In less than three weeks, my husband, son, and I will begin our 10-day Paris to Lille to Brussels vacation. Our daughter is studying abroad in Lille for the summer, and she will join us in Paris for the first weekend of our trip.

I’ve never been to Paris. I didn’t realize how badly I want to go until we started making plans for the summer. We talked about several travel options — US trips to the Pacific northwest, the redwoods, or Montana; a split trip between England and Belgium to be near our daughter in Lille; Paris and Brussels for the same reason. A few weeks ago, we saw a French swing artist, Tatiana Eva Marie, play, and as an introduction to one of her songs, she spoke about the eerie quiet of Paris during the pandemic. She said, it was all wrong. The streets of Paris are meant to be filled with life and laughter and lovers. I thought, that sounds like my kind of place. I need to be there.

Of all the travel options we talked about, Paris was the one that made my heart zing. This surprised me. I didn’t know I cared so much. The excitement I feel is — I don’t know how to describe it. It is fresh and boundless. Unlike any other travels I’ve done in recent years, I find myself researching where I want to go and what I want to do — gardens, art, food — and wanting to immerse myself in the place before I even get there. I’m studying maps and trying to learn at least a little bit of French.

And of course, I’m reading. I checked out Julia Childs’ My Life in France. She made me want to pick up and move right away. I told my husband, once we visit, I’m pretty sure I’m going to want to live there. I read Janice MacLeod’s Paris Letters, which also convinced me I’m going to want to spend considerable time in Paris, more on the scale of weeks or months than the 3 days we’ll be there. I re-read Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast and Dan Browns Da Vinci Code, and I’m considering re-reading The Paris Wife and The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I don’t think I’d ever realized how many of my favorite books were set in Paris. I’m looking for more if you have any recommendations.

Do you know Paris? Have you been? We’ll be staying in the Montmartre district. The thing I don’t know where to begin on is food. I want to eat good food and drink good wine. And see beautiful gardens. And art. And maybe even hear some live music, if you know any good jazz clubs.