Leslie Sil never thought she would see France again.
The Kelowna, B.C. native went to Paris with her mother on her 16th birthday about 40 years ago, and didn’t have hopes that she and her family would return any time soon.
But last Friday, Sil got an email that would send her into a frenzy. She won CTV Canada AM’s and Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours' all-inclusive cruise for two through Northern France.
"I was almost hysterical," Sil told CTV's Canada AM in a phone interview on Wednesday. "I'm sure every neighbour heard me I was so crazy."
Sil was checking her emails on Friday morning when she received the news that she won out of 124,000 applicants. After going through it again to make sure she read it right, she let out a yell that sent her husband running from the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth.
"I'm sure he thought I saw a spider or something," she told Canada AM.
At first she couldn't believe she won, so had her husband read the email himself and he confirmed the good news. Then she called her two sons, one of whom asked to come along, but he was turned down.
"I said, 'Oh no, you're coming here and looking after the dogs," Sil said.
Sil will be taking her husband on the Gems of the Seine River Cruise in August of 2016 to celebrate their 21st anniversary.
Their tour will take them through Northern France for 11 days and 10 nights. The cruise starts in Paris and takes them through towns such as Rouen, Honfleur and Vernon. Some of the activities they can choose from include visiting the Louvre, the beaches of Normandy and Monet's former residence and gardens. The trip includes everything from meals to electronically-assisted bicycles, and is worth more than $6,000.
For the next year, Sil plans to learn all the history of the places she will visit along her trip. Sil's voice shook with excitement in her interview with Canada AM as she explained that she couldn't believe her luck.
"I never thought I would be going again," she said.
