Waaaaaaay back in 2019, when life was blissful and easy here on planet Earth, Sophie was in her sophomore year of high school. One of her favorite classes that year was AP European History. I had told her in passing that if she were to save up her money and buy her own plane ticket I would take her anywhere in the world. Between that AP class and her own interest in France, she settled on Paris, France. I had never been to France so it was decided. She saved up enough money and we purchased our tickets for a 10 day trip to Paris and Barcelona and scheduled it for April 2020.

And then the whole darn world shut down.

We ended up cancelling and rescheduling our original trip FIVE TIMES. FIVE TIMES. Thanks so much for that, Covid.

In the course of rescheduling so much, we decided that we weren’t as excited about the Barcelona piece of our trip and instead switched it to Marrakesh, Morocco…which also happens to be my favorite country I’ve ever visited. We scheduled our Paris and Marrakesh trip for January 2022

Then Omicron hit and Morocco closed it’s borders shortly before Christmas. Sadly, once again we had to pivot and let our dream of going to Marrakesh together go. Within 30 minutes of seeing my flights cancelled to Morocco, I switched everything around and booked us for Rome, Italy. The trip was now to be five days in Paris and five days in Rome. January 2022. BOOM.

I am beyond happy to report that WE ACTUALLY TOOK THIS TRIP. The most long awaited, eagerly anticipated trip ever. I didn’t even believe it was going to happen until our plane successfully took off from SFO. Between the Covid tests we had to take just to get ON the plane to the ever changing Omicron Covid environment to constantly changing rules in Europe, I didn’t allow myself to feel any excitement until we LANDED in Paris.

SO. Here is what Paris was like in January 2022 in the midst of a pandemic for two very happy and grateful travelers. In a word, AWESOME.

A few words about Covid while traveling in Europe from the US: Just get vaccinated. You will make your travel life so much easier and safer. If you are not vaccinated you literally have to test every 24 hours and be prepared to show that test to every restaurant, tourist attraction and sometimes store that you want to visit. Every. Single. Time. Your nose will get tired of being poked and prodded and the cost of those tests really add up. If you are vaccinated you just need to show your CDC card showing FULL vaccination status (must include booster). Masks were required 100% of the time indoors any attraction and I would say 50% of people were wearing masks outside as well. When we were outside we wore our masks if we saw a lot of other people wearing them, otherwise we kept them off. Everyone wears surgical masks. NO ONE in Paris or Rome or Florence was wearing any kind of a cloth mask. Surgical masks are cheap and easy to come by in France and Italy. Testing was done at most pharmacies and we did not need appointments (we tested four times while on our trip because we were crossing borders with multiple flights). That’s it. Easy peasy.

We flew French Bee nonstop from SFO to Paris Orly, about 10 hours and 45 minutes. The flight was uneventful but I didn’t think the seats were particularly comfortable (we were in bulkhead economy). Food was fine and flight attendants were great. Everything was conducted in French. I didn’t sleep a wink; Sophie slept most of the way. If I’m not laying down it is really hard for me to relax enough to sleep (this is why I need business class…). It was about 30 minutes from Orly to Ile Saint Louis where our hotel was located and other than a mix up with the car service, it was easy.

I specifically chose Hotel Jeu de Paume for it’s location – right in the middle of the Marais BUT on it’s own island (Ile Saint Louis) in the Seine located directly across from Ile de Cite and Notre Dame. We felt immediately at home both in the hotel and on the island. It felt like our own little village with very few tourists but EASY walking distance to all that the Marais had to offer. I would 100% stay at Hotel Jeu de Paume again. The location can’t be beat, the beds were crazy comfortable and the staff was fantastic. We had breakfast there the morning that we flew to Italy and it was also wonderful.

A few photos from around Ile Saint Louis. What a beautiful and cozy place to come home to each night and leave from each morning. I was so obsessed with the island that I started looking up real estate after only the second day. It’s that charming. I 100% would live right here.

We ended up at The Sainte Regis cafe every night. Located around the corner from our hotel, they actually started to recognize us. We had to show our Green Pass (in this case our US CDC vaccine card) here and at every restaurant and attraction we visited. Easy if you are vaccinated :). This was where I had my very first long awaited chocolat chaud. Mmmmmmm. One night after we were showered and in jammies we got hungry, changed quickly and went around the corner to St. Regis for omelettes and dessert. That was one of my favorite meals of the trip.

