A First NIght In Paris

I have heard so much about this city over the years, and although obviously very eager to visit, I couldn't help wondering whether or not it would fully live up to my expectations. Well, it did. And more.

On the taxi ride from the train station, I kept getting little glimpses of various parts that make Paris so famous; the Seine, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower just peaking over the other buildings we passed in the distance, and a quick glance down St. Germain Boulevard. And, even while distracted trying to keep the girls' debate about the taxi driver and his dangerous decision not to wear his seatbelt and what would happen to him if he crashed, from reaching the front seat, my excitement about being here grew.

After getting 2 over-tired girls down for a late afternoon nap, we headed out for an evening boat cruise on the Seine. It was a quick Metro ride, and a short walk, before the girls and I saw the Eiffel Tour for the first time in its entirety. Grace was thrilled; skipping and laughing as we walked along the Seine as the sun began to set (even Lily remarked how "hyper" Grace was!)

The boat cruise was the perfect way for us to start our stay; the girls didn't have to walk and loved being on the "ferry", as Lily called it, and it was such a beautiful way to see Paris at night with children. The bridges and buildings were lit up; the most impressive being Notre Dame. By the time we returned to the Eiffel Tower, where the tour had started, it too was all lit up, and to our great surprise, just as we came up the steps from the river at 10:00 pm, white lights flashed on the tower like a huge Christmas tree for a full 5 minutes.

Then, feeling very French, we stopped for an 11:00 pm crepe and coffee on our return to the Metro station. A sleepy, but very content, Grace summed up the experience well with 2 words. I asked her what she thought about Paris and she answered "fancy and distinguished". At that moment, I couldn't have agreed with her more.

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