Suit

It was blazing hot and the white powdery sand had enveloped our shoes, but these three looked so polished.

Green chairs

Back to Paris, now!

Here are the famous green chairs in the Jardin des Tuileries.  We sat and relaxed in them for a bit there, and again, wherever we saw them :)

Trois

Some of the people-watching we did as we sat in the Carrousel Gardens.

Thought the dude with his helmet and the giant McDonald's bag was super cool. And I loved the striped bow and green shoes.

Paul's

Paul, the French bakery (since 1889) came highly recommended by our friend A, so when we discovered a kiosk outside the Louvre, we stood right in line!

I must say, eating a chocolate chip baguette and tomato, mozzarella and basil sandwich under the shade of a tree in the Carrousel Gardens was one of the best experiences of the whole trip.

Night

Night time in Paris is simply gorgeous. The sky seemed to remain a lovely blue and the Eiffel Tower all lit-up was breath-taking.

Sacré-Coeur Basilica

After seeing the Arc and walking around, our feet were sooooooooooooo sore (don't forget climbing up 117 steps each time to our room at the hotel) plus, we were both coming down with colds!

Good thing our Metro passes included the funicular up to Sacré-Coeur so that we didn't have to climb up! With such a gorgeous view, it was obviously worth it. And then we had dinner down below at the quaint Florenza Pizzeria.

Arc et al

After seeing the Eiffel Tower we had a nutella crepe at Crêpes King then walked back to our hotel (having to climb six flights because the elevator was broken and remaining so the entire time we stayed there - haha!) and unpacked while enjoying the view. After that we set off to see the beautiful Arc de Triomphe.

Fall

More Paris shots on the way, but first, here are some Autumn shots taken in our front yard.

Toe

On High Street lies the famous sculpture of Scottish philosopher David Hume, whose toe (which the sculptor left poking out on purpose so that it would be more noticeable)  is now considered a lucky charm by philosophy students (and probably tourists).  The toe is so shiny from being rubbed for good luck that Hume may lose his toe altogether from erosion.  So before that happens, here's a look.  The last one reminds me to get my lens cleaned :(

Puppies, Violins and Taxis

We'd just come back from the touring The Real Mary King's Close, which are the hidden closes (alley-ways with tenement houses on either side, leading up to seven stories high) beneath the Royal Mile, where people used to live and work.  The hidden closes are now open to the public as a major tourist attraction and it was quite fun to see.  Photography was not permitted under there, unfortunately, so these  were taken afterwards.

More Red

Here are some more RED sights around Edinburgh.  The first is the Stevenson House (what used to be the home of the novelist Robert Louis Stevenson).  Love the red door!

Brown Paper Packages

Here's a break from Scotland....

We found a bunch of these little guys in our garden this summer.

Castle

The next day it was off to see Stirling Castle! We hiked up the hill to get to it and what a glorious view it was, of Wallace Monument and the rest of Stirling.

The palace within the castle was under renovation so we couldn't see it, but they were washing the limestone so it was nice to see the orginal colour of the castle.

We ended with, what else? Beers and sandwiches at a rather touristy and therefore pricey place just outside the castle.

Bins

The "wheelie bins" in Glasgow:

Square

Some randoms from the Merchant City and George Square in Glasgow.