A serendipitous meeting at the Eiffel Tower led to an unexpected love story.

During his first visit to Paris, American graduate student Dan Giedeman found himself spending most of his time in a conference room.

It was September 1998, and Dan, aged 27, was pursuing a PhD in economics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. When his professor invited him to a conference in Paris, Dan eagerly accepted the invitation.

“I grew up in the heart of the Midwest, in the U.S., and hadn’t had the chance to travel much outside the country,” Dan recalls in an interview with Dinogo Travel. “So, the idea of going to Europe was incredibly exciting.”

On his final morning in Paris, Dan woke up late after a night of drinks with fellow conference-goers. Realizing he had less than a day before his flight back to the U.S., he realized he hadn’t seen much of the city.

Dan thought to himself, “I can’t leave Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower at least once.” With that resolve, he pulled himself out of his hotel room, threw on his conference-appropriate tie and shirt, and made his way to the 7th arrondissement.

As Dan stood in line for the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, his gaze met that of a woman in the crowd. They exchanged a brief, knowing smile.

The woman was Esther Wieland, a 23-year-old preschool teacher from Zurich, Switzerland, visiting Paris on her own.

“I was alone, and I thought a Monday morning might be a quieter time to visit the Eiffel Tower,” Esther shares with Dinogo Travel today. “I decided to go sightseeing solo, stood in line, and that’s when I noticed him.”

Dan recalls, “We kept passing each other, moving back and forth in the line, but we couldn’t stop glancing at one another.”

For a brief moment, the two lost track of each other when an American family struck up a conversation with Esther.

But as the elevator reached the top of the Eiffel Tower and the crowd spilled out to take in the breathtaking views, Dan and Esther locked eyes once more.

Each of them wandered the viewing platform on their own, taking in the sweeping vistas of Paris, while occasionally sneaking glances at the other.

Dan couldn’t help but think, “I should go talk to her.”

But then doubts crept in: Should he try speaking French? What would he say? What if the conversation turned awkward?

Dan reasoned, “If I talk to her and it doesn’t go well, I’ll be alone. At least no one else will ever know.”

With that thought in mind, Dan mustered the courage to approach Esther and, in halting French, asked if she could take a photo of him with the view.

“I had only taken a year of French in college, so I wasn’t really sure what I was saying,” Dan remembers.

“I couldn’t understand his French,” Esther recalls today. “So I asked him, ‘Could you repeat that?’”

Flustered, Dan switched to English. Esther, smiling, reassured him that she was fluent in the language.

Esther remembers, “Dan seemed a bit nervous when he spoke to me, which actually made me feel more comfortable. And I really liked his eyes.”

After snapping the photo, the two began exploring the viewing platform together, side by side.

“We walked all the way around the top of the tower, taking in the views together,” Dan recalls.

For the next thirty minutes, they strolled and chatted, taking in the stunning views of the city below. Eventually, Dan asked Esther if she'd like to grab a coffee at the café on the Eiffel Tower.

Esther suggested they head down to the ground and find somewhere to eat instead.

“I suggested lunch, partly because it was around that time and partly because I thought it might give us more time to talk,” Esther reflects.

“We’d both already mentioned that we didn’t have any set plans for the day, so it felt like an adventure. The weather was perfect, and I thought we could enjoy a meal outdoors somewhere.”

“I’m not sure it was love at first sight, but there was definitely a spark—a chance for love at first sight,” Dan admits.

Eight unforgettable hours spent together in Paris.

After descending from the Eiffel Tower, Dan and Esther found a sidewalk table at a charming brasserie near the Place de l'Alma.

“Our table had a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower,” Dan remembers fondly.

Over a meal of croque monsieur and caprese salad, and with sparkling water followed by espresso in hand, the two continued their conversation from the Eiffel Tower viewing platform.

Esther shared that she was in Paris visiting her aunt and uncle, who lived just outside the city. In return, Dan told her about his studies in St. Louis and his four siblings. Esther also talked about growing up as an only child and her time working as an au pair in London.

“I was a little nervous,” Dan admits today, “but I was also really just enjoying the day.”

“I felt at ease,” Esther says. “It was like we’d known each other for a while—it didn’t feel like our first meeting.”

After finishing lunch, the two took a walk to the Jardin de Luxembourg. Dan captured a photo of Esther in front of Luxembourg Palace.

They asked a passerby to take a photo of them together—Dan beaming in his blue shirt and tie, and Esther smiling in a cream-colored pullover.

They passed by the grand Medici Fountain, sunbathers soaking up the late summer rays, and rows of flowers in their final bloom. Eventually, Dan asked Esther if she’d be interested in exchanging addresses.

Esther responded with a smile, “Well, if I write to you, will you write back?”

Dan laughs as he recalls, “That was the first real sign that she was actually enjoying the day too, not just feeling sorry for this lonely traveler wandering through Europe on his own.”

