Tag Archives: france

Bordeaux France 29-30 September 2025

Sailing up the Dordogne river to Bordeaux during breakfast onboard Sirena. We are sitting on the back of ship outside and enjoying the brilliant clear blue sky, the green flat coastline stretching for miles. We passed Pauillac where we will stop at tomorrow evening. 

Guest bloggers participate providing descriptive words. Rich in mystery. Colourful. Autumnal.  Peaceful and serene, glowing, wind kissed, verdant.  Radiant. Fertile. Lush. Vibrant. Dotted with farm buildings, spires and towers. Vineyards. Sheep. Cows. Charolais. River cruise ships. Vineyard estates. Church steeples. Water towers. Colourful Channel markers. It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood. Oh my. Perfect rows of vines in green fields. Each site begs to be described in vivid detail. The gentle wake of the ship rolling towards the shore in persistent waves. 

The ship parked right in town travelling under the bridges. 

Off the ship and a visit to Cite du Vins (museum of wine). Some fun activity. And five wines to taste. Yay. A tram to fountain where we will go on a city walking tour. 

Monument of Girond

Grand opera. (Like opera de garnier, in Paris)

3 moons. Symbol

Paris is a bigger Bordeaux. 

Replicated architecture in Paris to mimic Bordeaux. 

Romans brought wine vine 2000 years ago

Wine cellars in basement 

Big gates, big doors for protection and to collect taxes for people coming in to city

At Andrew’s cathedral. X inside. Killed on cross   Gothic style. Gargoyles. Spikes on top. 

Eleanor of Aquitaine. Movie. The Lion in Winter she died at 83 years of age with 11 children. 

Rue st Catherine longest. Pedestrian at now. 1.3 Kms. Triangle gate. North-south. 

Sculpture for blind people. Water mirror. Bridge. 

Wine tasting afterward at Coleurs du Vin. Women owns company. First one white , 80% Sauvignon blanc and somillion. Then clear red wine out of Merlot and cab sav. DeMeter With very strict organic rules. Less sulphites. Third one is Merlot. Very smooth. And a 4th complementary tasting. Very nice, sweet little place. 

30 Sep we set alarm to be up early. Gorgeous sunrise promises a sunny day. Hotel notre dame. 3 star. Very nice location and price advised my friend. Off to find market. Photos of doors, fromagerie, coffee, fleuriste, we purchase cheese and try while waiting for the tram. Past jardins publique. Exploring Bordeaux. Wonderful. A few churches with beautiful stained glass, large pipe organs. Some kind of soaked cinnamon sweet that others can eat. We spend some time in the most beautiful and interesting wine store, all wines of Bordeaux region, prices showing, round spiral staircase.  Up. Up. Up. Delight at every one of 6 floors. We make a few purchases. 

Back to the ship using our tram pass from yesterday. 

Monday 22 September 2025. embarkation day. Oceania Sirena

I spent the last two days in Paris. We left home on 18 September in late afternoon to begin the journey. Adjusting to a very long set of Westjet flights from Victoria BC Canada, via Calgary and overnight to Halifax.

A day at my mom’s in Wolfville. We are picked up by my friends friend and driven to my moms for the day. The gift of delicious meals, loving hugs and a restful needed nap. We drove to Kingsport beach and quick drive by some favourite sights. A beautiful gift of time. I have been pondering this article https://ckarchive.com/b/75u7h8h699kkzb6rgg7rlawl85666tnhordn0 and stringing beads through out the day. 

Back on last flight Halifax to Paris. We catch an uber to stay with our friend. 

Wandering our way through Paris, Montmartre district. Lively music in a bandstand in the park. People people everywhere enjoying the architecture, sights, sounds, energy, lights and texture of Paris. So alive. Cafes and bars with lots of patrons sharing a delicious meal with wine or beer. Walking. Lebanese lunch, tasty gluten free wrap, Grom sorbet to go. 

