The last couple of days in Paris were magical - wonderful food, a lot of walking, enjoying the last few moments in “our” loft, and trying to suck the life out of this beautiful, magical city. The time change is always a challenge when I come back to the US; I had fully settled into Paris time after our two weeks there. Yesterday, we awoke early as we had a 9 am flight out of CDG. I woke to the full moon shining brilliantly through the upper windows of the loft and I awaken early today (3:30 am) and see the same brilliant full moon with a glorious pink tinge shining through the windows of my woman cave as I use this time to mentally catch up on work, read, and write. What a joy it is to have this very still time in the morning to listen to my heart. I feel the energy of the full moon. I think a lot about energy. I find the MOST powerful energy when I am in nature or observing nature. I think about the energy of the city of Paris - vibrant and bustling and full of tourists in all the familiar places, yet, also… peaceful and relaxing in the haven of the beautiful air bnb we rented on Rue de la Fontaine au Roi (street of the fountains for kings…. I must say I felt like a queen the whole time I was here!) I love the life of walking to get groceries at the local supermarket, bread at the boulangerie around the corner, coffee beans at the coffee shop across the street, wine at the wine store. There seems to be a specialty store for everything in Paris - with a local shopkeeper that is an expert in his/her wares. My French is weak - baby French, really…and I was continually amazed at how wonderfully kind the French people were about this - doing their very best to speak to me in MY language in THEIR country. And often apologizing that their English (that I thought was fantastic) was not so good. This kindness was beautiful to me. It’s one of the things I love so much about Paris (Europe in general) - the plethora of languages all around me, the different colors, shapes, sizes, looks of all the humans. I loved that in this beautiful loft (it’s beauty disguised by a cement wall that faces the street with a spectacular surprise of a wall of windows facing a courtyard to the back), I could hear people speaking French from other open windows, I could see the African restaurant across the street, I could find an Italian market nearby, I could shop at a vintage store or a boutique, I could have a crepe from a street vendor or an incredible French five star meal….all in the same neighborhood. I would sit in the loft with my coffee in the morning (from a wonderful machine that could instantly make me an espresso, a cappucino, whatever my heart desired), reading and writing and listening to the birdsong and children laughing outside. The loft used to be a school and now the school moved across the courtyard. The sound of the children playing always brought a smile to my face as I felt the cool breeze through the window.
I fell a bit in love with the 11th arrondissement on this trip - close enough to everywhere for a nice long walk - far enough away to feel like I’m actually LIVING in Paris. There are incredible restaurants with new and inventive chefs here, a wonderful open air market on Tuesdays and Saturdays to buy fresh produce, and everything I could need within a few blocks. I love a beautiful hotel, but I love an airbnb apartment rental even more because I can learn a neighborhood and an area so well. A little home away from home.
This trip was a very special one. It had required me to move mountains to get here, so that made it all the better! The first week was spent exploring Paris with Wilson and his friend Ari for their spring break. It was interesting to watch the view of the city and countryside of France through the eyes of two almost 15 year olds. We did the typical touristy things - the Eiffel Tower, shopping, eating at cute French cafes, etc. and also took a two day trip out to the coast to see Normandy, the US Cemetery there, and Mont St. Michel. It was a great experience with a tour guide that knew the area well and could fill in all the details for us. The drive was long and the weather chilly and cloudy and windy, but many spots along the way were breathtaking - my favorite being the bright almost fluorescent yellow canola fields dotting the countryside. There were herds of cattle, rolling hills, and farm country for miles. As we neared the coast, you could smell and feel the sea air. We stayed in a very simple bed and breakfast in the town of Ouistreham along the coast - the most memorable part of that being getting caught in a torrential downpour while looking for a restaurant, dripping our way into a local pizza place, and then being rewarded with a giant double rainbow (arc en ciel).
