Bower Ponds, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

After a brief hiatus, Bridges and Benches is back with photos from the beautiful Bower Ponds of my hometown Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

I have so many great childhood memories of walking or biking through the surrounding trails in the summer and winter. I've enjoyed sitting on a blanket on the hill, watching Shakespeare by the Ponds at the amphitheater, and taking in the Canada Day festivities, especially the massive fireworks displays, on many a July 1st. You can rent paddle boats and canoes, find a cozy bench to sit on near the water, or just wander around the trails and the beautiful bridge overlooking it all.

Thanks for a lovely summer night, Red Deer!

  

La Roseraie du Val-de-Marne, Hay-les-Roses, France

One place I'm excited to revisit in all its Spring and Summer glory is La Roseraie, a beautiful park and prized rose garden in the nearby town Hay-les-Roses.

The flowers were still blooming when we visited back in November but the garden itself was closed for the season. We still enjoyed our stroll around the grounds and took in the views from the many cozy benches around the park.

The optimal time to visit this garden is June, when the roses are in full-bloom. I'll be sure to come back then to take in the sights and scents of this lovely, quiet place.

For more information about La Roseraie, check out the website: 

http://www.roseraieduvaldemarne.fr/roseraie_internet_2010/spip.php?lang=en

Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland

If you get a chance to go to Switzerland, I recommend visiting the lovely town of Yverdon-les-Bains. 

Situated about an hour north-east of Geneva, it has an interesting history of Roman baths in the thermal springs and a diverse mixture of languages spoken by its residents: French, German, Serbo-Croatian, Italian and Portuguese. It has beautiful scenery, as its nestled in the Canton of Vaud, near Lake Neuchatel.

It was on a lovely morning walk around the lake that we found this interesting metal bridge and the lovely benches that face out towards the water and the mountains.

Conservatory and the Botanical Gardens, Geneva, Switzerland

Green spaces are a lovely find wherever you travel.

We spent close to entire afternoon exploring and relaxing in the lush and fragrant Botanical Gardens in Geneva, Switzerland. It was welcome change from wandering around the city and we found many quiet spots to sit and enjoy the scenery. 

I loved this big old tree. The shade was cool and the bench was very comfortable.

This old log was very popular with the children. I also liked the rustic wooden benches around it.

We relaxed here and snacked on a small picnic lunch.

We checked out the small zoo and watched some lovely black swans in the pond.

Kronborg Castle, Helsignør, Denmark.

On our holiday to Denmark this past August, we took a day-trip to the nearby town of Helsignør. We were on a mission to explore Kronborg Castle, the setting for William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Kronborg Castle, home of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The castle tour did not disappoint and I encourage anyone who's going to Denmark to make the trip to Helsignør to check it out. For more information on the special theatrical tour we took of Kronborg Castle, check out my post on my arts and culture blog, A Dancer Abroad. 

As we walked around the outside of the castle walls, I found a great bench with spectacular views in both directions. 

Great bench for some sea and castle-gazing.

Hello Sweden!

Looking eastward from the bench, you can admire the rugged coast of the Swedish Sea and some local fishermen doing their thing.

Kronborg Castle is impressive from every angle.

Turning westward, the impressive facades of Kronborg Castle make for a beautiful view. 

It's a rare find to sit on a bench and not know what time you're in. We could have been waiting for the ghost of Hamlet's father, for all we knew of the present time...

Cambridge, United Kingdom

A year ago this week, I accompanied my husband on a work trip to Cambridge, UK. We'd been to London before, but we'd never spent any time outside the big city and I was very excited to go.

The River Cam from Bridge Street.

Once we arrived, it didn't take long before I fell in love with the beautiful, picturesque, full-of-character-and-history town that is Cambridge. I explored the winding cobblestoned streets, checked out the many interesting shops, ate at some excellent street vendors and pubs, chatted with the friendly people and even saw some fun local theatre.

It was in Cambridge that my fascination with benches started. I found a bench in Market Square, next to the Cambridge Potato and Bagel Bar, and I spent a few hours there over the four days we were there people-watching and talking to strangers. In the short time I was in town, it became my favorite bench. Months later, that bench was the inspiration for this photo blog.

Not the best photo of my favorite bench, but there she is.
The bagels and potatoes were pretty amazing too.

Yum!

And what about bridges? Cambridge's bridges are some of the best! 

I went punting on the River Cam on my first full day there and it was the perfect introduction to the amazing architecture and history of all the colleges. From the punts, the bridges look different and even more beautiful. The weather that day was perfect for fall: blue sky, sun, light breeze. Smooth waters and a hilarious guide made for a wonderful experience, the first of many that week.

Bridge Street's bridge!

The Bridge of Sighs, a covered, Venetian-style bridge.

The Mathematical Bridge. The legend is Sir Isaac Newton designed and built it, but this is not true.
Newton died 22 years before the bridge was built.

Cambridge is a truly beautiful and interesting place to visit. I look forward to going back again someday, so I can cross the many amazing bridges and sit on my favorite bench and enjoy the day.

Promenade de la Cité Jardins, Le Plessis-Robinson, France

It's been almost a year since we moved to the beautiful town of Plessis-Robinson, France. We really love it here - it's peaceful and quiet, the people are nice, it's close to both our workplaces and we're near our community of friends.

Did I mention that it's beautiful here?

We took an epic walk through all of Plessis' parks today and discovered the delight that is the Promenade de la Cité Jardins, a park that winds its way through the town center and ends in the lovely Square de la Liberté.

I will be taking this stroll again very soon. I need to try all the benches and spend much more time on all the bridges. It's so nice that we're still discovering new things about our town!