We spend some time on the river watching people and lights. Galleries Lafayette and Opera house. Green boxes of artwork. Bridges lit up. Bateau on the Seine. Fabulous day exploring beautiful Paris. My last blog post was featuring yesterday in Paris. 

This morning up early to repack and catch train through France to Belgium, Antwerp. We took an uber with all our bags to Gare du Nord rail station and on prebooked train 9415 to Antwerp station. Wifi free on train. Beautiful large spacious red velvet seats with huge windows and beautiful view of the lush green countryside. 

Eating quiche and focaccia bread purchased a day or so ago at Copains gluten free bakery. Fantastic breakfast. Quiet except for the rattling sound of the train on tracks. Gentle rocking as we speed along. 

Windmills and vehicles. Brilliant blue clear sky. Perfect day for a train ride. We stop in Brussels to exchange some passengers and next stop Antwerp. 

We get off train a few minutes later than scheduled. With no one around we navigate and take escalators up up and up. 

We find transfer bus arranged to take us to the ship. Yay. We drive by castle of Antwerp. I can breathe and relax and let Oceania look after the rest. Seatbelt mandatory here on bus. The Scheldt River coming from France and Netherlands. People in this part of Belgium speak dialect of Dutch, Flemish. 1813 became independent. In other provinces speak German and French. 12 million inhabitants of Belgium. 250 miles one side to other side. Very dense population. Lots of traffic. We pass through city of Ghent or Gent. Lots of grains, convergence of two main rivers. 

We arrive to the ship, get checked in and have lunch in buffet. Then to our room to unpack our bags. We had a nice time settling in. Dinner followed by a movie. 

Time to rest. 

21 September 2025. Paris France

In the necklace du Paris, we are adding the beads. 

Here is an article to read. https://ckarchive.com/b/75u7h8h699kkzb6rgg7rlawl85666tnhordn0

Sunday morning quiet in the apartment. My ears still plugged from the flight. Haha. We had a wonderful walk by the river in the city of lights last evening. Then enjoyed telling stories and a game of cards. Slept a full night and now preparing for the day. 

Walk to Sacre Coeur. Through quaint pretty little streets alive with ceramics and tourist baubles. Walking groups. 

A moment in Catholic Church service. Organ playing. Voices in song. The acoustic sound reminds me of a time long ago. Someone had a vision for this cathedral. 

Pushing through throngs of people gathered for a Sunday morning run, organized and wearing numbered purple t shirts. Bouncing to the music. I can hear the church bells clanging through the sounds. UrbanTrail. We persue the goal to see the sights of Paris from Sacre Coeur. ! The run begins Down the steep cobblestone streets. We paid for a novel ride down funicular. We passed a women’s lingerie shop but decided not to go in. 

Angel store contains everything angels!. Rubber duck store of all themed little yellow ducks. Chocolate specialty shop, Dengo. Omg. We taste and try. We purchase some treats. Amazing. 

Bougies candle store. Fragrance store. 

Copains is totally gluten free enjoying pizza, focaccia bread, flan, cookies and other delights. Beautiful French pastries all gluten free. Magically presented. We sit inside and try. 

Towards the outdoor market. A free street toilet is pleasantly surprising. We find weekly flea market for several blocks. Shopping. Browsing. Looking. Touching. Then to cemetery. A very old place, walking between little houses with family names. We share a gf cookie on a park bench. Peaceful. Quiet and amidst the city. Gentleman playing accordion in open cafe. We stop for the briefest moment. Back home to drop off treasures. 

St eustache cathedral with huge organ. More tour groups everywhere. Stained glass, candles, wooden pews. 

A map of where we can find crème brûlée in the area. Goal for later. People watching, kissing of both cheeks. Fashion forward women and men. 

The Bourse de Commerce for a large blue liquid pool full of white ceramic bowls moving gently. So many people the sound is muted and lost in the large 4 story room with glass dome. We have tickets. 

Reflections. Beads. Another. All making music, subtle. Gentle. Nevertheless. Can I just listen and hear the bowls?  Singing. Apart from the words and talking sounds. There it is, the music. 