We started our week with a bike tour through le Marais - orienting us to the things we wanted to explore further and opening our eyes to so many things. It happened to be the Paris Marathon that morning, and I felt tears come to my eyes as I watched the runners from all over the world race through the city. The bike tour was a bit challenging as we had to navigate crossing the race course multiple times, but it was also so fun and exciting and the energy was magnificent - yelling, clapping, music blaring, and the sound of footfalls all around us as men and women of all ages covered this city for 26.2 miles. Ah, makes me want to run this marathon.
The boys enjoyed vintage shopping, attending a Paris St Germain soccer game (they won easily 5-1), sneaker shopping, eating a LOT of new things (Wilson is a pizza/hamburger/chicken nugget kinda guy), and I was so proud of how they tried new foods and tried the French language. They ventured out a few times on their own to buy croissants, bubble tea in the China town nearby, and wander around a bit on their own. We took them to a fancy meal one night at Frenchie (Robb and I had a wonderful meal there on our last visit to Paris), and they ate nearly everything; I won’t say they LIKED it, but they ate it, and I think were pleasantly surprised with some of the dishes they experienced. If I had told them part of this trip would be eating asparagus with mushrooms, mushroom foam and mushroom broth topped in edible flowers and other random things…..I’m not sure they would have come! But, they ate it like champs and maybe even liked it a little bit.
I’m not sure Paris was what Ari and Wilson thought it would be, but I hope it opened their eyes to a new part of the world - my ultimate goal in bringing them here. We explored Musee D’Orsay; they weren’t that into any of the museums, but we couldn’t go to Paris without a visit to at least one. The building itself and the masterpieces contained here were breathtaking.
We could have done the yearly beach vacation, but I want them to know from a young age that there is an ENTIRE world out there that is the same and also very different from the part of the world we live in.
The new rules about entering the US from Paris include 1) being fully vaccinated (we were) and 2) getting a negative covid test one day before departure. Robb had been experiencing some allergy type symptoms, but he always suffers from seasonal allergies and EVERYTHING was blooming in Paris, so we assumed that was what was happening with him. We had joked with friends about “hey, let’s just get covid and stay in Paris longer”….little did we know - that would be the case! The boys and I were negative, but Robb tested positive. Yikes - we had been in a car with one another, sleeping in close quarters, but somehow the boys and I never got it. Robb wasn’t terribly sick, but certainly was tired and needed to isolate. My “fight or flight” response (similar to the passport situation) kicked in and we immediately began to evaluate all options. The universe is constantly reminding me that I am not in control…… and somehow we just leaned into this and welcomed the opportunity to stay in Paris for at least a few more days - how often do you get an extension of your European trip? This attitude helped us navigate with grace and acceptance. We knew it would likely be at least a week before Robb would test negative, and/or meet the French requirements which are 7 days isolation, so we moved our flights out one week. We called Delta to get the rules around the boys, and for a fee they could travel as “unaccompanied minors” on the direct Paris to ATL flight. This made my stomach churn a bit (I don’t love to fly myself and the thought of putting the boys on a plane alone freaked me out a bit). I talked myself off that ledge, made the arrangements, and then the boys and I went out to enjoy their last day in Paris and Robb started his quarantine. So - we would see how this remote work with a six hour time difference works!
We enjoyed the final day with breakfast at a lovely cafe, then ventured by taxi to Saint-Ouen for “Les Puces” (the fleas) flea market. This was a combination of extremely expensive and beautiful antique furniture and rugs as well as street vendors, vintage clothing and books, and of course the knock-off handbags, tennis shoes, and jewelry. It is a feast for the eyes and the senses! We enjoyed french fries and cokes for them and wine for me as we watched the people begin to crowd the streets. We purchased vintage sunglasses, tried on outlandish clothes and took selfies everywhere. I will treasure these moments with them - such great little humans. Sometimes it is wonderful to be a tourist! We returned to keep Robb company from a distance in his isolation. That beautiful loft was not a terrible place to be in quarantine.
