My Trip of a Lifetime

Posted on   May 11,2023   By Linda Compisi

What is the definition of a trip of a lifetime?

I think it means different things to different people. Read on to understand why this was mine.

A couple years ago, my daughter, Aimie, and I were attending an exhibit of Monet masterpieces in a San Francisco art museum. She grew up loving art and flowers so Monet is a perfect love for her. As we wandered through the exhibit, she expressed her regret that her all male family have no interest in these things. We were admiring “The Water Lilies” from his flower garden in Giverny. We talked about her dream of traveling to visit Giverny one day. It occurred to me that I could help her fulfill this dream and enjoy the adventure with her. We started talking about it and it seemed like a very possible thing for us to do.

The more we discussed the possibilities, the more excited we both became. As we started planning and choosing the best time to go, we realized that if we were to go in the Spring, we could include travel to Amsterdam and see the tulips blooming. We are both crazy about tulips. Why not? So, that made planning the dates much more focused. We researched the best viewing dates for the tulips in the famous Keukenhof gardens and began planning in earnest.

We now had a double focus. It then made sense to fly into Paris. Ah! Paris in the Spring! April!  April in Paris! Ok, we were really onto an amazing adventure now. After many iterations of our schedule, we chose to fly into Paris, take the train to Amsterdam and return to Paris. We spent hours arranging flights, train tickets, hotels, tours, etc.

But life happened and so did 2020. All our plans cancelled and our spirits plummeted. We vowed to each other that we would do it the following spring. The following year, the ramifications of Covid persisted especially in France. Things were looking a little dim on the travel scene; moving, graduations, and job demands began to fill the calendar for 2021. But in 2022, we were able to find a period of time when we could squeeze our 2-week trip in when it coincided with the “tulips”. We rescheduled out entire trip as originally planned. So exciting!!

We arrived in Paris and headed right to the train station where we boarded and were in Amsterdam in no time. We scheduled the Tulip tour in advance because we had heard the tickets sold quickly. We researched tours and reserved a small tour group to Keukenhof. It is about 72 acres and contains over 7 million bulbs of all colors and varieties, planted yearly; unbelievably gorgeous! Leaving our hotel, it was raining but as we came closer and closer to the tulip fields the sun became brighter and the skies bluer. It was a beautiful day and certainly one which neither of us will ever forget.

We were entranced with Amsterdam. We enjoyed a canal tour and toured the Anne Frank House. We walked and walked. We couldn’t leave without seeing the infamous Red-Light district. All in all, we had an amazing time exploring. The three days we were there went way too quickly and we were back on the train headed for Paris before we knew it.

Ah, Paree! As our Uber drove from the train station to our hotel, we had a quick view of the opera house (Opera national de Paris), the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe.

We arrived at our lovely hotel. As is common in Europe, the elevator fit me and a suitcase. Aimie dragged her case up to the third floor. She is a strong woman, luckily. We were directed to a nearby restaurant and had a magnificent late night (for Americans) dinner. It was hard to think about sleep with the excitement of Paris laying before us but…We started our first day retrieving our four-day museum pass. Again, we walked and walked. We each had a list of places we wanted to ensure we did not miss. We started with the tiny Picasso Museum. It was so interesting and informative. We then enjoyed a “crepe” restaurant. We have always been fans of the crepe style of cooking. And we wandered. It was just exciting to walk and take everything in. I could give you the entire schedule but I will just throw out a couple of my highlights.

We went to the Rodin Museum which is practically in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. I never had an appreciation before but after touring the museum, I am a fan and in awe of the amazing talent. We had reserved a couple tours in advance. One of which was the Eiffel Tower Tour. I say it was well worth it. Arranging tours ahead saves you from standing in long lines and the guides are always full of inside stories. We arrived at about 4 in the afternoon and had the tour and then were left to wander and take pictures. It so happened sunset occurred and there is a champagne vendor at the top. We shared a toast at sunset and watched the city turn its beautiful lights on. So amazing!

The next morning, we set out for Monet’s Garden at Giverny. It was an early morning but so well worth it. Again, another prearranged small tour.  We arrived at the hour that the garden opened to the public. We had the whole place to ourselves. They gave us a quick tour and let us wander. There was no one around and it was magical. After we were fully sated, we toured his house and headed back to the city. While touring, we learned that the original paintings from his house were actually moved to a private museum in the city. We headed there. It was so amazing. No crowds, lots of Monet’s. Crazy.

We made our way to Sacre Coeur. We did a Seine River cruise, viewed Notre Dame, closed to the public since the fire. We, of course, did the Louvre and the Musee de l’Orangerie and several others, I lost count. We were there at the start of Easter week and attended Palm Sunday services at the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Pretty moving experience.

We, of course, dined along the way.  Our goal was not to dine at Michelin restaurants but just taste local treats along the way. I have to admit one of favorites was retreating back to the restaurant near our hotel relaxing after long days of sightseeing. One of our targets was to visit the most famous macaron cafe in Paris, Laduree. We had a very long, luxurious lunch which of course, included the famous macarons for dessert. Naturally, we did leave with several dozen as souvenirs. However, I’ll admit mine never made it to anyone but me.

We ended up with a little extra time and thought we owed it to ourselves to tour Versailles. It was not a highlight for us. It was a very hot day. It is a very crowded place. Although, the tour guide did provide interesting information we could not wait to escape the crowds and meander through the extensive grounds and back to “our” city.

Final thoughts:

Covid was surprisingly, still a factor in travel at that time. We had to test before departing. There were little test stations scattered throughout the city, making testing very easy.

I felt the time slip through my hands way too quickly. And we were back on the plane to our real lives.

A couple take aways: Do your homework. Find a hotel in the center of where you want to tour. Check out small tours available in the area and sign up early. Most tours you can cancel until the last minute. Remember the season and the reason of your travel, if it matters, to ensure what you want to see can be seen, for example, tulips. Travel light, you carry your suitcases most of the time, sometimes up several flights when elevators don’t work.

There is so much more to experience in Paris/Amsterdam and I hope my daughter makes the time to return.

What made this a trip of a lifetime for me? Was it Amsterdam? The tulips? Was it the City of Light and all it has to offer? No. Spending that precious time with my daughter which is irreplaceable. I treasure every moment we shared. To me, that is a trip of a lifetime.