Itās no secret that Iāve badly missed travelling abroad over the last eighteen months. Itās not that we were always travelling, far from it, but we always knew that we could. And most years we would go abroad three or four times, on a mix of weekend breaks and longer trips.
And this year we wanted a trip for another reason too. It was our 40th wedding anniversary earlier this month and we were keen to celebrate in style. Our original thought had been for a long and exciting adventure, but that went by the board when Covid struck. But when things began to open up a little as this summer progressed, we hit on a Plan B; we would celebrate our anniversary in Paris, where we had spent the first part of our honeymoon. Itās a city we both love and have returned to many times since, but as Audrey Hepburn once famously said,
Paris is always a good idea
Times being what they are, however, we also had a Plan C, with a cancellable UK break booked for the same weekend. It was only a couple of weeks before our planned departure date that we made our final decision to go for Paris and hope that there were no last-minute hitches (government turnarounds on travel restrictions and/or a positive test result for one or both of us) to stop us going.
Thankfully there werenāt, and the trip went smoothly and was all we had hoped, and more. Paris was fabulous – as beautiful as ever, wonderful weather and Covid measures only a mild inconvenience. We found that the French Passe Sanitaire scheme works well and people on the Metro are far more compliant with mask-wearing than on the Tube, so it actually felt safer than being in London. We were so glad we’d jumped through the necessary hoops to be able to go. And the trip was all the more appreciated as it’s been so long since we were able to travel.
In the coming weeks Iāll share some posts about particular parts of the city we visited on this trip, and no doubt photos taken there will pop up in many future posts. Indeed a few have already appeared in my recent contribution to the Lens Artists Looking Up/Down theme. But for now here is a selection of some favourite photos showing that life on the streets of Paris is, despite everything, largely unchanged.
A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life.
Thomas Jefferson
I visit Paris often; these photos are all from my 2021 trip
34 Comments
Teresa
Wow these are such lovely photos of people. Youāre so good at it! šš»šš»šš» Totally captures the Parisian mood!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Teresa š I love doing this sort of photography and Paris is a great city for people-watching! Thanks too for picking up on this older post from last year – you’ve inspired me to do a follow-up with shots from this year’s visit!
Life...One Big Adventure
Your lovely photos have played hell with my wanderlust!!
Sarah Wilkie
Oh dear, sorry to have had that effect on you! I know what you mean though – I keep reading blogs and thinking ‘Oh, I’d love to go there’ – my list keeps growing and yet most places are still out of reach š
Life...One Big Adventure
Yep – out of reach for us too, but dreams are free.
Sarah Wilkie
Very true – and it will be all the sweeter when we get there, as this visit to Paris was for us!
thehungrytravellers.blog
Lovely Sarah, look forward to reading the rest. Wow 40 years is worth celebrating, and Paris is a wonderful city to celebrate in. Still one of our favourite cities on Earth – we will never tire of Paris. No matter how many times we visit, we come hime having discovered something new, and something fabulous.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you š You’re so right, it’s impossible to tire of Paris!
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Sarah, congratulations on a milestone anniversary, getting to Paris, and your beautiful photographs. I love the dude with the glass of wine and the way the sun illuminates his beard. Great capture. What thoughts must be going through his mind.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Suzanne š That guy was very interesting visually, as you have spotted! When we met him on the bridge my husband asked to take his photo and he posed for him. But I tend to prefer candid shots so after we’d passed and he’d returned to his wine and contemplation of the river, I looked back and grabbed that shot.
Heyjude
Paris is always wonderful and I like your candid photos, though I notice in some of them that you were clocked taking the photo. I hope that I can visit Paris again one day.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Jude š I don’t know about being clocked however – the only one that looks like that is the guitarist in Montmartre, but that was cropped from a much wider shot so he may just have been looking in my general direction, I’m not sure!
Heyjude
I thought that the lady with the pink hair in the mask was looking at you, as is the guitarist. The woman in the mirrored glasses – well who knows what she is looking at! Great photos.
Sarah Wilkie
Gosh no, that lady with the pink hair was a long way away – I used a long zoom on that shot! She was standing there for ages looking around, as if waiting for someone.
salsaworldtraveler
Things can’t be all bad when you have Paris as Plan C. š Its great you were able to get away to such a fabulous city and share the experience with us.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – although Paris was actually Plan B š We didn’t have to resort to Plan C which was for the UK break!
leightontravels
Happy Anniversary, Sarah! Glad to see that you got to celebrate it in a city that you love. Your photos are amazing, so naturally capturing the city and its people.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much š Yes, we both love Paris, and I think visiting so often frees me up to look for different photo opps, not just the obvious sights (although I have some of those to come in future posts)
wetanddustyroads
40 Years … Wow, that is a milestone!! Congratulations Sarah (to both you and your husband) – and what a fabulous place to celebrate this special anniversaryā£ļø. Beautiful Paris and stunning photo’s … I can’t wait to read more!!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for the congrats, and for the kind words about the photos. More on Paris to come for sure!
Anonymous
A PS. Apart from the Audrey Hepburn quote, I think we could also include the one from Rick (Humphrey Bogart) in the film Casablanca – “We’ll always have Paris”.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, and I like Hemingway’s one about ‘a moveable feast’ š
I. J. Khanewala
I miss traveling. And now, with these great street photos, I’m really nostalgic about Paris. Although, I hear from friends that it is as weird as anywhere else now.
Sarah Wilkie
I didn’t find it excessively weird, although I’d worried that I might do so. Some things are different of course – you must wear a mask on the Metro and inside museums and galleries (we only went in one however, as the weather was so good). And when you sit down in a restaurant or cafe, even outside on the terrace, you must show your Passe Sanitaire, as you do when entering a museum or large store. But those formalities apart, life goes on as normal, as I hope my photos show. We were very happy, and comfortable, to be there š
I. J. Khanewala
I suppose that the resolution of the puzzle is that there must be a difference between how visitors feel and the locals.
Sarah Wilkie
Well yes, it’s definitely not normal and a local will be very aware of that, but it’s not weird enough to spoil the experience of visiting. In one way it actually helps, as the city is less busy but that in itself will feel weird to a local.
Amy
How wonderful to visit Paris this year! I love these BnW images especially. The dancing couple is my favortie, I can feel the joyfulness.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy, we felt so lucky to be able to go when it had hung in the balance for so long! That couple were so caught up in their dancing, it was lovely to see š
margaret21
Lovely atmospheric shots. So glad you were able to visit for your special anniversary.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret, I’m happy to have them to share! Paris is so special š
Anonymous
What a lovely selection of photos you’ve given us here – Paris has never looked so lovely (or am I just being sentimental because I haven’t visited for so long? Happy Anniversary and I hope the next one will be spent where you want and when you want, but who knows. I haven’t even been reading the blogs much lately as a very close family member has Covid and is in hospital in an oxygen tent. He’s only 39 and we are all just hanging on hoping.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for taking the time to look. The weather was wonderful, apart from one shower, so Paris was looking its best for sure. I’m so sorry to hear about your relative – I hope all will be well. Sx
Rose
Oh I could hardly wait for this update and am excited to see more Paris! Iām glad things went so wonderfully. And Happy 40th Anniversary! ā¤ Paris is always a good idea. š
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Rose š It was in part because you asked how the trip had gone that I thought I should post a brief report. And yes, it was most definitely a good idea, as it always is!