When Traveling, Expect Anything to Happen

We are in Paris! However, when we awoke on Monday to fly here, Douglas had a runny nose. Now, it is a full blown cold, but not Covid, thankfully. The pharmacist prescribed nasal spray and aspirin for fever. Douglas just went back for cough syrup, so our first two days have been spent in the rented accommodations. Thankfully, the store is right across the street, and with Google doing the translation, we know what we are eating. Croissants should be listed as a superfood!

I started to order tickets for the museums we planned to see before leaving home, and now I am glad that I didn’t. We have four more days here before leaving for Amsterdam, and fingers are crossed that we can at least see some of the attractions. We can see the Eiffel Tower from the street here in Courbevoie, which is a college area and very leafy and green as spring is in full display. I scared Douglas when I started screaming, “The Eiffel Tower!” Yes, if carrying our luggage until we could check in the apartment did not give away our tourist status, that scream certainly did! I was that excited.

The flowers are amazing, as you can see from the roses in the private garden of the Airbnb we are renting. Yesterday was gray and cold, and today, when I went to the store, it was the same, as I needed to layer a sweater and the light jacket I brought. But as I write this post, the sun is coming out. We are hoping that Douglas will feel well enough to start doing sightseeing tomorrow, but we will take it one day at a time. I am praying for his healing, however long it takes. And if we miss seeing things here, we can come back another time. But hope springs eternal for the Musee D’Orsay and the Louvre, as well as other sights here.

Douglas and I had a ball in Porto, logging up to 15000 steps a day! We were tired but happy to be with family. We visited with his son and his daughter and her husband and three kids. The beach was great. On the last day there on Sunday, we went to see the Tall Ships on Marine Day, hosted by Portugal’s Navy. It seemed as if all of Portugal was there, with very little soon to move around, and there was no hope of getting on the ship.

We also were staying next to the port, so we get to see the big container ships and cruise ships. They are huge, and I marvel at the engineering that keeps them afloat. Here are a few pictures. I haven’t figured out how to add pictures with the block configuration, so suggestions would be appreciated.

We will pray for healing. But whatever happens, we are together and doing an activity that we both love. We will take each day as it comes, knowing that the Lord’s rod and staff will comfort us and that just being able to afford the trip is a blessing. With travel, you learn to roll with the punches, but Rick Steves never seems to get sick!