Lots of Photos! and ROW80 Final

hank you to everyone who commented on my last couple of posts! I'm coming 'round to visit you all soon.

Real life has been rather hectic which is why... even though it's the end of another Round of Words in 80 Days, I haven't met my goal yet. Still have a few days left in June in which to do so -- I want to take part in the June exercise on the writers' forum.

I can't pretend it's all been real life, though. I spent four days reading, after this happened:

You don't have to have read the first seven (!) Outlander books to enjoy Written in My Own Heart's Blood, and I highly recommend this latest one. It's a brilliant example of seamless storytelling, filled with emotional highs and lows, pathos and humour, and wonderfully involved family relationships. Plus adventure, battles, romance, intrigue and time travel -- and more.

I've got lots of photos today!

Peacock supervises deer at the Geneva botanical gardens

First time I've ever seen European deer!

Flamingoes at the botanical gardens

One of the botanical gardens greenhouses

And inside... cacti!

Geneva music festival

A street in the old town

Place de Neuve during the music festival

Day trip to Lausanne, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee

View of Lausanne rooftops. Lausanne is a very very hilly town.

Intriguing sculpture

We didn't cross the street to read about him, because we'd just climbed our fifth steep city street under a hot sun

34 degrees Celsius!

The best thing to do was stop for lunch -- and we happened to find a Canadian restaurant!

Tour de l'Ale, remnant of the medieval fortifications of Lausanne

English church in Lausanne

Isn't that a lovely door?

Port d'Ouchy in Lausanne

I Googled Ouchy just now, to see where the name comes from, but couldn't find an answer

Instead, I learned that Ouchy was where the First Treaty of Lausanne was signed, concluding the year-long war between Italy and the Ottoman Empire, in 1912!

Back in Geneva... where there are free public pianos set up all over the city

Here's one near the Broken Chair outside the United Nations

Gift from Portugal to Geneva

Hope you've taken some interesting day trips lately, too!