TravelswithCharie

At the Hilmar Cheese Company, learn all about cheese making and then some.  From the cow To the processing plant To your table It’s the story you’ll want to hear about and savor. And take home with you. Cheese is actually good for you. It’s rich in calcium and protein. Hilmar also has a café. My favorite is their Bacon me crazy grilled cheese sandwich. It’s so good! Check out their menu here:  https://www.hilmarcheese.com/cafe/ Hilmar  Cheese Company 9001 North Lander Avenue, Hilmar, California (off State Highway 99) hilmarcheese.com ***** Images by TravelswithCharie

Love lavender. It makes my clothes smell heavenly. It has a soothing effect. It also has culinary uses. Have you ever tried lavender flavored muffins or cakes? Yum! Mid-June is a good time to visit a lavender field. The color of the lavender flowers are just turning a deep purple. The varying hues of the lavender field also depends on sunlight. If you’re taking photographs, it’s best to take them from different directions and perspectives to catch the best light. Pageo Farms is on 11573 Golf Link Road in Turlock, California. It’s off of Highway 99 between Modesto and Merced in the Central Valley. They have a shop full of everything lavender including scented soaps, essential oil, lotion, body gel, sachets, spices and knick knacks. Check their website for more information: pageolavenderfarm.com ***** Images by TravelswithCharie 

  During its wars against Russia in the 1700s, the Swedish Parliament believed it necessary to build a fortress to reinforce its defenses and establish a naval base in Helsinki. Construction of the fortification started in 1748 on the Susiloudot Islands (now Soumenlinna) off Helsinki. They named the fortress, Sveaborg (Castle of the Swedes). Suomenlinna is a group of rocky islands connected by bridges. It has seen a succession of foreign occupation from the Swedes to the Russians before finally becoming a part of an independent Finland. Soumenlinna Church was built in 1854 as a Russian Orthodox garrison church. It was converted to the Evangelical Lutheran Church when Finland gained independence in 1917 and took ownership of Soumenlinna in 1918. The steeple is also a lighthouse for air and sea traffic. The Great Courtyard was designed by Augustin Ehrensvärd and it was the main square and administrative center of Soumenlinna since the 1760s. Ehrensvärd is laid to rest in the center of th

Ginevra de’ Benci(obverse) by Leonardo da Vinci, c.1474/1478* National Gallery of Art  The  National Gallery of Art  exhibits a wealth of Western art and its annex, the East building displays modern and contemporary art. The two buildings are connected underground by a walkway. The East building was designed by I.M. Pei. The portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci was completed by da Vinci when he was only 21 and Ginevra was 16 years of age. She was born to an affluent family and was educated. Da Vinci's "lifelike and forthright portrayal broke with conventions of earlier Renaissance portraiture of women". quote from  Natl. Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is on Constitution Avenue NW, Washington D.C. www.nga.gov The Phillips Collection Renoir’s  Luncheon of the Boating Party ( see painting here )  is the highlight of the collection. This large painting (56 in x 69 in) is in a room by itself and you can sit in front of it and feel as if you are one of the “ boating p

Winslow Homer, Saco Bay, 1896, Oil on canvas.  The Clark Art Institute, 1955.5 The Clark Art Institute The Berkshires is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Sleepy little towns snooze amidst lush vegetation and green hills. At Williamstown, you are immediately drawn by the calm and restful appeal of this town. This is why it is so surprising to find a museum of the caliber of the Clark Art Institute in this pastoral setting. Sterling Singer Clark, heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune and his wife, Francine Clary, founded the museum in 1950. Their collection of  French Impressionist and Academic paintings including works by Renoir, Degas, Gauguin and Van Gogh form the core collection of the museum together with their silver, porcelain, drawings and print acquisitions. The museum opened to the public in 1955. Sterling Clark also had an interest in American artists and collected the works of Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent. The museum is at 225 South Street,

   Painted Ladies, Steiner Street and Hayes Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon Street   Balcutha on Hyde Street Pier Crooked Street (Lombard Street) Bay Bridge St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough Street Yes, it’s easy to leave your heart in San Francisco. With the fog rolling in over the hills, the call of the foghorn, the chill in the air that makes you want to cuddle and the views over the bay, it’s not easy to let go. I left my heart in San Francisco High on a hill, it calls to me To be where little cable cars Climb halfway to the stars The morning fog may chill the air I don’t care My love waits there in San Francisco Above the blue and windy sea When I come home to you San Francisco Your golden sun will shine on me. I left my heart in San Francisco, Tony Bennett, Columbia Records For more information about San Francisco, visit  https://www.visitcalifornia.com/places-to-visit/san-francisco/ Or  https://sfgov.org/visitors ***** Images by TravelswithCharie

Mission San Miguel Arcangél The plan for the three day Easter weekend getaway was to spend time on the beach. It was the antipode to months cooped up at home with only occasional trips to the supermarket. But on our way to Pismo Beach, we saw a sign that said Mission San Miguel. And it was only eleven minutes from our hotel in Paso Robles. It was the perfect place to spend Easter Sunday.  There are 21 Missions on the California Mission Historic Trail. From San Diego in the south to Sonoma in the north, these missions were established to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and expand Spain’s influence in Mexico (California was then part of Mexico).  Spain not only shaped the socio-cultural practices of Native Americans, they also influenced the architectural style of the era. The missions they built along the Camino Real (King’s Highway) beginning in 1769 through 1823 were originally built from adobe with arched columns, tiled roofs and corridors, fountains, and an interior courtyar