The first time I traveled to Paris I was 24 years old, and the decade was the 1980’s! Graffiti and high-tops were the themes of urban oasis’s and all the American girls wore their hair long. The French girls didn’t, theirs was liberating-ly short!
My husband Mike & I were traveling with a church group and we had just spent three weeks in Avignon, France, with it’s amazing Palais des Papes!
Palais des Papes, Avignon, France
Traveling on to Paris at the culmination of our trip was so exciting! We had a contact who lived in Paris and she graciously offered to show us the sights, as well as host us for coffee in her tiny, but chic, Parisian apartment. I will not confirm nor deny that hilarity ensued when one of our members from a group of late-teens confused le bidet for les toilettes!
But the best memory for me was from the first day exploring the city, where, passing by a flower stand, my husband purchased me a bright bouquet of late summer flowers – wow – did I feel romanced and romantic!
First Time in Paris, Circa. 1989
There was definitely something in the air for me that summer, and after two little french girls with bob-ed hair (and sweet little striped dresses) came running up to me, “mademoiselle, mademoiselle!” (I was still in my 20’s and pre-kids!!) when I left my water bottle on a bench – that was it – I was smitten!
It took me a full 15 years from that time (with raising two little girls of our own) before I was able to travel back to the City of Lights. It was my 40th birthday and when asked, I could imagine nothing so compelling than to head back to this city that had captivated my heart! And this time it was my hair that was short!
Versailles Gardens, Outside of Paris, France
This memorable Parisian sojourn included a day trip to Versailles where I imagined Marie Antoinette walking through the court and gardens – and an overnight stay in Giverny, where the impressionist artist Claude Monet lived and painted in the later years of his life. We were able to stay at a wonderful, rustic Bed & Breakfast set amongst the apple groves, which are a prevalent crop of the area.
Giverny, France, Home of Monet’s House & Garden, Circa. 2006
To this day I remember the host’s choice of antiques (I’m still looking for French candlesticks like his that I can afford!) and our first gourmet, multi-course meal at a local recommended restaurant. The serving staff only spoke French and we only spoke English – but the food was delicious and I can imagine the memory like it was yesterday! Spending time in the great impressionist artist Monet’s home & gardens was such a thrill. All those paintings literally seemed to come to life. We felt like we were standing in a Monet Water Lilies painting because – we actually were!
A beautiful Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny, France
All this was pre-AirBnb AND pre-internet! Haha, booking a hotel in France wasn’t quite as simple as it is now and one actually brought paper maps and guide books with one to USE on the ground! No smart phones – woosh!!
Study Abroad, Home Exchanges, and Passy, Paris
The next significant visit to Paris corresponded a bit with the founding of this magazine, CultureHoney.com, almost 10 years ago! I had just completed a 3-month study-abroad program in Florence, Italy and planned for two back-to-back home-exchanges in Paris at the end of that time. Both exchanges were in the 16th – and hence began my attachment with Passy – a wonderful traditional neighborhood in Paris!
Favorite metro stop, in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement, Paris
One of the last arrondissements to be included in the official Paris “circle”, it is on the Right Bank and an easy walk to Le Trocadéro, with it’s awe-inspiring and historic views of the Tour Eiffel.
View from le Trocadéro, Paris
Passy is also home to Maison de Balzac, the last residence of the famed French author, Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) and the site where he assembled the works that make up La Comédie humaine. It is also the arrondissement (neighborhood) where according to the American “Office of Historian“, Benjamin Franklin asserted his influence to gain support for the American cause, the establishment of a new nation, independent of Britian.
Benjamin Franklin, the most distinguished scientific and literary American of the colonial era and first American diplomat lived and worked in Passy.
“Franklin served from 1776 to 1778 on a commission to France charged with the critical task of gaining French support for American independence. French aristocrats and intellectuals embraced Franklin as the personification of the New World Enlightenment. His likeness appeared on medallions, rings, watches, and snuffboxes, and fashionable ladies adopted the “coiffure a la Franklin” in imitation of the fur cap he wore instead of a wig. His popularity and diplomatic skill—along with the first American battlefield success at Saratoga—convinced France to recognize American independence and conclude an alliance with the thirteen states in 1778. Franklin presented his credentials to the French court in 1779, becoming the first American Minister (the eighteenth century American equivalent of Ambassador) to be received by a foreign government. Franklin’s home in Passy, just outside Paris, became the center of American diplomacy in Europe.”
Benjamin Franklin Passy, Paris
Have Suitcase, Will Travel
Around that time, my husband began to travel to Europe quite often for work. So, I decided to make myself as small and portable as possible and became his groupie – haha – of course rejoicing when any flights could pass through Charles de Gaulle (CDG)!
The hallways of Charles de Gaulle…
We both love Paris (and according to the airport magazine, Paris Vous Aime, Paris loves us back!) so much that it was decided to be the location for a 3-month long sabbatical from work for my husband. Unfortunately, our stay was cut from 12 weeks to 7 when Covid came rolling across Europe and American’s were advised to come back state-side for the duration of the pandemic. But what a glorious 7 weeks it was!
Life on Île Saint-Louis
Technically a part of the 4th arrondissement, with easy access to St Pauls Village and the Marais, Île Saint-Louis is truly at the heart of Paris. One of two tiny natural islands in the middle of the River Seine, (the other being Île de la Cité, home of the beloved and only recently refurbished and reopened, Notre Dame de Paris!), it is amazing the type of “village life” one can lead there, even with the influx of tourists which flock there for it’s art galleries and famed Berthillon Ice Cream at certain points on the calendar!
Berthillon, des glaces et sorbets, Île Saint-Louis, Paris
The Hemingway Thing
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway has been my favorite book for decades. I love the dryness of the descriptions, and the pathways the characters take in Post WWI Paris and Europe. But I’m also a fan of Hemingways other works and as I’ve traveled have always paid special attention to visiting spots where “Papa” either lived, visited or wrote about! From touring his home in Key West, Florida, to ordering a Peach Bellini in Venice and Rome at “Harry’s Bar“, a champagne cocktail in the famous, but discrete, Bar Hemingway, at the Ritz in Paris, or staying the night in La Perla hotel in Pamploma (and eating at the historic Café Iruña), I’ve tramped around in quite of few of his footsteps! Like many others whose love of history is the period between the World Wars in Paris, I guess you can call me something of a fan of Gertrude Stein’s “Lost Generation” – although my true SHERO is Sylvia Beach, founding the original Shakespeare & Company bookstore in 1919! All this of course also led me to the only Woody Allen movie I’ve ever loved, Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams – and so many others in this slightly campy homage to this period in the history of Paris!
Mike & Georgia Sanders, Paris, Circa. 2024
So, what is it about Paris that keeps me coming back time and again?
Why Paris and not another lovely European capital city? Well, like other Francophiles, and like those outlined so well in David McCullough’s epic book, The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris, the lure of this dazzling, creative, energetic and gorgeous city makes a perfect alchemy for me which includes all the things I love most in life! Art, history, romance, music, food, wine, beauty – yep – I’m a real bohemian in my core : ) And now, with the new offering from Culture Honey Touring, European Journeys, I sincerely look forward to leading others to my favorite city on the planet, other than my hometown of Pasadena, (Los Angeles), California!
*Georgia Sanders is currently working on a book about her journeys from Pasadena to Paris scheduled to be available in early 2026.
