Paris, France - 2022

Travel is a huge part of our life.

John and I had only been dating four months when we flew to New York to see Kings of Leon in concert. Since then, we’ve been to Germany, Colombia, Ireland, Morocco, Spain, St. Thomas (twice), New Orleans (twice), Colorado (twice), Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Nashville (twice), Asheville, Chicago, Texas and New Jersey.

Put us on a plane and fly us to anywhere.

That being the case, it was really important to us that travel be a foundational part of Will’s childhood.

When' John’s cousin was getting married in San Sebastián, Spain, we took this as the perfect opportunity to plan a grand European adventure, starting with a whirlwind tour through France.

Making A 16-Hour Journey Suck Less

Families take their kids to Disney all the time. They wait 120 minutes in line for a ride and walk about 17 miles in a day in the brutal Florida heat.

If I’m gonna wait 120 minutes, I’d rather do it at customs than for the teacups.

We normally fly coach but since we had a long-haul flight with a toddler in tow, we flew business class on Turkish Airlines because we figured it would make the experience a little less stressful.

I cannot recommend this airline more - world-class service, super comfortable and literally, the kindest flight attendants I’ve ever met.

Our route was akin to traveling to Mordor to drop the ring into Mount Doom: Miami to Istanbul, and then Istanbul to Paris.

Yes, it was a longer flight (almost 16 hours in total) and yes, flying business class costs more, but it is worth it for a few life-saving reasons:

• Lounge Access: A space where Will could burn off some extra energy and we could snack and drink to our heart’s content.

• More Legroom: When you’re 4’11” like me, legroom isn’t a big deal, but when you have an active toddler in the mix? It’s kinda a huge deal.

• Nicer Bathrooms: Complete with much-needed cologne and lotion. This came in handy when Will threw up and the three of us had to jam into the bathroom to clean him off and change his clothes.

• Layflat Seats: A total game-changer. They’re super comfortable and if you’re not sharing with a wriggly toddler, I can totally see exiting the plane refreshed as opposed to looking like you’re stumbling out of a NOLA drunk tank after Mardi Gras.

On the way home, we landed in Istanbul around 11:00pm. Will woke up and immediately began howling as we dashed across the airport which is approximately the size of San Bernardino County to board our flight home.

Because we had a diplomat on our flight, we had to go through another security check before boarding. Will was screaming in my arms and I was told I need to be wanded and pass my exhausted son over to our niece.

Ma’am, I’m wearing leggings and a tank top. There are precious few places I can hide something. You can’t just wand me while I’m trying to comfort my kid? I promise you, I don’t have a shiv in my kid’s diaper.

Sixteen hours of travel time is tough no matter what but traveling business class makes it suck less.

This has basically become my new life philosophy - Embrace the things that make it suck less because eventually, it is gonna suck.

The 40th Circle of Hell: Jet Lag

The hardest thing about traveling internationally was getting Will used to the time change.

John and I are champs when it comes to time change - you land, you go hard on the first day and you crash that night after a good glass of wine and a hot shower.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t really apply to toddlers.

We arrived in Paris at 10:00am and Will didn’t go to bed until midnight for the first two nights. In case you’re wondering what it’s like to be up for 40 hours straight and calm an overtired toddler who keeps yelling “nap” but won’t actually sleep?

It is hell.

It is the 40th circle of hell, well past Satan using Julius Caesar as a chew toy. Well past a MAGA Rally and far beyond trying to find parking in the Trader Joe’s lot the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

There is a reason that sleep deprivation is considered a torture technique and I can promise you right now that the average toddler does not give a shit about the Geneva Convention.

John strolled Will around the streets of Paris at midnight in the hopes of getting him to sleep and despite having a crib in the room, Will slept in between us. We are not co-sleepers but any port in a Cat 5.

Three Days in Paris

Our first stop was Paris where our whirlwind, self-guided tour of the city had us walking 23 miles in three days.

It isn’t enough. You fall in love with Paris in ten minutes but you really need…a lifetime to get to know her.

We took the funicular up to Sacre Coeur on a drizzly, cool day.

I saw this silver statue of Mary and the Child Christ and since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mary and her Son and mothers and their children in general.

What do you do after your child is gone? How do you find the strength or even the desire to continue?

To the world, Jesus was divine but to Mary? That was her baby.

I thought about her grief, grabbed my son tight and said a prayer of protection in this holy place…and I am not the praying type.

If I ever see Pieta in person, I’ll likely break into sobs.

We sailed down the Seine past Notre Dame and I had the worst diaper-changing experience of my life. Fun fact - tour boats do not come equipped with air-conditioned changing stations and you’ll have to figure your shit out (literally) as you change a child while he stands in a stifling hotbox of a public restroom on a boat.

