at the beginning of the month, five friends and i took a quick weekend girls’ trip to paris!! as it turns out, we fit this in just in the nick of time. within days of our return to london, the whole of france was on lockdown – wild. i am so so so glad we were able to make this little getaway happen – it was delicious. we were all on a total high being in a gorgeous city with dear friends (and no kids!!!), exploring and enjoying and talking (without being interrupted every ninety seconds!). we ate so many yummy foods and treats and just had the best time together. we had all been to paris several times before so we could just take it easy, strolling around and hitting up some spots on the less-beaten path. looking back at this trip now it definitely feels like a dream. i am so grateful for these wonderful friends and for the time we had together before our lives started changing dramatically. (covid-19 things happened so quickly after our return with families self-isolating, so i haven’t seen these friends since we got back from paris.)

we took the eurostar train from london to paris early on saturday morning. for some weird reason the first-class tickets were cheaper than the regular ones, so we enjoyed the bit of extra luxury 🙂 for part of the journey we all six smooshed into four seats and had a little surprise baby shower for our friend drew. she’s having a baby in april and she has had the hardest pregnancy ever. i am seriously in awe of this woman and how she has navigated the past few months with intense hyperemesis gravidarum while caring for her two small girls. so glad we got to celebrate her and her new baby a little bit.

here’s what six moms’ faces look like when they get off the train on a sunny day in paris without their twelve small children…!

we headed through the charming streets of the marais district en route to our airbnb.
 
then ate the most amazing street falafels for lunch. soooo yummy.
 
we headed to the marmottan museum, which is a total delight. brooke was so thoughtful and asked the employees there if drew could borrow one of their wheelchairs. it was perfect! and made us all laugh.
 
 
the downstairs of the museum is covered with soothing, stunning monet paintings. it feels like a little peaceful, beautiful world.

we went to say hey to the eiffel tower (and cracked up at the queues of influencers taking “candid” photos). drew had some pregnancy company with jess, who is due in june! can’t wait to meet both of those babies.
 
then we walked to the arc de triomphe. we went to the top and watched the eiffel tower sparkle from up there. it was totally magical and so fun.
 
 
we seriously ate so much on this quick trip, haha. when in paris! i’m not going to tell you how many crepes we bought that night at this amazing creperie close to our airbnb. it was … a lot. and they were all savoured.
 
we stayed up way too late talking, just relishing in this opportunity to really talk!! we are all good friends (we became close doing joy school together last year!) but how often do we get to actually hold a significant conversation with each other? because of our kiddos, not too often. so we talked and talked and talked (and laughed and laughed!) cuddled up on the airbnb couches.
the next morning we walked to church, with pretty sights along the way.
 
and tucked in to some amazing pastries and cakes afterwards. while i was eating one of these little beauties i kept saying over and over, “this is literally one of the most delicious things i have ever eaten in my life.”

sara, brooke and skye headed home early sunday afternoon, and drew, jess and i stayed until sunday night. we leisurely walked around paris’s gorgeous charming streets,
 
and then sat in sainte chapelle talking for several hours, watching the light change the stained glass and the room as clouds rolled by outside. that spot is one so stunning – we had all been there before but were still blown away by its beauty the second time around.

we walked by notre dame and went to shakespeare & co bookstore, found some yummy dinner and strolled along the seine, and then headed to the train!
 

we all knew this trip was great while it was happening, but we couldn’t have anticipated how great it would prove to be in retrospect as we’ve entered this historic time with coronavirus. this girls’ getaway refreshed and brightened all of our spirits and was totally unforgettable.