Tag Archives: nature

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. 


Day two – in the Scottish Highlands. Aye!

Last night settled in to our hotel, we went for a wee walk after dark to see the night sky and stars from our hotel. It was late and we did not venture far. It felt good to be outside in the clear night air. Aye, lassie, it was grande!  Quiet peaceful with only night sounds and blackness above holding space for the twinkle of nightstars. 

We had a decent sleep and were up and on our way before 930 am for today’s great adventure, aye.  We have been practicing our Scottish accent, so try to read this using your best brogue.  Use expression and a lyrical kind of sound … aye. 

As we drive to the highlands I keep my eyes out for sheep and cows and am happy to say out loud … “ sheep” when there are those to see.  Black sheep, white sheep, many with baby sheep and we even saw one white baby sheep jumping all four feet straight up in the air.  We will remember her!  Cows less often, so today we picked up a stuffed emotional support cow … or is that coo?  

You have heard of FOMO – well, we are FOMC. Fear of missing coos!  

Rachel has a few ideas for our big day of travel … some waterfalls for some dips in the cold mountain rivers in highlands, Glencoe so I can see my plot of land that made me a “Lady”. (My mom bought it for me a few years ago and I brought the coordinates with me so we could find it).  And then to Cavers to a small town where Rachel’s family has some roots.  We plan to end our day returning the rental car and staying at IBIS Styles hotel in downtown Glasgow.  Aye, those were the plans.  We still have fruit and crisps and veggies in the car from yesterday so we snack on the road.  Another sunny warm day in the bonnie Scotland highlands.  

Rachel finds a turn to Glen Etive Mor waterfall area she wants to try. We pull off the main road to a single lane roadway, no wider than the car except for the passing areas every so often … sometimes oncoming cars have to go in reverse so two vehicles can pass.  Lots of folks camping over the weekend along here … we comment on how beautiful it all is.  The river, the hills, the greenery.  The road is narrow and driving a bit stressful. No shoulders on the road when large trucks and buses are heading our way. I comment on the one lane road. “Rachel, this is not a road!”  We press on enjoying the view. Wow. Wow. We are in the highland hills close up. We probably travel a km or two and stop.

We traverse down the hill and get to the waters edge.  We quickly change clothes and get into the river down a bit from the waterfall.  We can see it and others are jumping and diving off the rocks.  Such a freedom experience to be way out here and in the cool clear water.  

We get our feet dried off and shoes back on, up up the path to the car.  We get settled back in and turned around in one of the pullouts … a notification indicates we have a tire malfunction…. Rachel checks and can hear the air fast leaving the front left tire.  We searched for a spare…. None.  

No cell phone service so we need to drive a bit to get back out to the road to call for assistance, driving slowly, hazard lights flashing.  

Rachel makes some calls, it is a Sunday and not much open for garages in nearby towns and none has the tire type we need for this upscale Mercedes.  Ok … they will send someone in one and a half hours.  Determined to enjoy our time in the Highlands while we wait … we walk and find a lovely river.  Dropping clothes again we enjoy the double dip!  The second one in two days … beautiful. The stress drops away.  

Around 230 pm a large flat bed tow truck rescues us and loads us into his truck and off we head to the town where we stayed last night.  There to be met and car to be transferred to another tow truck to take us into Glasgow where we can drop the car at the airport for repairs.  The tow truck drivers were all very nice and Peter, the last one helpfully took us to our hotel reservation in downtown Glasgow.  

We went out for a walk in search of warm food.  And found gluten free fish n chips.  Here we are … two days in Glasgow.  I will be on my own as Rachel is at a conference.  

Aye, not sure what the days ahead will present … stay tuned.