Kathy goes to Paris...alone!

Well, I'm doing it...heading to Paris ALONE for one week!  Am I excited (YES!), am I nervous (YES!), am I crazy (I hope NOT!), am I counting down the days until September 28 (YES!).  Lot's of people have asked why I'm doing this, and I'm not sure I can really answer that other than to say I just feel that it is something I NEED to do (and I have felt that way for a while).  I think Gary was tired of hearing me say I wanted to go solo to Paris, so one day he just said "stop talking about it and just book it!"  I didn't waste a second...I ran right to the computer and booked that flight!

I love Paris so much, and feel so comfortable there...I'm not sure I'd consider traveling alone to another city that I didn't feel so comfortable in.  But I "get" Paris...I feel comfortable navigating the Metro (in fact, I LOVE the Metro!), I understand how the city is laid out...and I have enough French language skill to get around, be understood, and understand others - my pronunciation leaves a bit to be desired, but I took French all the way from 2nd grade to 12th grade, so my vocabulary is pretty good (rusty, but the foundation is good!).

My grandparents took me to Paris for 6 weeks when I was 7 years old (I had my 8th birthday there  that summer in 1964) and I have all the photos/slides that my grandfather took that summer (some of which I'll share on this blog!).  I am itching to retrace some of our steps from that trip.  Amazingly, my Opa labeled every single slide with the date and the location.  I want to visit our apartment at 27 Rue de Tocqueville, I want to visit the building that housed an indoor swimming pool where I took swimming lessons (sadly, no longer a pool though),  I want to sit in Parc Monceau where I learned to jump rope, I want to watch the children float boats in the big pond in the Jardin du Luxembourg like I did frequently in 1964, I want to savor a "citron pressé" at La Rose de France restaurant, I want to enjoy a croque monsieur sandwich at Au Pied de Cochon and a bowl of onion soup at Au Chien Qui Fume and see if they still have all the pictures of poker playing dogs on the wall that intrigued me as a child.  I loved my grandparents fiercely and have always felt their presence when I've been in Paris on other trips...but this trip I want to saturate myself in memories and wallow in their love for me and my love for them!

Apparently I am not alone in my desire to try solo travel as I have read several news articles recently about the huge increase in women traveling alone.  Women over 50 are the fastest growing solo travel demographic.  " Solo traveling is empowering.  It's an incredible way to build confidence, self-reliance, and discover self-assurance.  Plus, solo travel offers the opportunity to deal with and overcome challenges, which can offer an empowering boost."  (And I have to clarify that my desire to travel solo does not reflect at all on how much I love traveling with Gary, and hope to have many more trips together...in fact we have a  trip in the planning stage for Sept. 2025).

So wish me luck, and follow along on my quick/one week SOLO trip to Paris!  (September 28-October 6, 2024).