Day 5 - My Favourite Memory

My favourite memory is my 30th birthday on July 11th. We saved up for a year for my first trip to Europe. It was a trip to see the art, architecture, cities & sights I had dreamed of seeing from the time I was a child. We landed @ Schipol airport in Amsterdam and then we took the high speed train to Paris. As we entered Paris, Chris told me that for my birthday present he had a limosine waiting for us. I said,
"Wouldn't it be great, just like a movie, if the driver was holding up a sign with our name on it?" Guess what happened!!!! Our massive name was on a white card! The Sicilian driver lead us to the car, and as I left the train station I looked back at the facade of Le Gare du Nord and the tears started streaming down my face... it was ornately carved with sculptures and columns... unlike anything this small town girl had ever seen before... I put my sunglasses on and cried all the way down the Champs-Elysées, under L'arc de Triumph to the Hotel Claridge Bellman, because of the beauty of the architecture, blaconies, cornices, the gold covered ornaments on the Pont Alexandre III bridge, the Seine... We unloaded our luggage in our small hotel room. The wall paper was a burnt saffron colour portraying a pastoral scene, and had a matching duvet cover. This type of decor could only be successfully pulled off in Paris. We decided to explore and chose a restaurant near our hotel, La Fermette Marbeuf 1900 and had a fabulous dinner. For dessert, Chris had the Creme Brulee and a cappuccino. Then we decided to go for a walk, and crossed a bridge and saw the Eiffel Tower. We went up it in the elevator, and the lights on the bridge began to sparkle as dusk fell. There was a warm summer breeze as we enjoyed the view of Paris at night. This is my favourite memory of the happiest birthday of my life. It couldn't have been more perfect.