As I write this, I’m in a plane to Cairns.
I got home on Wednesday from Paris and had a day to cuddle the cats and do some errands before setting off again, this time to see family up north. I’m sitting beside my son; This is the first holiday we’ve had together in 11 years. (He runs our business so it has been impossible for the three of us to take time off together since he took over as General Manager.)
But yes, Paris is in the rear view mirror…
I can’t believe a month has passed. I had intended to blog more while I was there but I was more focused on finishing the second Alia Henry book. I vaguely recall that focus was my word for 2026. It’s funny really. My word for the year might as well have been ficus!
I’m editing now and the book, the long awaited (by me) second in the Alia Henry series, will be out in October—a year after I originally hope it would be!
I’m a slow writer and I’ve been so reluctant to focus on one project this year that I think everything has suffered. It’s nearly the end of June and while I’ve been super busy this year, I don’t feel as though I’ve achieved much at all.
But did I mention that I’ve just spent a month in Paris?
Definitely a bucket list experience.
Over 28 days, I averaged 14k steps a day and visited a long list of new-to-me places. Considering this in my 10th visit it’s a reminder that Paris is a huge city with literally thousands of enticing events and sites both in the city and within short train journeys.
I was determined to only visit museums, monuments and places that I hadn’t been to before with a couple of notable exceptions. For example, I hadn’t visited the Louvre alone since 1994 so I booked a timed entry for my first Friday in Paris, the day that the famous museum is open until 9pm.
I spent 6+ hours wandering those hallowed (to me) halls. I was in heaven. By late afternoon the crowds had thinned and I spent a very pleasant hour on the terrace overlooking I. M. Pei’s pyramid. It was a hot day—apparently the first of the year—and the air conditioning already wasn’t up to the task.
The only other monument that I doubled up on was climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe on my last day. I’d did that climb in 2006 with my little boy. It’s fantastic and easy to see that efforts in traffic calming and greening the city have paid off.
Of course I saw the Eiffel Tower—you can’t really miss it. I didn’t climb it though. I’ve done that 3 times.
I finally visited the restored Notre Dame. I’m not catholic but it was a lovely experience. The restored cathedral is spectacular but for me it feels more like Disneyland now than a church. If you want a sacred experience you could visit anyone of the other 160+ churches in the city.
No shade on Notre Dame at all, but I sat in St Germain de Pres (6th) on a very hot morning and it not only felt cool and welcoming but it was exquisite and had a quiet sacredness. 
I had the opportunity to attend some writing workshops and met some interesting people. I also had the opportunity to share my knowledge and love of the city with two women who were visiting either for the first time or for the first time in years.
The human contact we have is always the highlight and I’m confident my passion for Paris rubbed off on both of them.
I was lucky enough to be invited to go out to the seaside by a friend. It was nice to escape the heat wave in Paris.
New places visited include the chateaus of Fontainebleau, Malmaison and Bois-Preau, the chateau and national archeological museum at St Germain en Laye and the dramatic fortress of Vincennes on the eastern edge of the city.
I went to the Anthropological museum and the architectural museum right near the Eiffel Tower and had a toasted sandwich for lunch with an incredible view of the Tower. I finally went to the modern art museum in that same area on a different day. They had a Lee Miller exhibition as well as the jaw-dropping main collection.
I went to special events like the Matisse exhibition and Hilma af Klimt exhibition. I feel like both of these events could’ve been more enjoyable if not life changing if they hadn’t been so many people also trying to see the artwork.
Each day I went to look at something new and amazing. It was fascinating to watch the installation of the JR installation on Pont Neuf and to see the artist deal with severe damage caused by a storm. It was finally complete the day I finished and opened the next day so unfortunately I didn’t get to go inside.
It was a very successful trip and I was indeed ready to come home when the time was up.
But yes, I have already started on my list for the next time I’m in Paris… Rodin’s workshop at Sevres, brunch at Le Train Bleue, a return to L’Orangerie, a bike ride to Versailles… and many more!
Now that my book is finished, I can start thinking about writing some stories inspired by my trip.
You can read my daily journals here on Substack.
