During the pandemic, all Jenn and I could think of was getting back to Paris. Since 2008 it has been our home away from home, the place we travel back to most frequently. One day we will probably live in Paris. But until that happens we will continue traveling to the city of lights. This time I had a work trip to London so Jenn got to Paris on Thursday, March 31st and I met her for a three-day weekend, and what a glorious weekend it was.

Day One - Friday, April 1, 2022

After arriving in London on Sunday and finishing up a very stressful and busy work week I departed London via St Pancras International at 5:59 AM with a direct train to Paris. I arrived after a twenty-minute Uber ride from the Four Seasons Trinity Square and made my way through the business-class security and into the lounge. Unlike an international flight, I only arrived 45-minutes before my train and after getting some coffee in the lounge the announcement came over that the train had arrived and so I made my way onto carriage 15 and made the 2.5-hour journey to Paris.

The train ride was pure bliss, incredibly relaxing with a very quiet cabin and beautiful snowy landscapes as we passed into France and towards Paris. When I arrived at Gare du Nord it was snowing pretty heavily but I was fortunate enough to grab an Uber to take me to Jenn at the Hyatt Paris Madeline. When I arrived Jenn was there to greet me in the lobby at a hotel that we’ve stayed at more than any other hotel. I dropped off my bags in the room and we started to slightly alter our plans given the snowstorm. We went out shortly after and went to a nearby Starbucks to get Jenn a hot chocolate and a new Paris mug to match the new theme of the majority of other Starbucks mugs. From there we made our way back to the hotel.

After an hour we left our hotel and walked to our first destination, lunch at La Bourse Et La Vie a small french Bistro. The head chef is Daniel Rose, the head chef of my favorite restaurant of all time in New York, Le Coucou. When we arrived at the restaurant who was there but Daniel Rose himself what transpired over the next hour was an incredible meal. We went with their set lunch menu which was three starters and an entree along with two glasses of red wine. The meal started with three small plates of roasted carrots, oysters, and an egg dish. For our main course, we both had the steak frites which was one of the most delicious meals, I’ve had in a long time.

We left lunch and the beautiful bistro behind and made our way to the Lourve for the first time since 2008. We bought our tickets ahead of time and arrived at our designated time of entrance and after a 15-minute wait in the snow, we were in the museum. We dropped off our coats and spent the next two hours exploring the massive museum. Although a bit overwhelming given how busy it was we had a nice time enjoying the beautiful works and the space. We left after a few hours and walked back to the hotel.

When we got back to our hotel Jenn had a green tea and I had a cappuccino in the hotel lobby. From there we went back to our room where we defrosted from the snowy day and Jenn took a nap. From there we got ready for dinner at David Toutain a 2-Michelin Star restaurant in the heart of the city. After spending 15-minutes trying to get an Uber to accept our ride we arrived a little after 8 PM at the small beautiful modern restaurant for a night to remember. Right after sitting down, we had two glasses of champagne and a string of starters before the menus came out. We chose to go with their 8-course tasting menu and a few glasses of wine and were off. What transpired was a four-hour food tour de force of incredible cuisine and taste that left us wowed with each bite.

Without going through each course I will say that I am not sure we’ve ever eaten a more inventive, more beautifully crafted meal than David Toutain. From the first bite to the last we were incredibly impressed. Each plate was a work of art that the pictures don’t do full justice. When I looked down at my watch and realized we had been there for over four hours we both knew it was one of those evenings we will never forget. We walked back to our hotel across the Seine and watched the Eiffel tower sparkle before reaching our hotel room and calling it a night. It’s so good to be back in Paris.

Day Two - Saturday, April 2, 2022

Although yesterday’s dinner bled into today we will pick up our second full day together in Paris a little after 10 AM after an incredibly relaxing morning. Both Jenn and I are amazed at how comfortable the bed is at the Hyatt and it showed with us sleeping in so late. We left our room a little after 11 AM and had an Uber pick us up to take us to Versailles another place we haven’t visited since 2008.

The journey to Versailles was a little over 30-minutes and we arrived, stood in line, and were let into the beautiful palace and grounds. We spent the first portion of our time walking through the interiors of the palace taking in the beautiful artwork, sculptures, and decor. Although I can visibly look back on photos from 2008, neither Jenn nor I had much memory of the inside. We were on quite the time crunch back then so this time we took our time, and Jenn decided to make a running joke about how every painting was someone looking for me. She thought it was the funniest thing in the world. We spent a lot more time taking in the beautiful architecture and designs and we even joked that we must be getting older because we allow ourselves the time to enjoy things rather than running off to the next thing. Fortunately, it wasn’t as busy as the Lourve so we were able to enjoy more of the stunning art even if I forgot my headphones and we weren’t able to do the audio tour.

After enjoying the inside of Versailles we made our way out to the gardens which although warmer today it was still quite brisk with a light wind and around 40-degrees. The gardens were just as beautiful as we remembered, with massive trees, sculptures, and fountains everywhere we turned. We did stop in for a quick sandwich and crepe before making our way down to the small lake. It might be the memory of our travels that we talk about the most but in 2008 Jenn begged me to row a boat on the lake because she thought it would be romantic. We had been engaged for a few days at this point so I couldn’t refuse even knowing full well I had no idea what I was doing and then got stuck in the middle with everyone yelling at me in French. Luckily we didn’t have to recreate the moment but it was surreal being back in that spot again laughing hysterically about me trying to row a boat.

