The Eifffel Tower taken from the balcony of Notre Dame

Me and Susan in Paris

On the Road Again

One might think that after a four-and-a-half-month voyage, I might stay at home from a while, but…

One month after my return, I left for a trip to Ireland to see Susan, Brian and my grandson, Rowan. I can hardly believe I am in Ireland as it has rained very little and been quite warm for Ireland.

One of the reasons for this trip was Susan had invited me to go with her on a trip to Paris to celebrate my 80th birthday. I love France and Susan wanted to do something very special for me -- and it was. We didn’t want to do too much so we had two visits scheduled, one to the Musee d’Orsay and the other was to Notre Dame.

Paris in 2026 is not prepared for the heat domes that have covered Europe this summer. There are very few places with air conditioning. But there are still lots of cafes to sit outside in the shade and enjoy and walks along the Seine. For my birthday we went up into the towers of Notre Dame on a beautiful day and looked out over all of Paris. Then we went inside to see the renovations which have been beautifully done. In the evening we went to a one-star Michelin restaurant called Le Train Bleu, where we enjoyed a seven-course meal ending in a small cookie with a candle in the middle.

Susan returned to Ireland the next day for work and I took a fast train to Montpelier, France on the Mediterranean. I went to visit French friends from my year in Paris in 1966-67. I was invited to join them at their apartment directly on the beach in Carnon where we spent the mornings swimming, lunching in very fancy French restaurants and attending the classical music festival in Montpelier in the evenings. They were having a heat wave and temperatures were over 100 degrees, but it was all still very enjoyable. For five days, I spoke nothing but French and I was thrilled that - although it was tiring - I could still do it!

I am now back in Ireland and will be staying here until August 3. It is longer than originally planned but Susan and Brian are very busy with work and have told me that they would love to have me stay longer and help look after Rowan.