The Sawyer Stories

We learned on our last trip that how you get there is half the fun. Today we embraced that idea by traveling to Paris by train. Our first train leg left in the morning on the OBB and headed through the Alps to Zurich. We hopped on the train excited for our facing seats with a table so we could play cards…or so we thought. Turns out our tickets were in the quiet car. Out of respect, we decided on silently reading, writing, and napping. The Austrian man across from us, however, made no such decision. He boisterously continued his conversation in German with his colleague for 2 straight hours. We may have all considered applauding when he departed.

About 2.5 hours into our trip, right when we were nice and settled, an announcement came over the loud speaker, first in German but then in English (thank goodness). Everyone was to get off at the next stop because of an issue with the train.  Michael’s quick work online made it look like we would have to hop on and off 2 more trains in the remaining hour. Fortunately, we pulled into the station and there was an identical train on the parallel track waiting for us. Our whole car transported from one place to the other with only a few minutes lost.

We were excited to have a 2 hour window in Zurich. When we traveled there as a family, we ate at an amazing vegan/vegetarian buffet called Hiltl (the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world). We had just enough time to drop our bags in a locker and make our way there. We may have called on Uber to then realized it was only an 8 minute walk. Oh well! We filled our plate and bellies to the brim before making our way back to the station.

Back at the station, we found our track on the giant departure board and made our way there. As we stretched and waited in anticipation for our train to arrive, my genius husband remembered….oh yeah, we have luggage! Pause for a moment to think with me what would have happened had we left our belongings in Switzerland as our bodies slowly made their way to France. Yeah, I’m glad that’s not a story I get to write.

Our second train ride was on the famous TGV. Well, famous to me at least (I remember talking about this train in my high school French classes). This high speed train was going to take us twice as far in the same amount of time, and we were got to ride on the second level. We made our way out of Switzerland, through Liechtenstein, and finally into France. We were greeted by fields and fields of stunning bright yellow that turned out to be the plant used for canola oil.

We knew we wouldn’t have time to dinner in Paris, so train food it was. Unfortunately, vegan was not an option so made due with what we had.

As we got closer, I was very conscious of the feelings I was supposed to have when we arrived. Paris was my chosen destination. I’ve wanted to go since high school. Had it not been for the Olympics, it would have been a part of our family trip in 2024. I felt a pressure to be instantly in awe and had to back up and give myself grace to embrace the moments and emotions just as they were without expectation.

Regardless of it all, there truly wasn’t time to take in the reality of where we were once the train stopped. We had a mad dash to make. We hopped off the train and into an Uber (we will learn the metro tomorrow) to our Airbnb in the Latin Quarter. The instructions for getting our keys included using a passcode on a lockbox on the full bike rack at the crowded restaurant across the street. Talk about convoluted.

We found the blue door nestled between restaurants and walked in. Wait, what did the hosts directions say to do next? Oh yes, walk allllll the way up the spiral stairs to door the very top. Our home for the rest of the week was waiting there. Knowing amazing views awaited us once again held as motivation as we traversed the 73 steps carrying our luggage. The apartment did not disappoint.

Look at this view of the Pantheon from our balcony!

With no real time to gaze and unpack, we headed back out to a second Uber to our event for the evening, a private guided e-bike tour through the streets of Paris.

Two notes are now needed. 1. Yes we had to get our sore behinds back on a bike seat for 2 hours. Again, without detail, I may have resourcefully fashioned a cushion of some sort hidden under a pair of baggy pants. 2. Starting a trip to a new place with a guided bike ride is the BEST way to start. This brilliant idea comes from my Aunt Joani. She’s travelled to Paris (and many European cities) several times and will hence forth be the foundation for every amazing trip move me make. Thanks! Joani!

We had a tricky time finding a company who would do a tour starting so late (9pm). We finally found one that did them at 7 and we reached out to the company to see if they would do one later. We were so grateful they agreed!

We hopped on the bikes and headed out into the brisk spring night behind our guide. We made our way from stop to stop taking in the city and hearing historical facts along the way. While we will soon find out the city is beautiful all the time, it was magical at night. We made notes of where to return to (certain bridges and museums) and where to leave off the list (the extremely busy Champs Elysée and the Arch de Triomphe). This was our one time in the whole trip to have someone there to take our photo. Our guide so kindly agreed to photograph is at every stop along the way.

We ended the tour at the Eiffel Tower right as it began to sparkle (it has twinkling lights for the first 5 minutes of every evening hour). Nothing makes you truly feel like you’re in Paris more than this.

“What are you all up to for the rest of the night?” our young tour guide asked. Checking our watches to see 11:30, we laughed and gave the only answer any 40 something would give to that question, “Yeah, we’re going to bed.”