We made our way out of Versailles and into an Uber to take us back to our hotel. It was an even shorter drive on the way back and when we arrived and went back to the lobby bar and had tea and a cappuccino and Jenn had a mushroom omelet. We rested for a bit before going back out for a long pre-dinner walk. From our hotel, we walked to the Eiffel Tower for a required visit during each Paris stay. There was quite a bit more security and construction than on any other visit but it was still great to be in the area. From there we walked to the Arc de Triumph snapped some photos and made our way to dinner. Walking the streets of Paris, like New York, is one of my favorite things to do in the world. It feels like at every corner you get to see something spectacular and today was no different.

Tonight’s dinner choice was Le Scene Theleme a 1-Michelin Star restaurant that specializes in a hybrid French/Japanese style. We chose to go with their six-course tasting menu which was out of this world. I’ll be honest this wasn’t my first choice for dinner but restaurants in Paris close on the weekends and this was a rare Michelin that was open so we went with it and I am so glad we did. Each course from the starters to the main meat dishes was out of this world. They weren’t as technically superb or as beautifully displayed as yesterday’s but they were just as delicious. Jenn and I had such a lovely time drinking wine and enjoying the food. There’s such a difference being away from home, disconnecting from work, and enjoying a meal of perfectly crafted cuisine.

We left the restaurant a little after 10 PM and made our way back to the hotel before calling it an evening. Today was one of those days that Jenn and I felt like might never come back at the start of COVID but it felt so good to be back.

Day Three - Sunday, April 3, 2022

It’s hard to imagine that today is our last day on this trip to Paris but I guess weekends do tend to fly by. We had many variations of plans for our final day in Paris and when we woke up we threw them all out the window. Instead, we decided to go to the Musee Rodin. Before we went to the museum though we stopped at a small bakery called Besties Bakery for some delicious donuts and coffee. From there we jumped on the subway which was a stark reminder of how bad the NYC subway is. Although Paris isn’t perfect its subway is clean, well run, and efficient. It made us both long for a world where New York had a subway that matched the city’s wealth and ambition.

The Musee Rodin is a small museum that has Rodin’s famous statue the thinker (and several others) displayed throughout the garden and small museum. It wasn’t as busy as the Lourve or Versailles, which allowed enough space and time to really enjoy the beauty of the works. Jenn and I were completely mesmerized by different parts of the museum and spent a lot more time than we had originally planned. We ended our tour in the stunning gardens finding a nice bench to sit on while we took in the brisk spring day. Waking the grounds of the museum was one of those moments where you wish you had a great book, a nice cup of coffee, and unlimited time to enjoy a perfect Parisian spring day.

From the museum, we found a small restaurant called L’Affable where we got a table for two and enjoyed a great lunch of white wine, beef tartare, and pig. It was such a nice light meal coming off two massively rich tasting menus the two previous nights that we were able to leave feeling good and ready for more adventures.

After lunch, we bid adieu and made our way towards Notre Dame but first stopped in the Luxembourg Gardens. We found a great place to sit and enjoyed the sunshine while the rest of Paris found their own chairs and took in the beautiful day. We get this in New York but the communal feel of this beautiful well kept park, where there was a joint level of love and gratitude for the beautiful day, was something you could absolutely feel as we spent time there. From the full tennis courts to all the kids with their small sailboats in the fountain, it was a really nice time.

We finished up our adventure by going to the Pantheon and the currently being re-built/repaired Notre Dame. It’s sort of surreal to remember the tradgedy that felt like we might lose the Notre Dame forever a few years ago when it caught on fire, but to see it starting to recapture its former glory is really nice to see. From there we got on the subway and made our way back to our hotel.

At first, we were thinking about going out and getting another fancy dinner but neither of our stomachs was ready for that so we instead packed our bags and grabbed McDonald’s down the street before calling it a night and a trip. Although we only had three full days together, they were the best days of the year so far. There’s something about Paris that always lights up the child inside of both of us and I am really grateful we were able to get back to Paris and enjoy it once again. I just hope this is the first of many this year.

Day Four - Monday, April 4, 2022

I wouldn’t normally write about our transit day home but this one was quite the experience. We had separate flights home, Jenn was on United and I was on Air France. Jenn was departing at 9:30 and I was departing at 11:30. We got to the airport a little before 7 AM and said goodbye to security as we made our way to separate terminals and airport lounges. A little before Jenn’s flight was about to board she was informed that the tire for her plane needed to be replaced and that her flight was delayed. By the time I boarded and left Paris her flight had been delayed three or four times and by the time I was a few hours in, her flight was canceled and she was scrambling to get on the next flight out. A very long story short Jenn ended up having to take the same flight home the following day so had an extra day at Charles de Gaulle Airport at the Novotel hotel, not ideal.