The craving mind wants more quiet, more bowls, less chatter. The grateful mind hears the song. Thank you

The sunshine through the glass dome. Reflections on ceiling. Magic. Up the elevator checking out each floor and finding the little mouse art. I bought a postcard for boys. 

Five Guys for fries (gf) on way to Shakespeare and Co. , Notre Dame cathedral and walking over some bridges. 

We line up for the book store only five minutes till close. No time to shop in a meaningful way. But fun and we went inside- bead. Over the beautiful bridge to Notre Dame cathedral for the bells ringing at end of service. The people spill out. 

We find a grocery store and pick up Comte cheese, bubbly water, green olives, red wine from Bordeaux with a new corkscrew.   Down to the river by a bridge. Waving at the passengers. Such a lovely way to spend the evening. Good friends. Another bead moment. 

Back to the bridges for sparkling lights view and people watching. Couldn’t get the metro so we bussed to the area. Walked to La Village for shared crème brûlée. More walking up up the hill. Ready for another relaxing evening and good sleep. 

Paris, the last full day 24 May 2025

Late start. Sleep in and big breakfast of healthy veggies in lentils and curry on salad. 

Time to write my blog and post from yesterday.  

Metro to a large produce market, alas, it was closing up when we arrived. I got a glimpse of colourful olives, vegetables and cheeses. I stopped abruptly to admire the pink and pale peonies ready to burst into bloom. Photos and memories is what we get from this market. 

We walk to a grocery market store and pick up picnic items for an outdoor snack with nibblies (Hagen Das salted caramel ice cream, fresh berries. We sit on a park bench to admire the iconic Eiffel Tower from up close. Also great people watching. Families and couples, individuals, shoppers, children squealing, laughing and playing, Saturday persons. Birds tweeting in the trees. A school band practicing playing classical music in the park. The sun came out!  Ahhhhh, Paris. A rest and very enjoyable. 

Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower and around the bridges over the river. Second snack stop for cheese and olives and gf crackers. So lovely and a change of perspective view of the tower. So many wedding photo shoots here today, maybe ten that we saw. There must have been lots more. So festive and happy, all the happy couples posing together. 

Then to the metro to find IKEA. Interesting to find it in a mall that is conveniently located next to a metro stop. We shopped for bargains that are needed in the home. So much fun, a few laughs and lots of stuff to carry back at the end. Big IKEA bags through small metro styles. But we got seats and the walk up up up the hill from Pigalle metro station. 

Now putting all the IKEA items together. And enjoying a dry red Bordeaux and a few more giggles. 

Paris, France 23 May 2025

Bonjour, another blue sky day in this beautiful city, Paris. Friday in Paris, a relaxed day. Slow start, looking out the window to the courtyard. Greenery mixed with the aging stone and brick. Grateful for the time to read books, do some writing. For exploration of this beautiful place. For having a place (home base) to hang out here, right in the city. 

To have access to walking and Metro, small boutique shops, large Galleries Lafayette and quiet simple parks, artist lofts and fragrant tasty produce, wifi and Google maps, everything and nothing, all at my fingertips. The taste and scent of juicy red strawberries and tiny grape tomatoes.  The subtle cooing sound of pigeons pecking between stones in the street. 

I am seeing a lot of the culture and sights of Paris on this trip. Not necessarily only tourist places, but the residential and daily business areas also – the streets and sidewalks, storefronts and cafes, construction in the streets, the people eating and drinking in doorways or at small tables in the gathering areas. Shops selling fresh produce, ceramic and painting art, vintage and designer clothing, all varieties of spirits, tobacco and wine, exotic eye glass frames, hundreds of varieties of cheese in fromageries, breads and sweets in patisseries and Boulangeries, designer running and upscale dress shoes, hair and nail salons, fleuristes selling cut flower bouquets and large growing plants, ice cream and gelato offerings, boutique chocolate and macarons, woolen and linen hats and silk scarves, touristy stuff like postcards, linen towels, Tshirts, nick nacks overflowing into the street. 

