From Solo Vacation to Friends’ Trip

Elizabeth sighed and settled into her seat on the airplane. She put her book in the side compartment of her pod, alongside the bottle of water and the overnight kit provided by the airline. I can get used to flying business class, she thought. Just then, the flight attendant came up the aisle and offered her a glass of either champagne, orange juice, or water. She took a glass of champagne. “Thank you.”

As she sipped her champagne, another flight attendant handed her a menu displaying the dinner food and wine options. It just keeps getting better. But I wish David were here to enjoy it with me.

This trip was supposed to be a celebration of their 20^th wedding anniversary. They had splurged on business class plane tickets and one week’s accommodation in a boutique hotel a friend had recommended near the opera. It would have been their first time in Paris together. Elizabeth had been there 30 years ago on a high school trip, but David had never been. He had died never having seen the City of Lights.

Five months ago, David had suffered a massive heart attack. She thought about canceling the trip altogether, but her son, Mark, convinced her to hold off. About a month ago, Elizabeth decided that she would go on the trip herself.

This was a big step for her. She had never gone on a solo vacation or trip. Before they had Mark, she and David had gone on their honeymoon to Aruba and a babymoon to Miami. But after that, it was always the three of them when they went on vacation. Elizabeth hadn’t been back to Europe in 10 years, when they had taken Mark to London, tagging along on a business trip of David’s.

She was nervous. She found flying stressful and the thought of being in a big city where she didn’t speak the language was mildly terrifying. She had studied French in high school, but that was a million years ago now. She had put together a list of key phrases that she would need at various points of her trip and tried to memorize them on the plane.

The dinner in business class was exceptional and she enjoyed it with a nice glass of wine. When they dimmed the lights, Elizabeth felt infinitely more relaxed and dozed off. The next thing she knew, it was morning, and sunlight was streaming into the cabin. The crew was offering the passengers coffee and a light breakfast. They were nearly there.

Elizabeth had left Chicago on Saturday night, arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport early Sunday morning. Her friend Marie was a frequent visitor to Paris, so she had given Elizabeth detailed instructions on how to get from the airport into the city by bus. This was much cheaper than taking a taxi, and it gave her a great view of the city as they drove into Paris. The bus dropped her off just a few blocks from her hotel.

She had memorized the portion of the city map around the opera, and it took her just 10 minutes to walk to her hotel. Because it was Sunday, the streets of Paris were pretty empty. She saw Parisians out walking their dogs and only a few cars on the roads. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the temperature was perfect.

She had emailed the hotel her itinerary last week in the hopes that they could accommodate her travel schedule. Thankfully the staff at the reception desk at the hotel spoke English and they were very gracious in welcoming her. Miraculously, her room was ready! While she checked in, the bellhop took her bag to her room.

Elizabeth took the tiny elevator up one level to her room. She made a mental note of the location of the stairs, which would be much more efficient for the duration of her stay. The room was charming! It was decorated with all-white furniture, pastel print upholstery and bedcovers, and tasteful watercolors of Paris on the walls. The bathroom was tiny but serviceable. Her suitcase had been placed on the luggage stand, so she started to unpack her clothes and toiletries. While she was dying to go back out and explore the city on her own, she wanted to get unpacked and organized first, wash up a little, and change her clothes.

While she had slept a little on the flight over, she was a bit tired. She knew that she shouldn’t get into bed now or her sleep routine would be all messed up for the week. The bed did look very inviting, however. Early to bed tonight and she would be right as rain tomorrow morning. Breakfast downstairs was available from 7 to 10 a.m. She had seen the staff cleaning up the dining room following the breakfast service when she had checked in; everything looked and smelled wonderful.

But first things first. After washing her face, brushing her teeth, and changing her clothes, Elizabeth felt almost as good as new. It was time to venture out and explore the city. She had decided that today she would go to the Centre Pompidou. It wasn’t too far a walk from her hotel and it would allow her to get her bearings.

