TRAVEL

This City Has Been on My Travel Wish List Since High School

Can I make it finally happen in 2023? Wow, would that make my year!

It all began my freshman year of high school taking French I in Madame Beaumont’s class.

When everyone else was taking Spanish, I was set on learning the language of love. Probably because at that time I was a little bit of a hopeless romantic. I couldn’t help myself.

I’m far from being able to speak French fluently all these years later, but I can pick out a few words and even string some together (not well).

Comment allez-vous?

From the picture above I’m sure you’ve guessed by now. The place on my travel wish list for quite some time has been Paris, France.

The spark

My interest in the city has recently been sparked again after binge-watching “Emily in Paris” on Netflix. Yes, I know. Before you go too crazy, I understand the show is not an authentic representation of the real Paris. People aren’t walking around in high fashion like Emily and her friends.

But truthfully, it’s not really the clothes constantly catching my eye in the show (although some of those outfits are truly out there). I find myself attracted to the places.

In the show, there are scenes at the Eiffel Tower (so cliche I know), Pont des Arts (the love lock bridge), and the Cafe de Flore. I daydream about walking on those cobblestone streets and dropping into a cafe for a croissant whenever I wish.

Oh, such a dream.

The planning

That’s where fellow Globetrotters are assisting me with plans to travel to Paris through bits and pieces in their stories.

Take Jay Davidson for instance. He’s been there 12 times!

In his article “Getting Away From Paris 101*” he has given me some additional tips as I plan my trip.

First off, it’s clear I need to get a Navigo card. This will allow me transportation on the metro, buses, and round-trip from Paris to the Charles de Gaulle Airport. I love how he describes getting on the bus and leisurely riding around until he sees something that sparks his interest to check out.

Unplanned with the potential to discover something totally new. This approach is intriguing even for my type-A self.

One of my biggest questions in planning has been about where to stay once I’m there. I would want to stay at least a week if not a little longer.

I could stay in a hotel, but I think renting an apartment would be better. It makes sense especially from a budget perspective to have a home base location where I can have breakfast and other meals if I wish. The bonus is getting to browse the local grocery stores and see all the options too. When I was in Italy the marketplaces were an event to see in itself.

I know Adrienne Beaumont wrote a story about how she was disappointed in Paris , but she does go on to admit that she has been there since that trip, and has a completely different opinion. (Good, I was glad to hear that!)

I can’t believe it was so hot for her in October. I wouldn’t have guessed that. I’m still trying to figure out what is the best time of year to go so my husband and I can walk around in pleasant temperatures without profusely sweating. Oh, and I want to escape some of the large tourist crowds too. Doesn’t everyone?

Any recommendations? I would love to hear them.

My desire to see Paris is further supported after I read this article by Diana Bernardo. Two points of hers stand out to me the most — the food and beauty of the country.

Before kids, my husband and I really enjoyed eating out. When we would go on vacation we would splurge on fancy dinners. Locally we would seek out the higher-rated dining spots with cool ambience.

After kids, it just doesn’t happen. At least not right now. Kids don’t enjoy those fancy dishes.

So eating in and getting food to go is where we’re mostly at right now in life.

But if we were to travel to Paris I would fully take advantage of dining at a couple of Michelin-rated restaurants. This would be an adults-only trip for sure.

When I was getting my MBA, we had a few exchange students from France. I remember talking to them about their country and what they enjoyed. They told me in France you can eat anything you want. It’s much more about portion size than anything else.

That’s something we are not good about in the United States. Huge portions are sometimes what people expect, and if they don’t get enough there are complaints.

I would much rather have a smaller portion with higher quality food any day. It sounds as if France has a lot of this to offer with its Michelin-rated restaurants.

I’m hungry just thinking about it.

France as a whole sounds like a beautiful country. Some of the beautiful spots in Paris that stand out to me are also Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde and the Jardin du Luxembourg. I’m sure there are more to add to my list as I look into it.

If I had a big travel wish for this year, it would be to spend time in the city of love with my husband celebrating our 40th birthdays and 15-year wedding anniversary.

That would be the icing on the cake as they say!

But even if it doesn’t happen, I can enjoy the planning. I know one day my wish will come true.

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