Pay as you Pick Trust in the Okanagan Valley, BC

Your automatic gut reaction is to peep over your shoulder and think, 'Okay, where are the cameras?' But out here on these lush green hills rising up from the deep blue of Skaha Lake, the only CCTV eyes trained on you are those of the sleepy horse shading under the leafy cherry trees. During the summer all along this bucolic valley near Okanagan Falls that stretches more than 90 miles, crowded supermarket aisles and churlish check outs are replaced with self-serve fruit stands complete with colorfully painted honesty boxes. The produce is fresh and in season, you pay for what you take, and the only carbon footprints are those you leave in the dust. As for trust, surely they haven't taught the horse to count, have they?

#unusual #lakes #market #summer #roadtrip #valley #farm #roadside #fruit #food #produce #farmersmarket #rural #cheap #countryside #quirky #fruits #hills #fresh #offbeat #trust #painted #verdant #tasty #artsy #stand #fruitstand #honesty #veggies #self-serve

Originally published on Trazzler

The views from the Alcazaba de Reina

The Sierra Morena wrinkles behind off into Andalusia while the patchwork plains of Badajoz merge with the sky in front. Depending on your perspective, this is either the beginning or end of Extremadura. The Romans would arrive at this crossroads (complete with amphitheater entertainment, good luck finding it open) while trying to catch a ride to either Merida or Cordoba. Centuries later, when the Muslim armies came storming northward, they knew a good thing when they saw it and built an enormous adobe castle to keep the sometimes unruly locals from their nasty habit of rebellion. Though an ocher shell of what it used to be, just the fact that you can see the castle from more than 20 miles away makes the detour worthwhile.

#archaeology #architecture #history #mountains #plains #views #historic #roadtrip #farms #castle #roadside #getaway #ruins #muslim #castles #romans #war #detour #offthebeatenpath #remote #forts #hills #amphitheater #crossroads #andalusia #moorish #rebellion #ancientrome #panoramic #battles #islamic #muslimspain #battlesites #conquest #sierramorena #muslims

Originally published on Trazzler