A few words about language: This was my first time to France but not my first time speaking French in another country. When we traveled through Morocco I spoke in French about 60-70% of the time, simply because English wasn’t as prevalent and I didn’t speak Arabic. In Paris, most people speak some English and you can get by without French…most of the time. I found my French to be really helpful in taxis or at restaurants. My French is rusty (I took 6 years in elementary, middle and high school) and it took a solid 24 hours for stuff to click back in. I found it really nice and helpful for all pleasantries, ordering in restaurants, working with cabs and drivers and very quick exchanges. If I had actually tried to stuff more French back into my head before our trip I could have done a lot better. All told I probably spoke French 25-40% of the time while in Paris.

We had a looooooong list of things we wanted to see and do and experience while in Paris. We did ALL of them. From museums to dining to shopping to site seeing we did it all. We were on a boat, trains, cabs and mostly our own two feet and logged a lot of miles all around Paris.

We spent our first night roaming around the Marais trying not to fall prey to jet lag. We hit BHV (where I had been wanting to go for YEARS) and lots of little shops.

The next day we spent lots of time walking around the Marais. We discovered our new favorite creperie (located right in front of Notre Dame just a short walk from our hotel), visited our long awaited Shakespeare and Company bookstore and lots of other shops and sites. We did all of this before boarding the train for our afternoon tour of the Versailles palace.

A few words about tourism and crowds: Don’t let the news fool you – Europe is busy and open for business. We did not experience terrible lines (although I bypassed long lines by purchasing tickets online and ahead of time to things) or overcrowding anywhere we went. Things felt bustling but not crowded. The time of year that we went helps as well; January isn’t a peak travel time anywhere in Europe. People were respectful of mandates and rules but life in general felt very normal.

I had studied the train maps pretty carefully so that I knew what to expect; getting the train from Paris to Versailles ended up being SUPER easy. The trains are clean and the arrival/departure boards are very clear in both English and French. Although Versailles is located only nine miles from Paris it takes about 45 minutes on the train to get there. Luckily the train ends very close to the palace and is the last stop on the line. I booked a two hour tour of the palace and it was worth every penny. It is shockingly huge and opulent and impossible to imagine that this was literally a HOUSE for one family. It blew my mind and was so worth the trip. PLUS there was a cart of the famous Laduree macrons near the gift shop so we enjoyed a box of fresh macrons on the steps of the Versailles gardens. That is such a happy memory now! The main thing Sophie wanted to do and see on this trip was Versailles so she was a very happy camper.

While we were in Versailles (the town) I hit my long awaited Monoprix and scored some truly Sara silk jammies, took in the sites of some flowers and a carousel and visited good old McDonald’s for Cokes to revive us!

We spent the evening back in Paris with shopping at the Galleries Lafayette Haussman til our feet fell off, went up to the terrace of that place to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle, dinner at a cafe across the street with the best Caesar salad of my whole life and BIG sleeps. We were on our feet nearly the entire day and wow, we were tired.

Sunday morning we dressed and went to church. I was able to find a local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints just a 15 minute walk from our hotel so off we went. We stopped and took photos and ate along the way, enjoyed church completely in French (very cool), did some shopping and then it was time to go to the Louvre! It was very grey and cold on Sunday and I felt like I never really warmed up. Crepes and pan au chocolate helped.

Because our hotel was on a slightly non-touristly island, there were a few times that I asked the front desk reception to call a car for us. Taxis were easy to flag down in most other places we were in, just not as much on Ile Saint Louis. We took a rare cab over to the Louvre because it was juuuuuust a little too far to walk and I’m glad that we did. The Louvre really cannot be done in a few hours or even in an entire day. It would probably take a full week to soak up all that the Louvre is comprised of. Just the buildings themselves are jeweled treasure boxes. It is a place of staggering beauty and history and we hardly had enough time there to take it all in. We opted to not take a tour and instead peruse on our own. Sophie was free because she is considered a student (just had to show her ID). We DID get to see our long awaited Mona Lisa. It is the first and only time I have ever waited in line to see a piece of art! My favorite thing that I saw was the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a sculpture I’ve been obsessed with since my high school AP Art History days. I felt that it was a spiritual experience to see with my own eyes, so incredibly powerful and moving. And so old; it is believed to have been sculpted in approximately 200 BC.

