A guided tour for the visually impaired took place in Văcărești Natural Park

A non-seeing guided tour took place in Bucharest's Văcărești Natural Park, where visually impaired and visually able visitors alike were invited to experience the park through their other senses.

"To an overwhelming extent, we perceive the environment through sight, but Văcărești Natural Park is a true sensory spectacle. Whether we are talking about the song of blackbirds, the scent of mint bushes, the rough bark of trees, or the slightly bitter taste of walnuts," said the Văcărești Natural Park Association on their Facebook page.

Participants experienced "the sensation of touching mammoth fossils (a species discovered during excavations in the area), or feathers lost by the park's buzzards or pheasants, and they identified plant species by scent and leaf shape (walnut or willow), or by fruit (as in the case of the rosehips)".

The tour was also attended by visually able people, who wore opaque glasses and moved through the park with the help of sticks, giving them the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of the less fortunate and understand, first-hand, why cities need to be made accessible to the visually impaired.

The event was organized together with AMAIS and was part of the Urban Nature: shapes and sounds project, implemented by the Văcărești Natural Park Association and funded by the Orange Foundation, through the World through Color and Sound program, the largest fund dedicated to people with visual and hearing impairments in Romania.

(Photo source: Văcărești Natural Park Facebook page)