Jennifer Garner still treasures the memories of a six-week European adventure with her children while Ben Affleck was filming in London. The trip gave the family time to explore beyond the city where he was working, with a little help from Ina Garten.
The 54-year-old actress recalled the getaway during the November 4 episode of Happy Hour With Ina Garten, thanking her friend for a recommendation that became a favorite part of the journey.
Garten’s advice also proved useful years later, when Garner returned to Paris with her eldest daughter, Violet. That visit eventually gave Violet an itinerary she could follow on her own.
Her recollections come as she and Affleck have separately described how they balance parenting with film work now that their children are older.
Garner Took Her Children Out of School for the European Trip
Garner described Affleck’s production as a “Batman-ish” movie without naming the film or specifying when the trip took place. His work brought them overseas, but she made room for several destinations, including Venice and Paris.
Their youngest child, Samuel, was four. Garner temporarily pulled them out of school to make the extended journey possible.
“It was the last time I really took kids out of school, but it was wonderful,” she said, according to PEOPLE.
She remembered moving between cities as a particularly exciting introduction to travel for the children. Her account focused on those experiences rather than Affleck’s work on the movie.
Ina Garten’s Seine Recommendation Became a Paris Tradition
For the Paris portion of the journey, Garten suggested taking a boat along the Seine. Garner recalled sitting low on the water as the city’s lights began to come on, watching the evening unfold from the river.
A gift from Garten also made its way into the family photographs. Garner wrapped Samuel in a purple scarf the cookbook author had given her and sent her pictures from the outing.
The children’s expressions remain a vivid part of the memory. Garner remembered their smiles and credited Garten with helping her give them that sense of adventure.
The excursion has outlasted the original vacation: Garner said she now takes a boat along the Seine whenever she returns to Paris.
Violet Later Recreated a Paris Outing With Her Mother
On a separate trip, Garner accompanied Violet, who speaks French, to a study program in Paris. The two had time together before the program, and Garner contacted Garten when they found themselves near the chef’s apartment.
Garten guided them remotely, suggesting places to eat and shop. They visited Barthélémy, the cheese shop, and La Grande Épicerie, the specialty food store, following the recommendations as they made their way through the city.
The outing also included a soufflé restaurant that has since closed. Garner kept photographs of that visit, remembering the opportunity to spend time with just her eldest child.
When Violet returned to Paris for another period of study, she retraced the route herself, revisiting the places she had discovered with her mother.
Affleck and Garner Have Discussed How They Share Parenting Today
Garner and Affleck married in 2005, announced their separation in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018. Their children are now Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14.
In an October interview with Variety, Affleck described a routine in which the children alternate weeks between their parents’ homes. He said he prefers working in Los Angeles because he does not want to spend their remaining years at home away on location, while acknowledging the privilege of being able to make that choice.
His appreciation for Garner also came through during his October 11 appearance on Sunday TODAY With Willie Geist. As Wealth of Geeks previously reported, Affleck joked that he considered himself about 75 percent as good a parent as Garner. Their children put his performance closer to 40 percent.
Garner has described the practical benefits of their partnership, too. In a July interview with Entertainment Weekly, she explained how Affleck’s support helped her accept The Five Star Weekend.
She had initially declined the series because its proposed Nova Scotia shoot would have kept her away for four months. Producers subsequently arranged to film mostly in Los Angeles, with a month in Nantucket, where Garner could work while the children stayed with their father.