That evening, Esther was catching a train back to her aunt’s home, so Dan walked her to Gare Saint-Lazare. On the platform, they quickly wrote down their addresses and phone numbers on scraps of paper.

“We both thought that might be the last time we saw each other,” Esther says.

Dan recalls, “I gave her a soft kiss on the hand.”

Before she boarded the train, Dan took one more photo of Esther as she stepped onto the carriage.

Dan remembers, “We exchanged one last look as the train pulled away.”

Afterward, he felt a sense of emptiness.

“It was this bittersweet feeling, because the day had been so wonderful, but we both thought that was the end of it,” he reflects today.

On his way back to his hotel, Dan stopped by a shop to browse postcards. He picked one featuring the Eiffel Tower.

Dan wrote to Esther, “For the rest of my life, I will think of you whenever I see an image of the Eiffel Tower,” and sent it off immediately.

Dan called one of his sisters from a payphone, excitedly telling her about meeting Esther and the incredible afternoon they had spent together.

Meanwhile, Esther sat on the train, her thoughts drifting back to Dan.

“I just remember feeling sad as the train pulled away, saying goodbye,” Esther reflects today.

“There was no guarantee we'd see each other again. It was just this idea of, if I write to you, will you write back?” says Dan.

Writing postcards

Back at her aunt and uncle's home, Esther studied the map of the United States on their wall, trying to locate St. Louis, where Dan lived.

That evening, she wrote in her journal about the unforgettable experience at the Eiffel Tower. Since her teenage years, Esther had always written about her crushes in her diary.

“Whenever I had a crush, I always used a code name,” Esther shares. “And it was always ‘Dan.’ It’s funny, I ended up with the real Dan.”

A few days later, Esther sent Dan a postcard featuring the Eiffel Tower, unaware that he had already sent her a similar one.

The exchange of these first postcards sparked a steady flow of written correspondence between them.

“There was usually a 10-14 day wait between sending a card and receiving a reply. So when a letter arrived, it felt like Christmas morning and a surprise party all at once,” Dan remembers.

After about two months of exchanging letters, Dan picked up the phone to call Esther for the first time.

“This was before cheap international calls,” Dan laughs. “I thought we’d talk for just a few minutes, but we ended up chatting for about an hour. It was probably the most expensive first date I’ve ever had.”

This quickly became a regular routine. Every Sunday, while it was afternoon for Dan and evening for Esther, they would connect by phone. During the week, they kept up their correspondence through letters.

After months of exchanging letters and phone calls, they decided that Dan would visit Esther in Zurich, Switzerland.

His flight was scheduled for May 1999, nearly nine months after their chance encounter at the Eiffel Tower.

“When I flew to Zurich to visit her, it wasn’t clear yet whether this was a romantic connection,” Dan reflects.

Both Dan and Esther were thrilled to reunite, but neither knew what to expect from their meeting this time.

“We were friends,” says Esther. “We both hoped there were feelings developing, but we weren’t saying it out loud. We simply got to know each other as people.”

“It was more like a friendship with the potential for something more. But I think we both held back a bit, unsure of what the other person was thinking,” says Dan.

A Swiss reunion

While waiting for Dan at Zurich Airport, Esther felt nervous. But the moment she saw him, all the ease she’d felt back in September returned.

“It felt like we had picked up right where we left off in Paris,” Esther recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘How is it that I know so much about this person—how they think, who they are?’ The chemistry just clicked.”

On their first day together, Esther took Dan to see the stunning Rhine Falls. The next day, they visited the historic city of Lucerne.

Dan had attended the September 1998 Paris conference at the request of his professor, Dr. Douglass North.

Dr. North was delighted to hear about Dan and Esther's serendipitous meeting at the Eiffel Tower and had since become intrigued by their growing connection.

By chance, Dr. North was scheduled to be in Zurich at the same time as Dan, giving a lecture at the university. He suggested they all meet while he was in town.

After a day exploring Lucerne, Dan and Esther drove back to Zurich to meet Dr. North and his wife at a classy restaurant called Kronenhalle.

Dan laughs at the memory, saying, 'It was pretty amusing that our first real date ended up being a double date with a Nobel Laureate and his wife, both in their 80s. And it was only my second day in Zurich – we still weren't sure if there was any romantic spark between us.'

Esther remembers feeling completely nervous that day.

'I wasn't the best driver,' she admits. 'That day, I crashed into a pillar, damaged the car, got a speeding ticket, and then had to meet a renowned professor at a fancy restaurant. I was so anxious,' she recalls.

'I felt like Julia Roberts in *Pretty Woman*,' Esther laughs. 'I had no clue what I was doing – it was the most upscale restaurant I'd ever been to.'

However, the Norths were incredibly warm and welcoming, and the evening turned out to be delightful. After bidding farewell to the professor and his wife, Dan and Esther strolled along the picturesque banks of Lake Zurich, sharing their first kiss.

