-open yard taking in the vast country views. It was a sunny and pleasant day… a wonderful time to delight in the beauty of the outdoors.