I blame J. She posted about Giverny and the Musée de l’Orangerie last week and ever since I have not been able to get Paris off my mind.
John and I were fortunate enough to take a trip of a lifetime to the City of Lights back in 2019, several years before I started blogging. It felt silly to publish recaps now, so long after the fact. But it felt even sillier to not allow myself the indulgence of this wonderful walk down memory lane.
I had written up a short synopsis for every day of our trip which I’m simply copying and pasting into each post. I’ll fill in extra details with pretty pictures. If you’ve been to Paris (or really want to go), you’ll likely enjoy this little travel series. If neither is relevant, feel free to skip these posts and my sincere apologies for the Picture Overload. (But, come on – it’s Paris!!)
TRAVEL RECAP: DAY ONE (2019)
Paris! We went to Paris! And it was every bit as lovely as I had hoped…and then some. Everything is a delight for the eyes or palate – from beautiful architecture to high-quality food (both are, quite literally, on every corner).
John and I rendezvoused [he was already in France for work, so he took the train from Aix-en-Provence and I flew into Charles de Gaulle airport] at our hotel on Friday at lunchtime, in the 9th arrondissement. (Paris is arranged in a swirl of neighbourhoods starting with the 1st arrondissement and spiralling outward). It was a fabulous location and a wonderful hotel – inexpensive, but with an uncharacteristically large room. It was also quiet and hands-down the most comfortable bed we’ve ever slept on.
It was too early to check in; after changing and leaving our bags with the front desk, we headed down to the Seine. We spent lots of time admiring the exterior of the Louvre (and booked our tickets for an evening visit), and then wandered around Île de la Cité – the island in the centre of Paris that houses Notre Dame.
We picked up a baguette sandwich and some savoury pastries for lunch, as is the Parisian way! It was hard to get a clear view of Notre Dame as the reconstruction is in full swing following the devastating fire several months ago [written back in August 2019].
After this fun strolling, we joined a pay-what-you-can walking tour. It was a great way to learn some local history and get a handle on the general layout of the city.
We started in the Tuileries Garden, which is a gorgeous space.
The tour ended close to our hotel, at the Palais Garnier (the Opera House; arguably one of the most famous in the world).
Next up was a stop at Galeries Layfayette – a huge department store housed in a grand, church-like domed building. The rooftop terrace offered lovely – and free! – views of the city skyline.
We opted to visit the Louvre on our first evening, and it was the perfect time to go. We took a lesser-known entrance [now closed, I think, but 99 Rue de Rivoli is another option] and avoided any lineups.
The museum was overwhelming. There are 16 km worth of galleries, which I think makes it the largest museum in the world?! The sheer scale is hard to put into words.
The Mona Lisa was being housed in a temporary location which ended up working to our advantage. They had a path cordoned off and everyone went through a fast-moving queue. The end result – a chance to get directly in front of the Mona Lisa. It was much bigger than I expected, actually, after hearing so much about its diminutive size! Navigating the museum was a bit of a challenge, but we managed to see almost all the “highlights.” I had debated whether I even wanted to go; I am so glad we did and it ended up being a major highlight of the trip.
The building, the art – everything about the Louvre was emotionally moving in a way I didn’t anticipate; the scale is staggering and it is humbling to see these ancient works of art (we got to view the Code of Hammurabi that dates to 1750 BC!!!!).
We enjoyed a reprieve from walking and viewing to share a delicious apple tart on the balcony overlooking the museum courtyard as dusk started to fall. Lovely.
When we exited the Louvre (around 9 PM) I thought it might be nice to stroll down to the Eiffel Tower. I did NOT realize how far away it was. It seemed to take forever to get to the base of the tower – by this point, I had been awake for well over 24 hours – but we were treated to a beautiful light show (it happens on the hour after dusk). Food was surprisingly hard to come by, but we finally ended up getting some delicious curry at a food stall near the base of the tower and enjoyed eating our supper with a full view of perhaps the world’s most iconic monument. Before we knew it, our clocks were reading 11 PM and I was very much feeling the jet lag – we cheated and took an Uber back to the hotel, exhausted but ecstatic to be together in Paris!
J
Beautiful pictures! And I for one am ALWAYS up for looking at pictures of Paris, and hearing about adventures there. I’m looking forward to more!
Suzanne
These photos are stunning! I cannot believe how much you accomplished in one day! I love Paris so much and hope to return with my daughter one of these days.
