Having been to Paris before, I did not anticipate the powerful reaction I would have to seeing it again upon arrival. This time I arrived at night in the back of a taxi and, as we came into view of all the recognizable landmarks, I was awestruck by the beauty of the well-lit city. On the freeway coming from Charles de Gaulle airport, I caught a glimpse of Sacre Coeur lit up on the hill at Montmartre. It was like a beacon watching over the city. As we wound our way through the narrow streets in search of the hotel, the cab driver had to laugh at me in the back of the taxi as I made appreciative gestures and sounds everywhere we went...Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triomphe, Charles de Gaulle l'Etoile, Champs-Elysees, the many bridges along the Seine...I couldn't wait to get out and explore the next day!
I have to pause for a minute to say that getting to Paris did not go exactly as planned. Mike made it all the way to Heathrow (over an hour from our flat) and realized as we parked that he was missing his briefcase containing his laptop and passport! He had grabbed the trash and, with his hands full, had not noticed that he was missing a bag. As it turned out, I went on ahead to Paris and he had to reschedule for the first flight out the next morning and go straight to his meetings. He made it with no time to spare and all is well but he is NOT happy with himself. I cannot point a finger here because I know I have left behind a purse on occasion when my hands are full!
My plan had been to spend the day in the Louvre but it was such a beautiful day that I couldn't bear to be indoors. Instead, I took the metro to the center of Paris and began a walking tour that took me by the Opera house, past some great shops, to the Place de l'Etoile for a view down the Champs-Elysees. From there I entered the Garden of the Tuileries and pulled up a reclining chair by the fountain to watch the world go by for a while. The Tuileries Garden took me right up to the Louvre for some pictures and a stroll through the courtyards before exiting at the other end.
Next stop, Sainte-Chapelle for a look at the beautiful windows and then on past Notre Dame before crossing the river again to walk past The Hotel deVille, housing the administration buildings of Paris. Now my feet hurt so it was time to do some shopping with a purpose - socks! With that settled, the next order of business was food. By the time I emerged from the shopping centre, my sunshine was gone and I continued on in the rain, but just for a while. From the Palais Royal, I hopped on a city bus that took me north to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur up close and appreciate the view of Paris from up there. After snapping lots of pictures and working my way down the hill through crowds of people, I found the nearest metro stop and called it a day.
Time to meet Mike at the hotel and get dinner. And what a dinner it turned out to be! Right as our main course was being served my cell phone rang. Clearly, I don't get many calls over here on my cell phone so I knew it was one of the kids and picked up right away. It was Amy and Rick with the news that he had proposed to her - sooooo exciting!! Rick proposed to Amy in a vineyard they discovered between San Sebastian and Barcelona in Spain - how romantic! Apparently he had planned to propose in Venice on a gondola ride but he couldn't wait - even more romantic! He dropped to his knee twice and the second time the proposal followed. I guess the first time Amy was distracted with the scenery and threw off his timing so he pretended to be posing for a picture instead - love it! I asked for a picture of the ring and it is a beauty! He did a great job and we are excited to welcome him into our family.
There was no sleeping for me that night! Megan called and then posted her congratulations to facebook. I was amazed at how fast the news spread. It was fun watching all the well wishes roll in...so many wonderful friends and relatives out there giving love and support!
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