Did we stay out too long? How to enjoy Paris while kind of wishing we were home.

Was it one week or two weeks too long? Was it having a comfy house back in Seattle, and old and new friends to return to? We didn’t expect to both hit a wall and just want to go home. And we could barely admit to ourselves that our scheduled stay in Paris felt at first less like a treat, and more like a thumb twiddling time, waiting to be done with our trip.

We have stayed in the 12th 5 times, and on the same street, four times. Three shorter stays at the aparthotel, a night at a hotel and for a month at a private apartment. The hotel is super easy with bicycles, with a secure garage with racks to lock to and easy in out for bike riding days. We do like routine don’t we? We know where the grocery stores are, have our favorite bakeries and our favorite bar, and know which metro entrances and exits are most convenient. This helped us shake off our travel overload, I think. A known environment, favorite places, and it’s Paris! Deep breaths, Paris fun.

With museums, a friend to see, and bicycles to ride around a city which has made so many positive changes to welcome people on bikes – we rebounded quickly. Our travel malaise solution? Acknowledge the issue and then smother it with fun activities!

Over the five years we’ve visited the 12th arrondissement we’ve watched Place Félix Éboué go from an asphalt heavy place for cars to move through, to a years long construction site, and now to a green place for the community to gather and enjoy. History here, of Éboué, the first black French man appointed to a high post in the French Colonies.

I should mention that our apartment hotel, The Adagio, was accommodating and switched our room for us after two nights. We had booked a one bedroom, which has a separate living room/kitchen area and is well laid out if you have a second person on the pull out couch (we did not). However, we were getting noise at 4 am from somewhere. Was it the ventilation system or the breakfast area just below us? We talked to the front desk, they tried to eliminate the noise but it came back so they let us switch rooms to one on the fourth floor from our first floor (second floor for Americans) room. Score another one for a hotel over an AirBNB. Helpful staff on site.

Ok, that was not exactly a magic trick. One last wrinkle in our return to the Haute Savior was Rich’s last minute discovery that we had neglected to make bike reservations on our direct train from Paris to Lyon. The rules about bike reservations, even on the local TER trains change on May 1st. Yikes! No more bike reservations were available on our train and the fine would be hefty. So, the travel planner found an earlier train from Bercy with a transfer in Clermont Ferrand, to Lyon.

Oh did I say final wrinkle already? One more. We discussed whether to change trains and go to Annemasse, or, stay on our comfy train and ride from Geneva to Annemasse (only 10 k) and then up the valley. Oh let’s ride, we said. Almost easier than transferring. Ha! The Geneva marathon had other plans for us. We struggled to clear the train station with all the road closures. Then, on the very nice pathway to Annemasse we had to cross the marathon course twice. Not an easy feat. Had we known about the marathon we definitely would have taken the transfer and train to Annemasse.

Do we still love to travel? Of course! Was seven and a half weeks a bit too long? This time, yes. It’s been fantastic to be home in Seattle, having time with friends, working on our garden, doing local hikes and bike rides, and just enjoying life. And yes, the next trips are already being planned! But it’s hard to beat Seattle for summer time.