Since she planned to visit a lot of museums this week, she had purchased a six-day Paris museum pass. Elizabeth had minored in art in college and in her marketing job she worked closely with graphic designers. While Paris was known for its classic art and architecture, as well as the French impressionists, she wanted to start her trip by visiting its modern art museum.

Six hours later, Elizabeth made her way back to the area around her hotel in search of a restaurant where she could enjoy an early dinner. Her feet were tired but she felt invigorated. The Centre Pompidou building itself was a work of art, and she had lost herself in the museum’s modern art collection. She had made good use of her first day in Paris; now she was starving.

Walking around today, Elizabeth was surprised at how many stores and restaurants were closed for Sunday. She was pleased to find a brasserie around the corner from her hotel that was open. After a light dinner and a glass of wine, she would be ready to call it a night. She was seated at a small table near the front windows. The entire front of the brasserie was glass, so she had an unobstructed view of the sidewalk and the street. After she placed her food order, she sipped her glass of wine and opened her Paris guidebook. Where should she start tomorrow?

She saw two women come into the brasserie. They were laughing as the hostess seated them at a booth next to where Elizabeth was sitting. Elizabeth heard them speaking English. They sounded like Midwesterners. She overheard one of them jokingly complaining about the Parisians not cleaning up after their dogs on the sidewalk. Elizabeth chuckled to herself. She had nearly stepped in dog poo about 100 times that day.

Just as Elizabeth was working up the courage to speak to them, one of the women came over to her table. “Hi, I’m Michelle. I see your guidebook. Are you an American?” she asked Elizabeth.

Michelle was probably a little older than Elizabeth. She had an open, friendly face.

“Yes, I’m Elizabeth. I’m from Indianapolis,” Elizabeth responded.

Michelle’s face lit up. “I’m from Springfield, Illinois, and my sister Jennifer,” she nodded to her companion, “lives in Chicago. I assume you flew in from Chicago?” she asked.

Elizabeth smiled. She knew they were Midwesterners. “Yes, I arrived just this morning.”

“Well, if you are dining alone and would like some company, you are welcome to join us,” Michelle offered.

Elizabeth thought about it for a second and smiled. They seemed nice and she hadn’t had an actual conversation with anyone since she left home on Saturday. “You are so kind! I would love to join you.” She gathered up her bags and Michelle carried her glass of wine over to the booth.

The waiter came by with two glasses of wine for Michelle and Jennifer. Jennifer spoke to him in French, explaining that Elizabeth would now be joining them at their table. He set up a place setting for Elizabeth at the booth.

“Wow, I’m impressed!” Elizabeth laughed. “My four years of high school French definitely didn’t equip me very well for this trip. Plus, that was nearly 30 years ago!”

Jennifer smiled. “I am lucky enough to get to come here at least twice a year for my job. I was a French major in college, and amazingly it still comes back to me when I am here.”

Elizabeth's initial impression of the two sisters was that Michelle was the type to take life as it comes while Jennifer was super organized and liked to plan things out in advance. They balanced each other beautifully.

Michelle cleared her throat. “Okay, before we go too far down the road with our life stories, I think we need to have a toast.” She raised her wine glass and the other two women did the same. “Here’s to Paris and new friends. Cheers!” The three women clinked glasses and took sips of their wine.

After that, the conversation flowed easily. Elizabeth learned that Michelle was widowed five years ago and Jennifer was divorced. Four years ago, they decided to take annual girls’ trips, going to a different city every time. This was their first time in Paris together, although Jennifer was there regularly for work.

Elizabeth shared the recent death of her husband. Somehow, it was easier to talk about her loss with strangers. She found it refreshing to be with people who didn’t know her as one-half of Elizabeth and David, or as Mark’s mother. She was just Elizabeth.

