Return to Paris

“Sous le ciel de Paris coule un fleuve joyeux,” sang Edith Piaf, which translates to “under the sky of Paris flows a joyful river.” That was true when I first visited the city and it remains true even in these much different times. With much of Europe welcoming back vaccinated visitors and a milestone birthday to celebrate, I slotted a long-awaited return to Paris into my plans. Arriving by high-speed train from Amsterdam for a weekend, my best friend and I stuck to the City of Light classics—bistros, bookshops, museums, a little shopping, lots of wandering and one very nice hotel.

The 1^st Arrondissement is No.1

Each arrondissement has its charms, but for proximity to so many of Paris’ most Paris-y things, the 1^st can’t be beat. Here, Nolinski Paris brings a boutique feel to being close to the largest, most visited art museum in the world (that would be the Louvre). Arriving at our fifth-floor room, all clad in rich, mixed textiles, we did what Carrie Bradshaw would do and flung open the doors to our balcony and squealed, not at the Eiffel Tower, but at the sight of the long view up Avenue de l’Opéra to the Palais Garnier’s grand, gilded figures. After relishing the room’s comforts—an emerald green reading chair to sink into, for one—we headed to the intimate, dimly lit cocktail bar on the ground floor. We expected to have a delicious cocktail, which we did, but we didn’t expect to have one of the best brioche burgers we’d ever had.

Pomp and Circumstances

To get to our pre-appointed time slot at Centre Pompidou, we took the circuitous way through the Tuileries, then down along the river and over to see the under-construction Notre-Dame and everybody’s favorite bookshop, Shakespeare & Co. The sun happened to be shining, so we soaked it up, along with a couple espressos, at their café next door, before crossing back over the Seine to the museum. About accessing venues in France: they are strict about seeing a Health Pass, so I’d applied online for the visitor version a couple weeks before my trip and it only came through once I’d emailed them urgently asking about it. Now the system has moved to pharmacies. Once I had my pass, everything was easy. Showing it also came in handy on my later travels to other EU countries.

Back to the art. Running until December 6th, the Georgia O’Keeffe retrospective is not to be missed. I’ve long admired her works, but seeing them in-person, illuminated as they should be and within the context of her life story, was a spiritual experience. Bonus: included in the price of admission is an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower from the top floor.

Afterwards, we kept wandering, down narrow streets now glistened by rain, stopping in to Sessùn to buy the dreamiest fall coat and over to Le Mary Celeste. There’s nothing like settling into an intimate Parisian wine bar on a wet Saturday evening. Again, we had an unexpectedly yummy dish. Although we didn’t feel in the mood for deviled eggs, the waiter was emphatic so we agreed and, dare I say, they were heavenly. The accompanying glass of Champagne didn’t hurt either.

Returning to Nolinski to refresh, we descended the grand staircase (there’s also an elevator), in our when-in-Paris best, and headed to the Experimental Cocktail Club. Yelling over the music and chatter to impress the bartender with an order of Mezcal Last Words in the cozy, brick and beam-clad room felt pre-2020.

Spa to Renoir-colored Sunset

Starting Sunday on the right foot, we enjoyed Nolinski’s complimentary spa facilities, switching between sessions in the sauna and dips in the pool. Refreshed, we made our way over to the Arc de Triomphe for the 16^th and final day of it being wrapped in silvery blue fabric and red rope, a Christo and Jeanne-Claude project first conceived of in 1961 and finally realized. I feel lucky to have caught it. From one iconic structure to another, we moved on to the Fondation Louis Vuitton. A sight to snap even if you don’t go in, the Frank Gehry-designed building is adjacent to the Jardin d’Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne. We strolled the garden before heading in to see the Morovoz brothers’ staggering collection of French and Russian modern art. What a privilege to stand in front of millions of brushstrokes made by Degas, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Matisse and more.

To my surprise, I was most drawn in by Renoir’s “Jeanne Samary in a Low Necked Dress.” Maybe because of her gaze, which in one glance looked sad and in another hopeful. But later, lapping up our last night in Paris at one of those typical bistros you stumble into when you can’t walk anymore, I realized what else it was about that portrait. As I sipped a glass of rosé outside, the sun, having hid most of the day, returned just to set the sky ablaze in soft pink, dusty blue and gold—a familiar, intoxicating palette. That’s the thing; while the city has more than its fair share of impressive monuments, it’s often these small, simple yet no less spectacular moments that make every weekend in Paris one to remember.

Planning your own Triomphe-nt return? Check out our hot list of Paris hotels.