I like the feeling of the culture and the experience of being present to the ordinary in this extraordinary place. Hills, stairs and flat along the river and canal. Weather mostly sunny, one small few hours of drizzle – enough to see the variety of umbrellas protecting people as they traverse about the cobblestone streets. Red flower boxes hanging on small French balconies on iconic architecture. It’s an iconic and beautiful site, Paris in the drizzle. 

And when the sun shines and sets, it is beautiful with all the bursting colours and joyful faces of children laughing and playing, people seated outside of cafes or along waterways lined up as if watching a movie in a theatre. Many in deep conversation or engaged with their phones and devices. Drinking cafe, red wine, golden beer in large draft glass or from a can. Flowers in front of shops exploding in deep reds, spring greens, royal purples, yellowy golds, soft pinks, vibrant oranges and pure white. The sky a solid baby blue with intermittent white silvery fluffy clouds moving through. 

All the senses alive and peaked. Hear the many accents being spoken on the street, French accent speaking English and other accents trying to be understood. Passion and connection everywhere I look. 

Today I took the metro to the river. Purchased some veggies, cheese, wine and enjoyed an outdoor picnic by the water. Bustling with activity the area is alive with music and sounds, colourful sights, artists displaying their wares out of the green boxes and pigeons searching and cooing. The sight of Notre Dame cathedral in the backdrop. Photos being taken. 

After the snack took metro to the University of Paris area where students reside in “houses” of many different nationalities such as Sweden, Greece etc.  A celebration happening with drinking, music and cultural exchange from each house. It’s a huge area, beautiful homes and lots of green space. What must it be like to attend University here?  Such a mixture of culture all in connection and relationship to each other and the homeland of Paris France. Soccer, basketball and other sports being played in fields. 

Riding the metro home, it’s almost dark and the sky is a mix of colour and dark.  Ahhhhhh, Paris. 

Tomorrow, Saturday, an easy day planned. Catch up with blog, head to the outdoor produce market, maybe go to IKEA and visit the Eiffel Tower for some up close pictures. 

Sunday to Disneyland Paris!  Monday I fly home. 

Goodnight and Bonsoir!  A demain. 

Paris on Thursday 22 May 2025

Greetings folks. My travels in Paris continue. On my own today out in bright sunshine and blue sky. It is warm enough to not need a jacket and today, no umbrella!!

Paris in the spring is beautiful. Red flowers on window boxes, flower shops bursting with roses of May colours, greenery on trees and smell of grass in the parks, benches to sit on to listen to gentle cooing of pigeons and other sweet birds in the trees. People everywhere- couples holding hands, families with excited children and single people, just like me! Out enjoying the sensory splendour of Paris!

I ventured to take Metro from this area (Abesses stop on M12) and got off at Concorde station. Open up to large walking area, I wandered to the Jardin du Tuileries. https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/jardin-des-tuileries-p3545. Beautiful park with long walks beside green space and dotted with statues and water features. Relaxing and sensory filling. Scents, sights, sounds, textures. I didn’t today, but people stop at benches to picnic. I followed signs and paths to the river … one of my favourite places to be. Watching the movements of bateau mouches and people walking. The river itself always flowing. The bridges are beautiful and grab my attention. I traverse from one side to the other for different perspectives. I get many sightings of Eiffel Tower. 

I find green parks and more interesting statues along my walk, a journey through history and creativity. I understand why many movies are made here. There is a backdrop everywhere. A story. A message. Listen, see, breathe, enjoy. 

I navigate the metro return and feeling of satisfaction. Accomplishment. I stop at little food market for a cool bubbly drink. There are cute stores, cafes and bakeries and little artist type shops along the walk as I venture out again apres le petit dejourner. Just walking around the neighborhood. I thought about a guided walk but don’t make it in time. 

https://www.guruwalk.com/paris/search?begins_at=22%2F05%2F2025&ends_at=22%2F05%2F2025

Now to rest. No doubt more adventures this evening and tomorrow. 

