When you walk along the streets and alleys in an Alsatian village or small town you can't help but notice the beauty of the windows - big windows, small windows, with shutters or without and so often with flowers in front of them. I started to think of them as a very special kind of poetry.
These villages and towns are eye candy by themselves. Its residents seem to take a particular pride in their windows, and this is not only true for the busy streets that tourists are attracted to, but for the tiny, sometimes even dark alleys as well.
Many are held in place by the unique shutter holders you can see in the photo below.
Even with the shutters closed the windows are still beautiful.
Some are decorated very individually.
There are flowers, bird cages and many pretty hearts.
Some windows have older glass or ornate grades which gives them a special charm.
And so many display window planting boxes or pots.
This is my "window art" for Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date.
What's for dinner, you ask.
Well, there wasn't much cooking going on in our house. The past few days we have had an extreme heat wave. Yesterday temperatures reached 115 F (46 C) - we don't have AC and it was miserable. This is quite unusual for our area. Since everybody in the state was asked to conserve energy and avoid switiching on high consuming appliances in order to avoid blackouts, we didn't have cooked meals for a couple evenings. Instead there was delicious caprese...
... cheese, cheese curds, salmon spread and French paté from the farmers market ...
... and more caprese. For hot days, caprese is perfect.
What do you eat on really hot days?
Sehr detailreich und romantisch!
ReplyDelete46C, wow! Da würde ich auch gar nichts Heißes essen wollen - oder wie wärs mit Grünkohl ;-)
Wenn es nur kurz so heiß ist, kann der Körper sich darauf auch gar nicht einstellen...
Der Salat sieht lecker aus. Ja, hier auch Salat, oder gekühlte Melone mit Schinken. Oder einfach Joghurt mit Marmelade.
Einmal hatte ich einfach nur eine Kugel Salted Caramel-Eis von unserem Italiener, in der Waffel, hat gereicht :-)
The windows are wonderful. I love pretty window boxes and decorations. There are lots here in Kaiserswerth, too. Your foodc looks wonderful. Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteThe windows are nothing short of enchanting, Carola, and of course one can weave so many metaphors about the human condition into windows. As for Caprese, it is a great favourite of ours, and I make it quite frequently. Our basil has done well this year so it's always fresh and close at hand. Last night I made a new (to us) recipe for Arroz con pollo and it was very tasty. I should have cut back on the quantity though - there is enough for the week! The neighbours may be getting a gift!
ReplyDeleteOn really hot days we mainly eat yougurts.
ReplyDeleteLovely window 'art' and delicious food!
ReplyDeleteWindow poetry. I like that! Some very pretty windows pictured. Looks like a nice dinner in spite of the heat.
ReplyDeleteYummy all those tomatoe slices☺
ReplyDeleteHappy you dropped by my blog
Much💛love
...I love windows and you have collected some beautiful one. It's nice to see operating shutters, here they are mere decoration. Enjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteThe windows are all so pretty, Carola.
ReplyDeleteOn really hot days, we eat a lots of fruits and salads.
Hugs and blessings!
The windows are delightful and they paint a poetic picture of the people inside ... You must have had a wonderful time photographing them. As for hot days, I eat very little and drink a lot of water or lemonade or ice tea. I do love your Caprese and have eaten it here, but I don't limit it to hot days. And I love cheese curds ... when I lived by the lake we were next to the Wisconsin border (Wisconsin is known as the Cheese state because of all of the dairy farming) and we were able to go across the border and get fresh curds whenever it struck our fancy. Lovely post and so sorry about your heat wave ... 115 degrees, I can't even imagine it. As I have mentioned before, if you don't have air conditioning ... a big bowl of ice and a fan will do the trick, at least until the ice melts :) Stay well, Carola ...
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From the Sol
The windows are so varied, and all are beautiful. I'd be photographing them too, if I were there. Your caprese salads are works of art and would be delicious to eat on a hot day. I hope you have a great week, Carola!
ReplyDeleteYour window photos are wonderful. THe shutters are very pretty and also mainly functional, which suggests a different view point than we have in the US -- very few houses have shutters that actually protect the window glass. I don't know why that difference has developed.
ReplyDeleteNice salads -- it's good that you can at least eat well with all the problems of heat and scarce power.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Definitely window poetry! I adore the shutters -- they're fantastic and I wish we had the same here. I've been having my share of caprese salads these days -- the tomatoes and basil are at their peak!
ReplyDelete