First Day!

We made it to Paris! Of course not without a few adventures along the way!

To begin, the weight limit for bags traveling overseas is 50 pounds. Emily and I must both be doing something right because both of our bags weighed in at an even 50 pounds! Truly amazing!

We had a late lunch and some great laughs with my parents before having to say goodbye, which was much easier than times recently when I have gone off on my own. We made our way to our gate, and as we were nearing, we heard our voices on the speaker... never a good thing! After running the last few paces to our gate, we made it, safe and sound!

We had a nice, fairly uneventful flight, watching a few entertaining films, trying to sleep, but no one was really successful. 8 hours later, we landed in Paris where we met up with Melissa and the driver who would take us to our hotel! Yes, for the first time in my life, I had a driver meet me with a sign that had my name on it! I felt like a star!

Our van-ride to the hotel was of course interesting, as is driving in any foreign country. Vespas and motor cycles zipping along, all around us, cars moving quickly with no signals, and of course the interesting signs on the side of the road.

We arrived at Hotel Royal Saint Germain, a quaint hotel, that is just perfect for us! We have two small rooms, on the same floor in a very convenient location.

We soon ventured out on the road, stopping for a bite to eat, some sandwiches on some tasty french bread. We walked around, letting ourselves get lost in the moment, literally and figuratively. Amazingly we ended up at one the places we wanted to: the Luxembourg Gardens. We all immediately fell in love with the fountains, grassy lawns and lots of chairs around so that people could enjoy the beauty of the park. Posing by statues and following the pigeons around took up our time as we wandered around the park.

Next, we made our way to Notre Dame! It is always incredible to see those places that you have always seen and heard about, in person. The inside of the Cathedral did not disappoint us. The stained glass windows and the overwhelming size took our breathes away. It amazes me, when standing in a building of such grandeur, how people built this. They did not have cranes, forklifts, nor modern technology, and yet, look at the beauty they created that has withstood the years.

We stood in line for a little while, for the well-worth-it climb to the top. 422 steps later we had an incredible view of the city of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower. We made gargoyle faces as we enjoyed their view from the top of this grand Cathedral. The steps were quite the challenge, up and down, as they were well worn marble spiral stair cases, but we made it up, and down safely, despite the unstoppable shaky feel in our legs.

After that we decided that we "deserved" a small break and enjoyed chocolate milkshakes at a local place where we were able to relax, people watch and plan our next move.

We went to St. Sulpice this afternoon. For those Da Vinci Code reader's out there, this Cathedral played an important role in the story. In the middle of the church was a line that represented where the Prime Meridian used to be before it was moved to England. The church included, again, beautiful sculptures, incredible stained glass and impressive structure. The organ was one of the most outstanding features, as it is one of the largest of its kind in the world.

We wandered through a few more parks and then had an enjoyable dinner, mine consisted of goat cheese and was topped off with some wonderful crepes.

Since our day started, well, a very long time ago, we are all exhausted and came in early this evening. To those of your reading, I really appreciate it, and I hope that you enjoy reading about our adventures. To the many of you who passed on advice about places to visit and things to see, thank you! We are hoping to get as many of those great suggestions as we can while we enjoy the beautiful City of Lights!