CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

The couple who met at the top of the Eiffel Tower

偶遇：在埃菲尔铁塔相遇的一对

Francesca Street, CNN • Published 23rd February 2022

Parisian love story: American conference attendee Dan Giedeman met Swiss visitor Esther Wieland by chance at the top of the Eiffel Tower in September 1998. The two spent the rest of the day wandering around Paris together, sparking an enduring cross-continental love story.Graphic by Alberto Mier. Photos courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

巴黎爱情故事：1998年，来参会的美国人丹偶然在埃菲尔铁塔上遇到了瑞士游客艾色。两人当天一起在巴黎游玩，开启了漫长的跨越美欧两洲的爱情故事。

First conversation: Dan first approached Esther on the viewing platform, asking if she would take his photo. "Dan seemed a little bit awkward when he spoke to me, which put me at ease," Esther tells CNN Travel. "And I liked his eyes." Here's that photo of Dan, taken by Esther.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

第一次交谈：丹第一次在观景台上走近艾色，问她能否给他拍照。“丹和我说话时好像有点腼腆，这让我很放松，”艾色告诉CNN旅行记者。“我喜欢他的眼睛。”这就是艾色拍的丹的照片。

Paris wandering: After walking around the viewing platform, Dan and Esther had lunch together. Later they wandered around the Jardin de Luxembourg together. They asked a passerby to take this photograph.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

巴黎同游：在观景台上漫步之后，丹和艾色共进午餐。后来他们一起在附近的卢森堡公园游玩，他们让路人拍了这张照片。

Saying goodbye: That evening, the two swapped addresses and said goodbye at the train station. They hoped they would stay in touch, but didn't know. "We thought that might be the last time we saw each other," says Esther.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

分别：当晚，二人交换了地址，在火车站分别。他们希望能保持联系，但是谁知道呢！“我们想那也许是彼此最后一次见面，”艾色说。

Long-distance letter writing: Following their first meeting, Dan and Esther each sent one another postcards of the Eiffel Tower. This kickstarted a letter-writing friendship that eventually became a cross-continental romance. They also visited one another in the US and Switzerland.

长途书信：第一次见面后，丹和艾色相互寄了一张埃菲尔铁塔的明信片。这开始了他们的书信之谊，并最终成就洲际浪漫。他们也在美国和瑞士见面。

A Venice proposal: Dan and Esther got engaged in Venice, Italy in 2001. They were married in Switzerland in 2002 and then moved together to the US.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

威尼斯求婚：2001年丹和艾色在意大利威尼斯订婚。2002年在瑞士结婚冰搬到美国。

Return trip: The two returned to Paris together in 2016 for the first time since their initial encounter.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

纪念之旅：2016年，在他们初次相遇后，两人首次回到巴黎。

Retracing their steps: Here's Dan and Esther in the Jardin du Luxembourg, almost two decades after that first afternoon wandering around the park together.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

故地重游：这是丹和艾色在卢森堡公园，距离他们那个下午第一次在公园游玩已经过去近20年。

Reflecting on serendipity: The couple say it was special to be there with their three sons. Dan and Esther found themselves reflecting on the serendipity of their first encounter.Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

回味巧遇：这对夫妇说，和他们的三个儿子故地重游很特别，丹和艾色发现他们自己在回味他们的首次相遇。

Enduring romance: Dan and Esther kept all the letters they wrote to one another. On Dan's first postcard to Esther he wrote: "I expect that for the rest of my life I will think of you whenever I see an image of the Eiffel Tower."Courtesy Dan and Esther Giedeman

浪漫延续：丹和艾色保留着所有写给彼此的信件。在丹第一次写给艾色的明信片上写着：“我希望在我以后的日子里，每当我看到埃菲尔铁塔的照片都会想起你！”