Our Christmas trip to Texas was plagued by weather delays, “technical difficulties,” and inexplicable reroutes by Delta Airlines. A 15-hour travel itinerary ultimately turned into a grueling three-day mess, complete with a lost bag. But there was one highlight along the way: an unexpected night in Paris.

We didn’t have much time, so we made a mad dash for the Eiffel Tower. We came up from the subway stop just in time to see it sparkle.

We snaked through a series of security lines in order to get to the top. The views really were worth the effort, despite the cold — and the crowd.

Ooh lala …

The view from the top.

After that, we hurried for a glimpse of Notre Dame.

Didn’t spot Quasimodo this time, unfortunately.

For dinner, we ducked into the touristy L’Auberge Du Moulin in the Latin Quarter. Surprisingly friendly service, decent food, and I had escargot!

Délicieux.

Though we saw very little, we did just enough to enough to convince me that yes, Paris really is a spectacular city. And I’m glad I got to be there with this guy.