We wandered the grounds of the Louvre but didn’t go inside because no-one wants that - not a toddler, not his parents and certainly not the people who have waited their entire lives and spent money to see one of the most incredible collections of art in the world.

Will danced wild and free in front of the Luxor Obelisk, we traipsed down uneven streets at sunset, we discovered vintage cars, cheese shops and street art.

I drank Bretagne Spritzes by the river and finally understood why Paris truly is the city of love.

Magic in Nantes

Admittedly, our itinerary for the trip was insane - Paris to Nantes to Bordeaux before crossing the border to to San Sebastián to Burgos and finally to Madrid - but we figured it out. Isn’t that basically the crux of parenthood - figuring shit out?

On the way to Nantes, we stopped at a château for lunch and to stretch our legs.

You know, as one does.

I had never been to Nantes before.

I had never heard of Nantes before but it is a gorgeous town and one I cannot wait to revisit

We visited Les Machines de l’Ile where we rode a fantastical carousel that looked like something out of Jules Verne’s fever dreams and then, we rode a giant mechanical elephant straight out of a steampunk Moulin Rouge.

Bordeaux: Wineries with a Toddler in Tow

Bordeaux with a toddler in tow seemed like an insane idea but we made it work. I found a Guardian article about family-friendly wineries and we went from there.

One of our biggest parenting philosophies is that we want Will to act like he’s been there before and feel comfortable wherever he is. It helps if he actually has been there before, so we take him pretty much everywhere.

Granted, there were some places we didn’t think unleashing a toddler was a good idea - like, no-one needs a toddler running around while contemplating Liberty Leading The People - but for the most part, everywhere we went welcomed kids with open arms and little treats.

At Château d’Agassac, our guide Rebecca held Will’s hand through the tour.

And at Château Saint Ahon, Elodie poured us rosé and gave Will some sparkling grape juice so he could be part of things too.

Did Y’all Eat?

We went to France.

Of course we ate.

I actually think I ate better in Nantes and Bordeaux than I did in Paris and honestly, the only down note was the Indian food in Paris.

I know, I know - French cooking is world-class and elevated and high-end and insert whatever colonialist doggrel you want here but Indians know spices and they also know that paneer ≠ brie.

In-Flight Dining: Turkish Airlines - Business Class

In addition to a very welcome glass of champagne and freshly toasted and salted nuts, we served a genuinely fantastic mezze plate with honeycomb, legitimately good tomato-cucumber salad , bread, turkey, peppers, assorted cheeses, olive pate and dried fruit and labneh.

Paris

L'As du Fallafel
La Marais, Paris

In addition to being one of Lenny Kravitz’s favorite eateries in a city dedicated to food, L’As du Fallafel is supposed to have some of the best falafel in Paris and it is delicious…however…

Nomad’s
Saint-Honoré, Paris

I preferred the falafel we picked up to go and ate in Jardin des Tuileries. It had bolder, punchier flavors and I loved the hummus.

Breizh Cafe
Le Marais, Paris

The galettes at Breizh Cafe were delicious - buckwheat crepes stuffed with organic egg, fresh goat's cheese, espelette pepper and the vegetable of the day which just happened to be asparagus and green peas. A perfect food.

Laduree
Paris Rivoli

Will liked the chocolate ones and had no time for the rose nor the pistachio. I liked all of them because, hi - I’m eating macarons in Paris in the summer.

Nantes

I know Paris has a world-class dining scene but the food in Nantes was my favorite.

It’s rustic, simple and delicious - crepes and cider, bread, soup and cheese.

Nutella crepes are the standard but I fell hard for crème de marron - chestnut paste - and ordered it as much as I could.

Will eats in Nantes.

I have never seen him devour fries and roast chicken…or anything with such ferocity. He also discovers that au poivre sauce is a much better fry dip than ketchup.

Bordeaux

Gazpacho

I don’t know which little cafe we popped into for dinner but they had gazpacho with croutons, shaved hard cheese and basil oil and it was pretty great.

Michel’s
Bordeaux

This onion soup was the best meal I ate in France and possibly, the best soup I have eaten in my life.

The Takeaway

I know how lucky I am and I try to vocalize it as much as possible.

Taking a moment, taking a breath, looking around and exclaiming or murmuring or thinking at some point, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”

I certainly didn’t grow up taking European vacations and I lived in Europe.

I’m glad John and I can give our son these kinds of experiences while providing a foundation of love, security and support.

I know Will is too young to form memories and he will not remember this grand adventure we took when he was a toddler but I hope looks at the pictures and the blog post and the home movie and has a fleeting sense of nostalgia - toddling up stone steps in the shadow of a cathedral, devouring buttery roast chicken on a drizzly cobblestone street, cuddling up with his parents and feeling warm, happy and safe no matter where he is.