Grey and cold in Versailles

I went on my bike to Versailles Palace and gardens in March this year. It was cold like hell - well, hell would be hot right?... So, cold like...cold like Braemar in January!! :-)... The trees had no leaves and there was still snow on the ground. I have been hoping to return to see the flowers but the weather in Paris is still cold as...Braemar in January!

Green Ben More

Ben More is a munro located in the Isle of Mull - Scotland. It is ranked the 7th highest of the British Isles - reaches 966 m of altitude.The climb takes about 4 hours and it starts from sea level. I am tempted to say that Ben More is not a very difficult mountain to climb as I did it just one month after the 2nd operation to my ankle (in June 2010), under a 26ºC heat (which in Scotland is quite hot), with only 100 ml of water and weighting 10 Kg more than my normal weight! In a clear day like this the view is breath taking!

Colourful Tobermory

About half an hour on the ferry (from Kilkoan, in the West coast of Scotland) it is enough to reach Tobermory, the capital of the Isle of Mull. This is the 4th largest Scottish island and it has been inhabited since the end of the last Ice Age. In this island we can climb Ben More, have a pic nic by the sea, eat beautiful local cheese, visit stone circles and castles, and observe the wildlife. This can be done either by car, bike or walking. If you go by car you can cover a biggest area in fewer time. But cycling has its charm! In the weekend I was there the sun was shining and also the moon. About 10 ticks covered my body when I left, but that is part of the fun :-)

Yellow bus in the Danube

In Budapest, last Sunday, I saw this bus happily "driving" its passengers along the Danube. I must say it was one of the most bizarre things I have encountered in the last trips I made.

Paris - Rouge et blanc

In Paris there were plenty of demonstrations against gay marriage. In Paris, one can find these adverts at the metro stations.

White sands in Sannabay - Scotland

In the white sands we put up our tent. In the turquoise water I swam in the morning. 

This beautiful place is called Sannabay and it is located in the West Coast of Scotland, near Kilchoan. With some luck we can get a day like this: hot weather, blue sky and no one around. And this can only happen in Scotland. We had been driving for 3,5 hours, we stopped for newspaper wrapped fish and chips in a pub with grumpy barmen (it was after 8pm on a Friday- Oh my God!!), and I was too tired to be driven to the end of Ardnamurchan Peninsula, where Sannabay is located. But I do not regret it at all - waking up in the morning hearing nothing else but the sound of water and birds...I stop here because there are no words to describe the harmony of the moment.

Paris colours - Food everywhere

By being Portuguese I am used to give food lots of attention, good food. Food is the center of all religious and non religious festivities in Portugal. It is like a religion itself. During my 5,5 years in Scotland I also put a lot of importance in food: I lived with people that loved food, I missed my country's food and I wanted to show my friends how good my country's food was. Now in France, what can I say? Food is everywhere! In the shops, in the street markets, in the restaurants. It is a food overdose!

Paris colours - Grey oysters!

Yes! I also had to queue to eat these tasty "huîtres au citron". Although I was so lucky to be offered a ticket to enter Le Salon d'Agriculture by a random lady that appeared in front of me while I was waiting for my colleagues, I still had to queue with them to get their tickets. I think I am finally "mentalized" for the queues in Paris.

Paris colours - Marc Chagall

I have been in Paris for 3 months now. Only officially, because I have been twice in Portugal and once in Spain already. The main reason is affective: to be with my parents and to see my friend Julia. But there is also another very valid reason: To see the SUN!! And what can I say about Paris? Yes, it is a non-stop cultural life: concerts, seminars, meet-ups, museums, exhibitions...But to enjoy this cultural life one have to queue! For example, I almost turned ice while waiting 1 hour to see Marc Chagall exhibition! - Beautiful though.