Arriving in the Ville de la Lumiere!!!! 9/19

We made it!!!!

I actually slept through most of the flight,until they turned the lights on an hour before landing.WOW,I was way groggier than I had expected.But,Giles was still there when I woke up:)

Forgot to mention,he hadn't told ANYONE that he was planning this,including his family in Paris that I was staying with. he claimed he was staying at a hotel nearby,as he didnt want to crowd them. I felt like this would be a bit strange,but oh well,at least he was there.

We saw the Eiffel Tower as we were landing-it was PARIS!!!!!!

Anyway,we landed,and got turned around in the airport. Charles de Gaulle is very confusing...they only had us go through a passport line but no customs/baggage check. Luckily,they had free luggage carts-we had a TON of bags between us. I got to use French immediately,and managed to successfully tell a cab driver where we were going! The joke was on me though-he figured out that we didnt know our way around and took us the long way into the city,cost 45 Euros to Giles hotel. We drove right under Arc de Triomphe,and by the Eiffel Tower,

I dropped him off,and went to Mark(his brother) and Laura's (sister in law) apartment. They are literally right next to the Tower,and right on the Seine facing the Trocadero fountains(the ones you always see in pics of the ET).Laura was home alone,so she showed me arond,then Mark and the kids came home. We all chatted for a few,then I crashed for a couple of hours. I was WAY more tired than I thought I would be.

PS-they still didnt know about my surprise at this point!!

I went out a few hours later,met up with Giles at his hotel,and we went walking around the area(7th arrondisement). We saw the tunnel where Princess Di was killed:(

As we were heading back to the apt., a guy holding a piece of thread approached us. He started to wrap it around Giles' wrist.Giles pulled away and the guy kept following. I screamed, NON, loudly. the guy started chasing ME and said,whats your problem??? Gile was getting in his face and trying to get him to leave me alone. Then the guy yelled "F*** you!!!" Other people were staring,so i said,"Guess HE knows English!!"

We went to the apt,and Giles walked in behind me,like it was normal for him to be there. Laura came out of the kitchen and was talking to me,then she saw him and was completely surprised!! The kids came running up to him,esp. his nephew,Jack.Mark was shocked,too. It was great!!!

So we stayed and visited with them for a while,and we had dinner on their patio/balcony overlooking the Seine. Then we went out and up the Eiffel Tower at night!!!! It was fantastic-its so much larger than I had expected.The lines were lengthy,but we got to see it sparkle on the hour a few times.

Afterwards,we walked along the Seine,and Giles bought me a crepe-it was delicious!!!

And that was my first day in Paris:)