After all this wild, open space, Thuya Gardens, on Thuya Drive, (207) 276-5130, in Northeast Harbor offers a welcome respite; it's a formal flower garden set amid granite outcroppings with lovely paths and benches for resting.
The brilliant colors and patterns they make are a marvelous sight to behold, no pictures could do it proper justice but the memories of walking on the lovely paths in the park surrounded by gorgeous blossoms will remain with me as a hallmark of my trip to Istanbul forever.
I found the loveliest path to stroll along from my apartment down to the sea, discovered the best take-out shawarma joint in my busy Hamra neighborhood, and ferreted out a shop for cheap pirated DVDs (easier to find here than legal ones, both a pro and con of Beirut life).
It began with a long, twisty climb to a lovely bike path — deliciously smooth pavement!
This produces a lovely meandering path as you wander from room to room and into the comfortable back room with a fireplace.
For dinner our first night we strolled the lovely harborside path into the village of Naantali, known as the "Finnish Nantucket".
The park has a lovely running path, and there were people on it all day long, winding through the golf course and passing white egrets and herons along the way.
From there, the route goes east towards Casterton Fell and Bullpot Farm, then cuts between High and Barbon Low Fell, taking the lovely beckside path back down to Barbon, where there's a good pub, the Barbon Inn.
Yasaka Dori is a lovely, quiet path through the back streets leading to Yasaka Pagoda - no relation to Yasaka Jinja shrine.
