In the summer of 2023, Patrick and I went on a 2-week trip to France, Germany & Switzerland. We were brought to Europe for Patrick’s cousin’s wedding in the small town of Hanau, Germany. The trip was a beautiful experience — exploring new countries, and relaxing in cultures where cafe-sitting is an art. Here are a few highlights from our stay in Paris!

A Parisian photojournalist walking tour & photo-shoot

Photo-shoots are increasingly popular Airbnb recommendations. While researching Paris, I saw a number of options, and imagined having a fellow journalist as a guide & photographer would be fun. During our second full day in Paris, we walked around the 16th arrondissement with Tristan, who gave us an interesting cultural/historical commentary on the area, and took some really great photos! Here are a few:

A Paris picnic & cemetery stroll

We stayed in Paris for 6 days at an Airbnb run by none other than a manager for Goran Bregovic (one of my favorite musicians.) The flat was in the Les Marais neighborhood nearby Place des Vosges, a dreamy square of Parisian picnicking fantasies. Most of our days in Paris were spent walking throughout the city — we were averaging 10 miles per day — which was the perfect way to explore all the fascinating neighborhoods.

On our 5th day, Patrick and I took a stroll over to Père Lachaise Cemetery — famously known to Americans as the final resting place of Jim Morrison. We are big fans of cemetery strolling, and had a great time trying to find the graves of well-known musicians, politicians, authors, etc.

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery

On our walk back from the cemetery, I noticed a small, lovely market. We hadn’t eaten much that day (pain au raisin and café au lait for me) so we stopped to see what looked good. The weather was fine that day, and we had a free late afternoon, so I suggested we buy some bread, cheese, vegetables, olives, and wine, and have a picnic! Staying in an Airbnb is so convenient on these occasions because I was able to take the tomatoes and cucumbers back to our flat, wash and cut them, put them in a container our host provided, and throw on some local olive oil & seasonings. Voilà!

We brought coffee mugs and a bottle opener for the wine, borrowed a blanket, cutlery, and plates, and were set for a magical afternoon picnicking in Paris.

A little picnic in Place des Vosges

Everything was delicious. We ate and drank it all.

Beers on the Seine & life-changing pastries

For some reason, in my early 20s, while I was traveling around Europe a lot — a common memory I have is hanging out along rivers drinking beers. It wasn’t really planned when Patrick and I did it in Paris, at night, next to Notre Dame. But it did follow a day when I was feeling nostalgic already, having stumbled upon the fabled English bookstore Shakespeare and Sons for the first time (at night, thankfully, when the hoards of tourists were gone.)

Hanging out in the summer in a beautiful European city requires little effort to become the best night of your life. I was reminded of this, during our impromptu river beer along the Siene. There is nothing like just sipping a drink, while laughing and observing life in a new, fascinating place. And if you can do it with a great friend, a great love, or in my lucky case, both — that’s a life well-lived.

Summer night along the Siene

Likewise, picking out a French pastry seemingly requires little effort to become a life-changing event. My friend Chelsea illuminated this before I left, so I made it my mission to try out as many beautiful pastries as I could. Thankfully, there were cake shops and boulangeries all over the place, and we had croissants, and various pastries every day. What a world.

Raspberry delight

Café life

We did take it upon ourselves to learn some basic French, and it was vital to our comfort during our stay in Paris. We’d never really spoken French before, and it was fun to do so as much as possible, especially when eating at cafés.

Despite knowing a few French phrases, I am embarrassed to say that I was nervous to dine at a café in Paris for the first time. I’m going to blame this fear on unfair stereotypes about the French — but thankfully — my anxiety quickly dispelled after our first absolutely lovely meal at a sidewalk café in Montmartre. We ate boeuf bourguignon and a croque monsieur, drank wine, and greatly enjoyed ourselves.

Our waiter was incredibly friendly and kind, and I suddenly realized that French service is actually much better than in the U.S., in my opinion. There was no reason to worry. I loved the cafés. Every experience was relaxing, lighthearted, and communal — and these places are open LATE! We had dinner one night after 11p.m.! As always, we in the U.S. have much to learn from other cultures’ insistence on enjoying this brief time we have on earth.

In conclusion, what can I say? Paris is magical. Santé!

Take us back!

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