Elisabeth
That’s one of the best things about a city (in my opinion). How much you can fit into one day!
Jan Coates
Your pictures are always so great. I’ve been to Paris a few times, including with Shannon the summer she graduated from high school – highly recommend that trip:) I’ve been thinking about Europe lately – last time I went I was with an 80-year-old friend, and we stayed in Avignon and Cucuron – the smaller places are now my favorites (except for having to rent a car…). Hope you’ll enjoy a quiet week.
Elisabeth
Yes! We are hoping to get A there before her 16th birthday.
Safe travels to Ontario <3
Nicole MacPherson
I’m so glad you did post this! How gorgeous! I have never seen photos of you in Paris before except of the one of your Paris earrings! I love that DRESS. But more than that, I love this whole spread of photos. I have never been to Paris – one day!
Elisabeth
Oh Nicole, you would LOVE it. LOVE. IT. Wine. Cheese. Beautiful architecture. It is a magical city <3
Melissa
Ooh Paris! I’m always up for beautiful photos of Paris. We went in 2018 with our middle child. I loved it.
Elisabeth
It’s beloved for a reason – it really did feel like a magical location and we just loved the whole experience.
Jenny
I’m impressed that you wrote such a nice recap of your trip- and this was before you had a blog! Your pictures are beautiful. I’ve been to Paris a couple times. I found the Louvre overwhelming and enjoyed some of the smaller museums more- but now I want to go back and try the Louvre again. I did see the Mona Lisa and thought it was small- I guess it all depends on your expectations!
Looking forward to day 2….
Elisabeth
What can I say – I’m a writer at heart (or just obsessed about recording things…you be the judge – haha).
The Louvre IS overwhelming and I felt overwhelmed. But it was also incredible and I loved being there at night. It made it extra “romantic” and Parisian I think.
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
Yes these recaps are worth publishing even years later. You get to relive a happy time and we get to read about it. It’s win-win!
Ernie
Wow. This is an amazing trip. How wonderful that you were able to go meet your husband there. Then his flight was paid for by his employer, right? These are the things that stand out to me. Saving money. The photos are spectacular. I’ve been to Paris, but I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t see much of it, or appreciate much of it. It was the last stop for my brother, Pat, and I when we were travelling around Europe for a few weeks during our semester abroad. We had run out of funds, energy, and interest. We didn’t pay to go inside anything. We really were burned out travelers. I hope to go back one day and these photos remind me of how much I’d like to go. Maybe when the kids are mostly on their own.
Elisabeth
Yes, we were so fortunate that my husband’s flights were paid for since he was already in the area for work. So we just had to pay for my flight over in terms of airfare. We’ve done this a few times now – once I went to a conference in Florida and had food + accommodations + airfare covered. We could both eat on the per diem I had each day, obviously shared accommodations cost the same so that was covered…so the only thing left was his plane ticket.
And we went to Sydney (Australia) together too; in that case everything was covered except my airfare since he was going for work.
I wish I could do this a lot more, but it’s tough with the kids. Some day?! Hopefully!
And yes, you should go back to Paris. And so much of it isn’t very expensive. Our hotel was under $100 CAD a night, and many of the things we did were free!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Your pictures are lovely. It almost makes me want to go back to Paris. I have been in Paris twice I think. Once during a student exchange in grade 9 … which was fun. Back then we walked up the Eifel Tower which was an intense but beautiful experience. And then sometime during 2000 when my sister was there for a semester. The Louvre is massive and you can only pick one part to go through. So that would be something I would like to go again.
Elisabeth
I’d love to walk up the Eiffel Tower on a return trip!
I was NOT prepared for how large the Louvre was…
Allison
Stunning pictures. We had a sort of similar experience with the “it’s bigger than expected” with Michelangelo’s David. We were in line at the gallery and it was long, and we were waffling, so got out of line and started walking and somehow found this weird side entrance that might not have been legit, and then we got to the David and had been kind of thinking okay whatever, it’s a naked guy, but the scope of it is impossible to render in pictures.
Do you speak French? I would love to go to Paris, but I hate going places where I don’t speak the language (or speak it badly, as is the case here), I always feel so self-conscious.
Elisabeth
Yes! We were in Florence earlier this year and I was SHOCKED by how big and imposing the David statue was – much, much bigger than I was expecting. But you’re 100% right it’s hard to convey that in pictures.
