So remember when I mentioned a Valentine's surprise? And then I promptly forgot to write about it?

C told me he'd planned my surprise for the day before we were leaving for the US. I was so busy running around like a chicken with my head cut off in the days beforehand that I barely had time to think about what it was until the day of. All I knew is that it was near Bastille, so I wasn't surprised when late that afternoon, we took the subway over there and then started walking along the quay. Just as I started wondering why we were walking into a homeless camp, we came upon a small dock. At the end of a dock was a boat. As a little background - every time we see any sort of large body of water, I go on and on about how I miss having a boat. Lakes play such a large part of life in Minnesota (they don't call it the Land of 10,000 Lakes for nothing!), and it is one of the things I miss most about the state.

I also love the Seine. It's the closest I can get to the water, and there's something about the light down there that makes it an extraordinarily magical place. So C managed to convince the Seine Authorities to lend him a boat and give me a private boat ride down the river. How awesome is that? After years of being with someone who rarely bought me gifts, I feel so lucky to be with someone who puts so much thought into what he gets me.

So off we went in our little boat - cruising down the Seine. We had the river almost completely to ourselves. How may people can say that??We drove past l'Hôtel de Ville:The Conciergerie:Until we finally reached my favorite Parisian monument, the good ol' Eiffel Tower. I've always had a special penchant for the Eiffel Tower - the Iron Lady kept me company many a night, sparkling outside of my shoebox window. Whenever I was feeling down or wondering what I was still doing in France, I'd only have to look outside and remember how many people would kill to be in my shoes.

We sat there admiring her for a while, but it was getting chilly and technically you're not supposed to stop your boat on the Seine, so we finally turned around and headed back down the other side of the Seine.

Going past all the lovers on Ile de la Cité:
Notre Dame:And arriving back at Bastille just after the sunset:Le Sigh. How did I end up with such an amazing man??