Scallops or Vegetables?

I am happy to report that John and I have successfully made it to the continent of Europe. It was not, however without or fair share of mishaps. The trip began with a two hour delay due to a 'mechanical issue' that was found while inspecting the plane for volcanic ash. Good 'ol volcano still manages to haunt us. They ended up changing planes and all was well.

We arrived to a picturesque Paris day. I don't think we could have asked for better weather. Our taxi driver from the airport to the hotel (operating a Benz I might add) was the epitome of delightful. There was banter back and forth, mostly from his end as he ribbed us for being too lazy to learn French.

The first casualty of the language barrier occured today at lunch when I ordered what I thought was a vegetable sandwich and received scallops and steak instead. Oops. Quite a difference. The look on my face must have been priceless, or at least that's what John says. I suppose no trip to a foreign county would be complete without a blunder such as mine. John sure is enjoying giving me a hard time about it though.

We covered a lot of ground today. We visited the eiffel tower briefly. The line to actually go up is ridiculous so we decided to try another day. We also went to Notre Dame. I did not realize that it is still an active church. The detaling inside is incredible. The stain glass alone is really something to see. From Notre Dame we walked a few blocks to the Jadin du Luxemberg which is a public park that borders that Latin Quarter and St Germain. Today it was packed to the brim, overflowing with families, couples, students who were out to enjoy the nice weather. The landscaping is beautiful. Cookie cutter trees, tulips in vibrant hues of yellow, orange and violet and a large fountain in the middle. Children can actually rent miniture sail boats and race them in the fountain. It was quite a site. John and I strolled the gardens and snacked on some tiramisu gelato from a local vendor. Finally, we ended the day with the Arc de Triomphe. We hoofed it all the way to the top. The view was worth it though. We got there at sunset so the city was beautifully lit with a dim red.

Paris is amazing. I will leave it at that for now. We have been up for almost a day and a half so I'm not sure that any of this will make sense when I read it tomorrow. For now I will say good night as I listen to light murmers of French conversation below me, dishes clanking as folks enjoy evening coffee and enjoy the cool, light breeze as it lofts through the open windows of the hotel room.

More later.

Bonsoir.