They talked about their children. Michelle had two daughters and Jennifer had two sons. They discovered that Elizabeth’s son Mark and Michelle’s daughter Emily were both in their second year at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They joked about doing a little matchmaking.

Elizabeth felt comfortable asking them about life after losing a spouse.

“I’ve been on a few dates,” Michelle told her. “But nothing has come of them. If the right man comes along, I would be open to a relationship, but I’m fine with my life right now.” She glanced over at her sister. “Jennifer, on the other hand, has sworn off men altogether,” she told Elizabeth in a stage whisper.

“Absolutely. Except for the occasional booty call,” Jennifer responded.

Elizabeth nearly spit out her wine. After swallowing, she burst out laughing. These women were fun. She had not laughed this hard in months.

Despite the fun they were having, it had been a long day. Elizabeth stifled a yawn as she glanced at the time on her phone. “Oh my, it’s already 9 o’clock!”

“You must be exhausted,” Jennifer sympathized. “We had a one-day head start on you so we’re already on Paris time. You should go get some sleep.”

Michelle added, “You are welcome to join us in our exploration of the city this week—if you like. No pressure. We totally understand if you want alone time to explore on your own. Text me tonight or in the morning and let me know if you want to join us. Oh, and make sure you have good walking shoes. Jennifer doesn’t believe in public transportation or taxis.”

“Our plan is to start at the Louvre tomorrow morning,” Jennifer told her. “After we’ve had our fill of antiquities, we’ll reward ourselves with French pastries and the best hot chocolate in Paris at Angelina’s. Then we can wander through the Jardin des Tuileries and window shop along the Champs-Élysées, finishing at the Arc de Triomphe. By then it should be time to hit a bar and maybe have some dinner.” She paused to take a breath. “How does that sound?”

“That sounds perfect!” Elizabeth responded. “Count me in.” She yawned again. She was crashing.

Jennifer saw this and motioned to the waiter for the check. They settled their bills and headed out of the brasserie. Michelle and Jennifer’s hotel was just a block past Elizabeth’s so they walked her to her hotel.

As they parted ways for the evening, they agreed that Michelle and Jennifer would come by to get Elizabeth at her hotel at 10 a.m. the next morning. They exchanged hugs and Elizabeth went up to her room. As she fell asleep, she was content. More content than she had been in a very long time.

Elizabeth spent the entire week sightseeing with Michelle and Jennifer. They took pictures outside of Notre Dame Cathedral, which was still under repair following the fire of 2019. They enjoyed champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower. They climbed the steps at Montmartre (Jennifer refused to let them take the funicular) to see the Sacré Coeur Basilica. “We have to burn off all the French wine, cheese, and bread somehow!” she told them.

They walked through the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, where they saw the graves of Chopin, Olivia de Havilland, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison. They took the train out to Versailles one day, seeing the Hall of Mirrors and the beautiful gardens. On their last day together, they went shopping at Paris’ high-end department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Most of the clothes were well out of their price range, but they each found some souvenirs to bring home and they enjoyed lunch in the café at Galeries Lafayette.

After a final dinner that night, where they polished two bottles of wine, it was time to say goodbye. Michelle and Jennifer were leaving the following morning, but Elizabeth still had one more day in Paris. They made plans to get together in one month in Chicago at Jennifer’s apartment for dinner. In addition, Elizabeth and Michelle were going to travel together to Ann Arbor in the fall for the University of Michigan parents’ weekend.

They said au revoir that night knowing they would see each other soon. The next day, Elizabeth visited the last two museums on her must-see list: the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée Rodin.

The next morning she was on her way back to Chicago. As the plane ascended over the French countryside, she looked out the window and smiled to herself. What an amazing trip! Her solo vacation had turned into a wonderful adventure where she had made two new friends. She still would have given anything to have been on this trip with David, but Elizabeth felt as if she had begun an entirely new chapter in her life. She picked up her glass of wine and silently made a toast: Here’s to more wonderful adventures.