We were EXHAUSTED by the time we left the Louvre. We went on a dinner cruise on the Seine that night and somehow we both managed to stay awake! I highly recommend a cruise along the Seine, especially at night. It was a beautiful way to see so many beloved sites lit up plus the food was yummy. And time on a boat is always a must on a trip (IMO). The company I went with was a second choice as my original reservation cancelled. As much as I enjoyed the evening, I would probably go with my first choice if I were to do this dinner cruise again.

The next day was filled with a lot of walking around, shopping, site seeing, delicious food, Sainte Chapelle, Places de Voges and finally packing to leave for Italy. Sophie went off on a solo walk around Paris for about 2 1/2 hours. I gave her a little scavenger hunt and told her to have fun and she did! It was nice to have completely alone time for both of us to just wander where we wanted. Sainte Chapelle was my FAVORITE place I visited in all of Paris. We went on a whim since it was so close to where we were staying. Sophie was free since she was a student and while I had seen photos of the gorgeous stained glass awaiting us, I had NO idea how spectacular it is. The moment that we came out of the spiral staircase into the main space my jaw dropped. Just…amazing and holy and a jewel in every way. I have been told that orchestral concerts are sometimes held in this space and I would LOVE to be there for that.

Now as I look back over these photos of Sainte Chapelle I can honestly say they are my favorite photos of the whole trip in Paris. And yet there is no way to really capture the beauty and artistry of Sainte Chapelle. I can’t wait to go back again someday.

I was originally going to book us to stay somewhere near Place de Voges and while I think it would have been totally fine I’m so glad that we were over on Ile Saint Louis instead. Place de Voges DID feel a little touristy and busy; I found that I liked feeling removed from that business when I wanted to go “home”.

We flew to Rome, Italy the next day which I will detail in another post. We then flew back to Paris the afternoon before our flight home to the United States the next day. I didn’t want to have one BIG day of travel from Rome to Paris to USA and broke it up this way on purpose. Since it was our last afternoon/evening in the city, I chose a new location to stay in. We stayed in Invalides, the 7th arrondissement at Hotel Saint Dominique and it was awesome. I booked a room with a juilet balcony over looking the street below and a FANTASTIC view of the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to be able to open our french doors and see the tower sparkle at night because life is short :). The hotel was super comfortable and our room was cozy. The best part, however, was the location. Rue Saint Dominique was BUSY and fun with lots of cafes and shops. This is a hoppin’ place to stay. The pharmacy where we did our Covid test to get back home was directly across the street. We were very worried that we were going to test positive (because we had a low/false positive in Florence – more on that later…) but Paris did us proud and we tested negative. We were so relieved that we started crying. True story. It was stressful :). More on alllll of that later. We used our last evening in Paris to shop and eat and relax while we packed for our trip home the next evening.

Our flight did not leave until 6 PM the next day so we had a very leisurely morning and early afternoon. Sophie slept in because she was completely worn out. Conversely, I woke up and was ready for adventure! I had packed the night before so I had plenty of time. I let her sleep and headed out alone for breakfast (pan au chocolate and chocolat chaud, of course) and then wandered around Invalides, the Eiffel Tower and along the Seine. I paid 3 Euros and hopped on the carousel in front of the tower and had THE best time. I slowly meandered my way back to Rue Saint Dominique, photographing buildings and beautiful doors on my way. Most shops were closed since it was Sunday and other than families out and about and running groups, it was peaceful.

So there it is! There’s Paris, c’est voila! I ended up falling in love with Paris which I did not expect to happen. I truly was so sad to leave and just wanted to rent a little flat and live there. It is rare that I feel like that about a place. The only other place I have felt a true affinity for and desire to live in is where we used to live, New York City. Paris has my heart. It was the perfect trip with my Sophie. We had looked forward to this trip for SO long and so much had happened in our family, in our world that this felt like a very long awaited and welcome gift. Every meal and morsel we ate was delicious. Each experience we had was fantastic. The shopping was great – we arrived during the twice yearly sale season in Europe so our timing was ideal. The weather was cold but because we walked most places we didn’t suffer too badly. The train system is easy and the cabs are VERY nice (way nicer than anything we are using in the states). I found the food to be slightly more expensive than I originally anticipated but if you look at it through an NYC lens, the sticker shock isn’t terrible. People were very friendly and helpful; I do think that speaking French or attempting to communicate in French goes a long way. We got over jet lag quickly and loved both places that we stayed. It was the perfect Parisian adventure.

I cannot wait to return to Paris again.

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