Eight months ago today - John and I got married. Some would say it's not really an anniversary because it's not a whole year, but October 13th to June 13th is something pretty special. To mark the occasion, we are taking a dinner cruise on the River Seine. First though, what was the day if not  marked by another 14,000 plus steps?

We started with not one - not two - but TROIS pastries from the corner patisserie. We love the woman who works there, her sing song Bon Jour every morning just makes us smile. She laughed as we finally decided on an almond chocolate croissant, a macaroon and a chocolate eclair. We took all three to the steps of a church in the square around the corner and devoured them all along with our lattes. There's something about the foam on coffee here, it's rich and - well - foamy. Nothing like you see back home. After feeling no guilt we set off without an agenda for shopping and browsing in the 1st arrondissement. But before we did, we stopped into the local department store and found some really cool and colorful pulls for our new cabinets. The Paris heat felt much higher than 80F, and this time we kept our water bottles close and managed to find a fountain for refills. I swear the gypsies who sell water on the street are doing the same thing. If you come to Paris -buy your own.

Overall, we walked over 6.5 miles (17,000 steps) and we capped off the day with that aforementioned dinner cruise. What an amazing experience. We saw views of Paris that we never would have been able to accomplish on our own. It was amazing to see all the people lining the river, as well. With food, wine and blankets, it's for sure something we would do if we had more time or even if we lived here!

Everyone on the boat was incredibly supportive when we told them we were on our honeymoon. I knew instantly that the table next to us was a foursome of Italians. They all looked like my relatives, and after I complimented one of the women on her nails, we were immersed in conversation. I asked if they were Italian.

"I'm Sicilian," the man announced proudly and I laughed, telling him so was I! We hit it off and his wife said she was Italian by insertion, so not sure if she knew about her double entendre or not. We had an entire bottle of wine - not as smooth as the last two  - but still delicious. I had to take over pouring as John was a bit tipsy, despite him saying he wasn't. The remnants of the contents of his glass on the table said otherwise.

After dinner, we walked to the top deck and had the most spectacular view of the tower. We managed to find a gay couple who took our picture and told us they were together for 34 years. It was beyond words. In a second, the weather shifted, a lighting flash was seen behind the tower and after the boat docked, it started to rain. John and I walked in the Paris storm - which wasn't a downpour but still we got wet - and I couldn't help but put this memory in my forever remember compartment. Walking in the rain with someone I loved...what a surreal experience. We made our way to a bus overhang, called an Uber and we were home to have - yes - a bit of wedding cake before the sky really opened up and the downpour descended. Listening to the rain on our room's courtyard was the perfect ending to a perfect day.