(Seems I can post photos on Facebook but experiencing challenges on the blog post with this portable wifi). https://www.facebook.com/pmacdonaldtravel for photos of my trip here. 


Paris on Thursday 22 May 2025

Greetings folks. My travels in Paris continue. On my own today out in bright sunshine and blue sky. It is warm enough to not need a jacket and today, no umbrella!!

Paris in the spring is beautiful. Red flowers on window boxes, flower shops bursting with roses of May colours, greenery on trees and smell of grass in the parks, benches to sit on to listen to gentle cooing of pigeons and other sweet birds in the trees. People everywhere- couples holding hands, families with excited children and single people, just like me! Out enjoying the sensory splendour of Paris!

I ventured to take Metro from this area (Abesses stop on M12) and got off at Concorde station. Open up to large walking area, I wandered to the Jardin du Tuileries. https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/jardin-des-tuileries-p3545. Beautiful park with long walks beside green space and dotted with statues and water features. Relaxing and sensory filling. Scents, sights, sounds, textures. I didn’t today, but people stop at benches to picnic. I followed signs and paths to the river … one of my favourite places to be. Watching the movements of bateau mouches and people walking. The river itself always flowing. The bridges are beautiful and grab my attention. I traverse from one side to the other for different perspectives. I get many sightings of Eiffel Tower. 

I find green parks and more interesting statues along my walk, a journey through history and creativity. I understand why many movies are made here. There is a backdrop everywhere. A story. A message. Listen, see, breathe, enjoy. 

I navigate the metro return and feeling of satisfaction. Accomplishment. I stop at little food market for a cool bubbly drink. There are cute stores, cafes and bakeries and little artist type shops along the walk as I venture out again apres le petit dejourner. Just walking around the neighborhood. I thought about a guided walk but don’t make it in time. 

https://www.guruwalk.com/paris/search?begins_at=22%2F05%2F2025u0026amp;ends_at=22%2F05%2F2025

Now to rest. No doubt more adventures this evening and tomorrow. 

(Seems I can post photos on Facebook but experiencing challenges on the blog post with this portable wifi). https://www.facebook.com/pmacdonaldtravel for photos of my trip here. 


flight to Paris and Glasgow May 15-16 2025

Dear blog followers. 

Today is Thursday 15 May 2025.  I am on route to my next travel adventure.  It is a slightly grey overcast morning as I arrive at YYJ Victoria BC Canada airport departures section.  Two hours ahead of my first leg of Westjet flight to Calgary and connecting on to beautiful Paris, France.  

I prepared for security by being early for my flight, taking off some neck chains, my hair clip and took off jacket and shoes.  Funny they asked me to remove my silk scarf from Xamam purchase in Chania Greece.  I wanted to be easy to manoeuvre around today, travelling with only a backpack for carry on.  

I am flying alone this time from here, meeting up with a friend who lives in Paris.  She and I will travel on to Glasgow Scotland for 4 nights and then back to Paris. 

“I love Paris in the springtime …”. As the song says … Actually any time of year is good for Paris, the city of lights and bridges, gardens, museums, parks, wine, cheese, chocolate covered orange peels, olives.  Green boxes along the riverbank. The Eiffel Tower. The Louvre. Musee d’Orsay. Cruising down the Seine River. Montmartre.  Norte Dame Cathedral. Champs élysées.  Charming cobblestone streets.  Little window balconies and flower boxes. The Arc de Triomphe. Sacre-Coeur basilica.  Galleries Lafayette. Gluten-free celiac friendly patisseries. (Little Nonna for gf Italian pizza!) May also try Cococo for gf sushi and bento box. Manicaretti, la Sajerie, kapunka, cafe Mareva, Taska, su Misura, Grom gelato …. Chambelland and La Manufacture Sans Gluten, Copains, Noglu, Maisonneuve Plume.   

Gluten-free Glasgow???  Wild Flours Bakery. The Crumbleologist. Bread Meats Bread West End. Some to search and try!