Mother’s Day in Paris
Leading up to this trip, we kept saying that the grand finale was getting to spend Mother’s Day together—and in Paris, of all places. Not many people realize this, but Mom and Dad were knee-deep with Tim and me raising our kids. It was busy, fun, and exhausting. We usually traveled as a family, bringing Mom and Dad along—but never just the two of us. As the kids started to leave the nest, we began taking trips with just Mom and Dad, but never Mom and me. I’m so glad we finally made this happen. It’s our first mother-daughter trip, and I really hope it’s not our last. I’ve been holding on to the little moments, knowing how special this time is.
I woke up early while Mom was still asleep and started writing. I had so much to say, I ended up breaking it into two—one about why we picked Paris, and one just for Day 1. We’ve packed in so much already, we were starting to forget the little things.
I knew the whole point was time together, but writing it all down felt like the best gift I could give. One day we’ll want to remember every laugh, misstep, and little moment we didn’t see coming. And who knows—maybe someone else planning a trip will find a few fun ideas… or learn from a few of our mistakes. This is my Mother’s Day gift to her.
Our Last Breakfast
I continued working on the blog while we sat down to breakfast. I ordered my usual latte, but it wasn’t quite right at first. Then—like magic—Reana, my favorite latte maker, showed up about 15 minutes later, noticed the mistake, and brought me the perfect café latte. Mom had already been served her French press and was happily sipping away.
We shared scrambled eggs, fresh-squeezed orange juice, fruit, yogurt, and a basket of pastries and bread. While we ate, we talked about who to tip and write notes to. We even got envelopes from Valérie at the front desk, and that’s when we learned our latte maker’s name was Reana. We lingered for hours, talking, laughing, and soaking in the moment.
Shopping at Galeries Lafayette
We eventually pulled ourselves together and headed to Galeries Lafayette. We’d heard so much about this iconic department store and couldn’t leave Paris without seeing it. Built in 1912, it’s absolutely stunning with its Art Nouveau glass dome and grand balconies.
But wow—it’s huge and overwhelming. Everything is arranged by color and style, and you’re not meant to dig. The clerks come to you and genuinely want to help. I was hunting for a simple khaki or oatmeal sweater, and they worked so hard to find it. You feel bad when they come up empty, because they really try.
Famous Rooftop & Lunch
We made our way up to the rooftop for the views—legendary. Paris stretched out in every direction, and the Eiffel Tower stood proud in the distance.
We decided to grab lunch at Créatures, the rooftop restaurant overlooking the Opéra Garnier. We had fresh, vibrant food and a breezy view of the city. Afterward, we did a bit more shopping to find Emma some cute PJs.
Return to Hotel
Part of our plan was to get some exercise each day, so we wanted to walk back from Galeries Lafayette. My battery was running low because I’d spent so much time working on the blogs, I didn’t notice my phone needed a charge—so I had Mom handle Google Maps. Oopsy.
Turns out there are two listings for Hôtel Pas de Calais—one with hyphens, one without. Mom picked the wrong one, and just as it said we were a few minutes away, I looked around and said, “This doesn’t look right.” She realized why.
We called an Uber and ended up with our favorite driver of the whole trip—just a happy, friendly guy who turned the mood around. Back at the hotel, we started to unwind when Hunter FaceTimed to wish us a happy Mother’s Day. Mom then FaceTimed Dad, and we got caught up sharing every moment of the trip like we had all the time in the world. Then I glanced at the clock. It was 5:45. The exact time we were supposed to be at the Eiffel Tower.
Grand Finale dinner at Madame Brasserie
Cue the chaos. We threw ourselves together. I wore my brand-new dress from Suzanne (from Bon Marché), and we rushed downstairs to call an Uber—only for the app to crash. Then, out of nowhere, my Apple Watch said, “Meet your driver.” Somehow, we were back on track.
Our driver didn’t speak English and dropped us at the base of the tower. Our tickets said Entrance #1, but we found ourselves at Entrance #2. Cue more scrambling as we circled the base, dodging pickpockets and scammers. Once inside the fence, we passed through security—only to find out we had to cross back again to get our dinner reservation and elevator tickets. Thankfully, we were given an escort and walked back over to Entrance #1.
We made it in. Barely. We squeezed into the jam-packed elevator (masks on), and finally arrived at Madame Brasserie. We didn’t get a window seat, but we were close enough to soak in the view.
The multi-course meal was delicious. They took professional photos of us, which was really nice—but we didn’t buy them. They looked a lot like the ones we got on the Seine River cruise, and we didn’t need duplicates.
Toward the end of the meal, we struck up a conversation with the couple, Pat & Roland, seated right next to us—because honestly, you’re practically in their laps. Turns out they were from New Jersey, near where we lived when my sister was born. He was a doctor and even rattled off the name of the doctor who probably delivered her! Even crazier—they often stop in Florence, South Carolina, on their way to Florida and eat at Victor’s. He said it’s his favorite restaurant and he makes a point of stopping there. Small world. We had a lot of laughs, and before we left, they asked for Mom and Dad’s contact info so they could stop in and visit sometime.
Packing and Thank Yous
We headed back to the hotel, packed up, and set our alarms for 5:00 a.m. While packing, we finished writing our thank-you notes and tucked the tips into the envelopes we’d prepared that morning—one for Reana, and one for Valérie.
While Mom was packing, I took a quiet moment to write a personal note in her Mother’s Day card and tucked it into her carry-on. I ended it by saying how much fun we had—and that we definitely need to do Part Deux.
Happiness is Possible 