We enjoyed pain au Chocolat almost daily, beautifully colored Macarons of every flavor, bought gifts, walked, laughed, returned to the loft to rest, and started all over again the next day. I had champagne or wine with lunch and dinner most days and have developed quite the appreciation for French wine even though I am an outspoken California wine enthusiast! put the boys on a plane the next day, (after three hour delay), and then I sat in the airport restaurant drinking champagne and eating bread as I awaited their departure (the rules required me staying until their flight took off). Thank goodness for Ari’s mom on the other end who was picking them up when they landed. I returned by taxi to our apartment (home by now)and realized that I was going to have the luxury of a full EXTRA week in Paris. As Robb said, he picked just the RIGHT time to finally get covid….lol. Thank goodness he was vaxxed and boosted so he wasn’t too sick. I didn’t sleep much that night until I knew they had landed safely and all was well. Back to the school/life routine for them.
Week two in Paris for us was about to begin. Robb went for daily covid tests, felt better by the day, and finally after six days of quarantine he tested negative and we could enjoy the city together. I got a little time on my own that week (before the work calls started at 3 or 4 pm), enjoyed running in the beautiful Buttes-Charmont park nearby, doing a little shopping on my own, enjoying meals and making some new friends along the way, getting my hair cut and colored ….I’m somewhat blonde now…lol…and just taking it all in. Robb and I both prefer the magic of wandering around and happening upon restaurants and events, and while our feet were begging us for mercy, we did just that a number of times during these two weeks. We had incredible meals no matter where we wound up - enjoying restaurants near our house and around the city- our first night a wonderful meal at a small place called Au P’Tit Curieux that we stumbled on to, Deux Restaurant; Bistrot de chefs, Chez Jeannette (this one by myself one afternoon for le dejeuner at the recommendation of our air bnb host- met some lovely people there), Grand Duc Paris, Ibrik, the famous falafel place in Le Marais whose name escapes me, and too many others to name. Suffice it to say, I had my share (and then some!) of croissant, pain au Chocolat, delicious french butter, cream, ham, bread……and delightfully rich and wonderful French cuisine.
Which reminds me - I also learned to BAKE croissants and pain au Chocolat through an airbnb experience class. I, along, with eight other people from around the world, saw first hand JUST HOW MUCH BUTTER (and that is 84% fat butter, for the record) goes into a batch of croissants! The finished product was warm and wonderful, and the process labor intensive and worth every second of it! I got to bring a few home to Robb, still quarantining….
There was a lot of time to read and write and just enjoy the beautiful space we were staying in; the host had become a friend at this point, giving advice and working through our trials and tribulations with us! He graciously allowed us to stay in the loft - so grateful we didn’t have to move during this time - and we enjoyed cooking in the beautiful kitchen and lounging with the windows open with a glass of wine. It was cold and wet the week the boys were with us (a couple of sunny days, but still quite cool), but it was warm and sunny and 70 degrees the second week. This allowed us to enjoy the rooftop terrace of this apartment as well - watching the sunset and the moonrise on many occasions.
Wedging work in at the end of the day proved challenging; I felt like I was having TWO full days crammed into one day (seeing the city and then working), followed by not enough sleep. I wouldn’t change a thing though - the opportunity to stay another week made me realize I never want to stay less than two weeks in the future! Now that we’ve learned to work remotely, we should be able to make this happen - the UPSIDE of covid, if there are any upsides.
I had many other learnings on this trip as well
You’re never in control
Everything is going to happen just like it’s supposed to
Beauty really is everywhere
4. Magic happens when you least expect it
5. Having no plan is often the best way to go - it all unfolds
There is sooo much more to write about from this trip - so many lovely simple moments of laughter, so many times I felt like my feet were broken from all the walking, so many beautiful smells (nothing like the smell of croissants baking), so many beautiful shops and restaurants and so much SPRING in Paris to enjoy. I can’t wait to go back.
