DAY 1: A New Adventure has Begun

I've arrived in Paris. It was a long trip, but so far... no regrets! :)

All three flights were fabulous. After my first flight to Newark, I sat by myself at a restaurant to eat lunch and kill time, since I had a 3 hour layover. A cute, elderly German couple sat next to me. They spoke little english, and I knew very little German, so it was like playing a game of schurades! It was so much fun. After about 45 minutes, they got up to leave the table. I said to them, "Welcome to America! I hope you enjoy your stay!" With big grins on their faces, they each kissed my cheek and left.

After I paid my bill, I walked to my gate to wait out the remaining of the layover. A 30-something year old Italian man sat down next to me. As we began talking, he told me about how he was moving back home to Italy. He had lived in Atlanta for 4 years, and because the economy was not getting better, his vacation days had been cut. He reluctantly quit his job. He said he did it more because of the principle of the matter. Now he was moving back into his parents' house in Rome, Italy.

Because of my trip to Italy in 2008, I told him how much I loved his country. He was very quick to stop me. He told me that although his country is beautiful and has a lot of history, he feels that Italy has not done anything to impact the world in over 200 years. He wants desparately to stay in America and open his own restaurant. He wants to live in a country that makes a difference. He went on for about 30 minutes. At that moment, I was very proud to be an American.

I made a few last phone calls, ("Hi Grandma and Grandpa") and boarded the plane. Everything was perfect. We landed ahead of schedule... which was great for me since I only had a 55 minute layover. That airport was the nicest I had ever seen! The shopping was ridiculous. All I could think at the time, was if William Lucas had been with me, we would have missed the flight, and had been out a lot of money. Customs was a breeze. I don't think the inspector even looked at my passport. I got on my last plane from Copenhagen, Denmark to Paris. In two hours, I was there. Because I have been in that airport now approximately 5 times, I walked confidently to exactly where I needed to be... Baggage Claim.

I waited and waited... and waited and waited. After about 45 minutes, my name along with a lot of french words I did not know, rang over the intercom. From the little bit I could comprehend, I was able to figure out they wanted me to meet someone at baggage claim 4. As soon as I translated the bit I knew in my head, they repeated the sentence in English...and I was much less enthused. The employee who met me informed me that my checked bag did not make it to Paris. I know what you are thinking... that is so awful! But you have no idea how excited that made me! The bag should have landed at 6pm and if everything works out, it will be delivered to my door by midnight. This made traveling to St. Germain by train a whole lot easier.

After taking two trains, I arrived in St. Germain en-Laye. OMG is it gorgeous! I took a few pictures while I waited for the family to pick me up. About 5 minutes later, I hear my name from a lady standing next to the chateau. My family has come for me! I get in the car and am greeted right away by 2 of the boys. One is 3 and is absolutely adorable. He loves to give big hugs and is already clinging to me and begging me to read him stories. The other child was the 9 year old. He has adorable, totally European glasses and is extremely smart and polite. We drove around a bit, got some ice cream, and then went to pick up the only daughter (she's 6) from ballet. Immediately, she ran up to me and gave me a hug and said she had been waiting for my arrival. How cute is that!?! While I was waiting for her to get dressed, an au pair from Ireland walked in the room. She gave me her cell phone number and she is going to introduce me to lots of au pairs this weekend! After she was done dressing, the mother took me to a cell phone store, and I got a new cell number. Lucky for me, the family has free international calling on their house phone, so if I have any emergencies, it won't be a problem! The older one just started middle school and I don't really have to worry about him much. He takes the bus to and from school. I take him to practice once a week. So... there you have it! My first day in Paris!

I took some pictures, but I can't upload them because that chord is in my luggage. Hopefully I can put them up tomorrow! And yes, I am going to bed at like 8:30pm... je suis fatigue!