The pair spent the remainder of the week exploring together – from a visit to Bern to a day trip to Milan, and also traveling across Switzerland to meet Esther's family.

Puzzle pieces

Once back in the United States, Dan shared the details of his trip with his family, explaining that he and Esther were planning to try to make a long-distance relationship work.

'Of course, you had to leave the country to meet someone, because no one in America would ever want to date you,' joked one of Dan's brothers.

Though it was all in good humor, some people were genuinely concerned. Dan recalls his mother being a little hesitant, and some friends doubted that the relationship would last.

Later that summer, Esther traveled to the US to spend three weeks with Dan. She quickly bonded with his family, easing any lingering worries.

'Once my family got to know her, I think they started hoping too that things would work out between us,' says Dan.

As for Esther's family, her mother had her doubts when Esther returned from Paris, starry-eyed. As a teenager, Esther had often fallen for vacation romances, only for them to fizzle out.

But over time, Esther's mother began to see that her daughter's connection with Dan was different – something much deeper.

'She could tell that I was more invested, that I really wanted this to work,' says Esther. 'And that's when she knew.'

Over the next few years, Esther and Dan kept their connection alive through letters, phone calls, and visits to either Europe or the US every six months or so.

Their longest phone call during this time lasted an incredible eight hours.

'There was a phase where I sent letters every single day. I didn’t mind repeating myself, just writing something each day,' recalls Esther.

Saying goodbye after each visit was always difficult, but they parted with a sense of optimism every time.

'Each time we said goodbye, it felt like our bond had grown even stronger, and we both knew it wasn’t the end,' says Dan.

'We took it one step at a time,' says Esther. 'From the very beginning, I think we both secretly hoped it would work out, but it felt like solving a puzzle – every time we found a new piece, it just clicked.'

Next steps

Three years passed this way. By the early 2000s, Dan was nearing the end of his doctorate. He was hoping to land a professorship, though unsure of where his career would take him.

As he and Esther considered their future, this uncertainty appeared to offer a new possibility.

'We had the chance to move somewhere fresh together,' Dan remembers. 'It wasn’t about one of us making a sacrifice – leaving everything behind to go to the other person's world.'

Dan received a job offer from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Soon after, he proposed to Esther during their trip to Venice, Italy.

Their wedding took place in a quaint church in Buch am Irchel, with a scenic view of the Rhine Valley. The celebration continued at a nearby Swiss winery.

'We enjoyed food, drinks, and Esther's friends had organized a variety of games and activities for us,' says Dan.

Esther adopted Dan's surname, becoming Esther Giedeman.

The wedding brought together friends and family from both the United States and Switzerland. Dan's brother, who was his best man, humorously pointed out that the couple had met in Paris, gotten engaged in Venice, married in Zurich – and now were starting a new chapter in Michigan.

'Grand Rapids isn’t exactly Paris or Venice,' Dan chuckles.

After years of exchanging letters and long-distance phone calls, Dan and Esther were ecstatic to finally be living in the same city. They made Grand Rapids their home, and still live there today with three children.

Dan continues his work as an economics professor, while Esther pursues her passion as an artist.

A Return to Paris

Over their 20 years of marriage, Dan and Esther have frequently visited Switzerland. They even spent some time living in Germany when Dan was on sabbatical. Their children have grown up immersed in both their American and Swiss roots.

Despite numerous trips to Europe, Dan and Esther didn’t make it back to Paris together until 2016.

Returning to the French capital was a long-awaited moment, but its significance was all the more profound because of the wait.

“We stayed for a week in an Airbnb right in the heart of the city with our three boys, and it was such a wonderful experience,” recalls Esther.

The family revisited the Eiffel Tower and strolled through the Jardin du Luxembourg, recreating photos in the same spots Dan and Esther had visited together in the late '90s, now with their sons by their side.

As they explored Paris, Esther and Dan found themselves reflecting on the sheer coincidence of their first meeting.

Dan fondly remembers his former professor, Douglass North, who passed away, calling himself their 'fairy godfather.'

Had it not been for Douglass North recommending Dan for the conference, he never would have been in Paris. That was just one of many fortunate events that led to their chance encounter on the Eiffel Tower.

Dan reflects, "If we had been just five minutes apart, we would never have found ourselves in that line, exchanging glances with each other."

Neither Dan nor Esther anticipated meeting someone they would spend their life with when they woke up that September morning.

"An economics conference isn't exactly where you'd expect to find romance," Dan chuckles.

Their chance meeting made them realize the importance of being open to life's unexpected opportunities.

Their wedding invitations featured a guiding principle that encapsulates their mindset: "Give every day the chance to be the best of your life."

They still have every letter they've written to each other, including those first Paris postcards, safely stored in a hat box decorated with the Eiffel Tower.

"I knew that for the rest of my life, every time I saw the Eiffel Tower, I'd think of you," Dan had written on his first postcard to Esther.

"And that has certainly proven to be true," he says now, reflecting on the years gone by.