We started the day with new friends we made in Santorini. Greg Psillakis and his staff were wonderful during our stay. They became lifelong friends in just a few days. Long conversations, tears when we left, and even an invitation to Greg’s wedding in Santorini or Crete.

The driver picked us up at the hotel in Santorini at 10 am for an 11:30 am flight to Athens. An hour later we’re scheduled for a flight to Paris on the Greek airline, Aegean.

So, we boarded the fully loaded flight to Paris in Athens and wouldn’t you know it, the family from hell sat behind us. A bossy Greek wife; a fat, unshaven, big mouthed husband; and two ill-mannered brats that screamed, kicked our seats, and batted poor Pat in the head. Only two hours and we will never see them again, but I really hate these people right now. They don’t care about anything but themselves. I hate selfishness! It’s like flying on a cattle car. I wish I had a button that I could push to make these horrible people disappear!

Ok, the flight is over and we’re back in Paris!!! How wonderful. All our bags showed up and we headed for the exit. Our driver, Antoine, was waiting for us and led us to his beautiful Mercedes sedan. Traffic seemed to be lighter than usual and Antoine told us that it’s a holiday in France for the next two weeks. Some sort of post-Easter holiday that I can’t find on Google. So we will just accept that it’s happening and enjoy the lighter traffic.

We arrived at our apartment next to the Eiffel Tower to find all the roads torn up. It’s not a problem when you’re on foot but when a car is trying to drop you off at the front door, it’s a problem. Antoine dropped us about a block away and we rolled the luggage to the front door. Used the front door code they sent us and entered the building. We were escorted to the apartment and shown all the idiosyncracies, some of which we are still confounded by, but dealing with it is half the fun.

We dropped the luggage off and headed to the Tower and the cafe to get a bite to eat. The Cafe Gustave was one of our favorites when we were here last year and we immediately ran into one of our waiters, Ahmet, who remembered us from last year’s trip. He brought us escargot, foie gras, bread, and wine. Then invited us to meet him at a place by the Moulin Rouge for a drink with him and his girlfriend. It was nice of him to invite us but we probably will thank him and do something else, like go to bed. We came here to enjoy the city but also to relax.

On the way back to the apartment we stopped at a market and picked up a few things. We got back just fine, and while trying to navigate the complexities of getting in this building, I took a step backward on some stairs and fell ass over teakettle to the floor. Pat was horrified and I got up knowing I hadn’t broken anything but my pride. She’s taking care of my bruises and scrapes; she always does. What a dummy I am!

So we are listening to music, doors are open, hearing the bustle of the crowd around the Tower, and waiting for it to get dark so we can enjoy the lights from our apartment. Life is so damn good!