I don’t speak French which is embarrassing since I’m Canadian and did take French in school. I know a little bit – enough to get by – but I felt like they’re so used to international tourists and English is the “universal language” they seem to know to be able to speak with foreigners so I never felt overly challenged by it. No more than Italy!
San
Ha, so funny you also posted a(n older) travel recap today… but IT’S PARIS! The photos are gorgeous. It sound like a lovely (first) day!
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Paris (2002, I think?) and I’ve only been there twice. I’d like to go back. One thing I remember from my trip with Jon (in 2002, when we were newly in love) was that we drove a car from my parents’ house to and INTO Paris… and nobody stopped us LOL (it was insane. Driving in Paris is insane! I don’t know why we did that.) The rest of my memories are a little fuzzy, but I loved the city and the views and the food – that much I know.
Can’t wait to read more about your time there!
Elisabeth
It felt a bit like I was in a Disney movie or something? All those iconic buildings, good food, and art. *Happy sigh*
sarah
love your dress and sneaks, BTW
Elisabeth
Thank goodness white sneakers are “in.” Perhaps my favourite fashion item ever. Comfortable AND socially acceptable with EVERYTHING.
And pants are basically my arch enemy, so I love wearing dresses when I travel.
Ally Bean
I was in Paris once for a couple of days. I remember being amazed by the Mona Lisa, but like you, kind of *huh* about the Venus de Milo. I’m glad you had such good weather while you were there, all your photos are gorgeous.
Elisabeth
Yes. The weather was amazing which makes a big (BIG) difference, especially when you prefer to walk/do a lot each day.
Lisa’s Yarns
Gah, Paris! It’s such a stunning city. I haven’t been there since thanksgiving 2013! I don’t see us going there for quite some time. So these pics give me a bit of my paris fill!
Anne
This post is just a delight, start to finish. And, it makes me sad that I canceled my planned trip to Paris in 2017 due to the worldwide riots following the US election in 2016. Sigh. Time to make more plans to return, for sure. For now, I shall cherish my memories of baguette sandwiches eaten on a street corner, and Notre Dame before the fire… Thank you for this, so much. <3
Elisabeth
Paris is such a delight. I’d love to go back and would LOVE to visit Notre Dame; it was closed when we visited but it sounds truly incredible inside.
Grateful Kae
Oh, Paris…. so amazing. You might recall- not sure if you knew this or not- but we had a big trip planned to Ireland and Paris and Amsterdam for March 2020. We literally had our bags packed already and had to cancel at the last minute as the pandemic was (very confusingly, at that point) unfolding before our eyes. We tried rebooking for August 2020 and obviously that didn’t happen, either! Then we ended up scratching it when did finally get to Ireland so we could spend more time there (and just tacked on a few days in Rome and Dublin). THEN we thought we would go this upcoming June, 2024. But then I realized the Summer Olympics are being held there next summer! And things will be a crazy, overpriced zoo. I read it was best to steer clear of Paris during any time even remotely close to the Olympics. So we scratched it from the list yet again…but I’m really hoping we can make it there in the next couple of years. It’s definitely a destination I want to visit with the boys before they’re grown.
I have been to Paris just once, and only for a few days, when I was about 20. My sister was studying abroad in Ireland and I went to visit her for Thanksgiving break. We did a short side trip to Paris! It was incredible. But that was so long ago. We did cover a LOT of ground in our short trip- it was a whirlwind! I can’t wait to go back and see it all again though, hopefully more in depth. My husband has never been there and I know he will love it. 🙂
Elisabeth
I can’t WAIT for you to go to Paris and then I can’t wait to read all your travel recaps to relive the city vicariously 🙂
Kate
I absolutely love travel recaps and am so glad you shared this one! (I am woefully far behind in blogging about our travels from 2018-2020 and also sometimes wonder if it’s worth it now that so much time has passed, and yet! I know that twenty years from now, I will absolutely cherish having a fresher recollection of those trips.)
I agree with Nicole that your dress is absolute perfection for travel! Elegant but comfortable. And would it even be a European trip if you didn’t end up walking to a destination that ended up being much further away than planned?!
Please don’t hesitate to write more travel recaps if it strikes your fancy… they are one of my favourite types of blog posts to read!
Elisabeth
Yes! Having a record is just so lovely. But they are a shocking amount of work!
Thanks for the encouragement. I have felt a bit silly writing travel recap posts because they seem self-indulgent in some way. There are more Paris posts ahead and I need to do some more NS posts, too. So much to say, too little time.