We’ve always been big on experiences in our house. From traveling with the kids and making vacation memories together, to having birthday adventure days, it’s really important to Brett and I that we value and make the most of our time together as a family. The magic is in the little moments we carve out and that’s my kryptonite - a shoebox full of memories. Big and little. So, for Christmas this year, we gifted them this trip. They each found a small pouch of puzzle pieces under the tree (one for London and one for Paris) and they had to put the puzzles together to figure out where we were going. I will never forget the moment Penelope started sing-songing “I see a bagggggguette… she’s carrying a baggggguette” with pure joy as she put the pieces together. Literally and figuratively. Highly recommend.

We booked and executed the whole trip in a few months time. And while we knew 2-3 days in each location would not be enough, we made the conscious decision to accept that reality and go for this itinerary anyway. We decided we would rather get a taste of two different cities than deep dive into one. We did not pre book much (other than transportation - like our trains to/from London and back to the airport). Instead we had a general idea of some sights we’d like to see and we planned accordingly upon arrival. This approach works really well for our family.

Day 1: “When do we get to sleep?!”

With no direct flight options out of MCO, we connected to CDG via ATL. After the hell that was our return flight from NYC last March (another story for another time), I was adamant we not connect through a northeast hub, where weather could derail us for days. The irony though is that our very first flight was delayed, leaving us in a rush to get to the international terminal in Atlanta, barely boarding our connection before the doors to the plane were sealed.

We had planned to sleep on the 7 1/2 hour overnight flight, but only one of us (Penelope who is still small enough to curl up into a ball) was successful in doing so, so when we arrived in Paris we were shot. Customs took an hour and instead of utilizing the metro, which would require multiple transfers and a clear mind, to get to our hotel, we grabbed an Uber.

Now that we were officially in France and zooming away from the airport in a six passenger van, I was taking in my surroundings. And I’ve got to tell you, it felt like I was in New Jersey. As if we hadn’t left the states at all, and instead had just flown up to the northeast under gray winter skies.

While this was my first time visiting France, I *know* what Paris looks like. I *know* what the French countryside looks like. With camera phones and social media, I’ve seen so much beautiful imagery that I was, at first, taken aback by what I was seeing, which was neither of these. It was the outskirts of any large city anywhere and all that that entails, from IKEA stores to six lane highways cutting through the cold gray morning, from graffiti covered concrete to rundown streets. It was as if we were skirting around the blurry edges of a video game world. That area just outside the frame that we’re not supposed to see.

I wish I had taken photos, but honestly, we were in survival mode and doing everything in our power just to keep our eyes open and keep the kids from nodding off on the drive. Eventually though, the views beyond the window started to look more and more like the images on my social feeds, and soon enough we were deposited outside the doors of our hotel.

For the Paris portion of our trip we stayed at the Canopy Paris Trocadero in the 16th arrondissement. Trocadero was beautiful, felt very safe, and came with views of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine. We really enjoyed returning here each night. The view from our suite was totally unexpected and the stuff they write into books. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t absolutely add an extra layer of magic to our stay in Paris.

Our only goal for the day was to NOT fall asleep. A feat of epic proportions. But we were determined. We dropped our stuff in our room, ignored the fluffy beds calling our names and headed out to find some lunch. We landed around the corner at a place called Mokus (which we proceeded to call mucus in our collective punch drunk state), where a very nice French waiter took mercy on us and served us delicious… pizza. Why, yes, our first meal in France was at an Italian place. Shhh… don’t tell anyone.

Upon finishing our meal we made a quick stop back at our hotel to add some layers (Floridians through and through), before closing the door on those fluffy beds and walking back out into the bitter cold to make our way to the famed Eiffel Tower.

Our tentative plan for the afternoon was to buy tickets and tour the Eiffel Tower, but we quickly decided against it. The wind had picked up and it was raining (bordering on that winter mix of precipitation), and we were so tired I was afraid we weren’t in the right headspace to really enjoy it. Penelope has been talking about the Eiffel Tower since she was three and I wanted it to live up to her expectations. So we walked around instead, acquainting ourselves with the area. We grabbed some macaroons, tarts and cappuccinos from a patisserie near our hotel and then headed back to unpack/shower and prepare for an early dinner. The complimentary champagne may not have been the best decision in my jet lagged state, but I’m not about to regret it.

We ended our 36 hour day with Croque Monsieurs in a little French cafe just steps from our hotel. Where Penelope learned that if she orders a chocolate milk in Paris, she will be met with a steamy mug of hot cocoa! Upon returning to our room, we soaked up some serious twinkly magic before climbing into bed, asleep before our heads hit the pillows, proud to have made it to nearly 8pm before crashing hard!

The jet lag certainly took its toll on us that first day, and in some ways it felt like a waste of a day, like we didn’t accomplish anything. But our efforts to adhere to our new time zone paid dividends, as we all slept through the night and awoke completely refreshed and acclimated the next morning, ready to explore Paris!

Up next… The Louvre and Luxembourg Gardens.

Shoebox Full of Memories: A Paris and London Trip Report - March 2023 (Day 1: Survival Mode)