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"The most sophisticated piece of technology you will ever pee on."

Nope…not the advertising tagline for a 2007 BMW. Rather, this clever TV ad line is for a home pregnancy test.

Hysterical. I cetainly wasn't expecting it and had to share.

No, I have not been home long enough to even DOWNLOAD pictures from Paris, much less edit and post them. Instead, I unpacked one bag, packed another, and headed to Ft. Worth for a few days.

But while we wait for the unveiling of Paris pics, let me tempt your tastebuds. My coworkers and I had lunch today at a local cajun chain called Razoos. For dessert, we were encouraged by our super-friendly waitress to try the "famous bread pudding". Let me tell you…if you are ever in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, look one of the places up just for the bread pudding. It was increadibly moist and flavorful, and covered in a butter rum gooey glaze.

Yum!

Imagine if you will, that in place of the entry you are now reading, there was a brilliantly written piece full of local color, tidbits of trivia, and of course air travel stress. Well, that entry disappeared into the ether when I spilled my water on my Treo during our flights from IAD today.

Gone are the juicy details of our day that started at 8am in Paris and ended at our doorway in San Francisco at 9pm (6am Paris Time). 22 hours long, but the details of the day escape my weary mind.

What did you miss? Our stylish ride to the airport. CDG Terminal 1, which resembles a gray nuclear-hardened hat box. Nine passport checks at CDG…yes nine. Red Carpet Club. The pleasant CDG-to-IAD flight. The excruciating hour and a half we spent in IAD International Arrivals, when Jeff's bags were mistakenly sent to the main terminal. The light snow flurries at IAD as we were taxiing. Our cramped flight to SFO. The movies Flushed Away and Marie Antoinette. Sipping Starbucks liquer over ice. The taxi ride home. Dobie and Buster rushing to greet us.

I promise you the entire write-up, including a timeline, was riveting. Now its just notes 🙂

Thank GOODNESS we're home.

Our last day in Paris…tomorrow we return to normal life. Julie, Keegan, and Adam dropped by to have breakfast and squeeze in a little more family time. We parted company around noon so they could get back to Germany at a decent hour. Jeff and I headed out into sprinkles accented by the accasional sunbeam.

Full of good cheer, Jeff and I hopped on the Metro (lines 1 and 9) to Pont de L'Alma and the Paris Sewer Tour…Les Egouts de Paris. A first for us, the sewer tour piqued our curiosity, because we thought we might see more of the historic sewer. But no, this is a trip through hundreds of feet of active waterways and dripping ceilings. There was a very informative museum display…arranged down a long tunnel with rushing sewer water under a grate at your feet. The displays told the story of sewage from Roman Times through the Middle Ages (ick) to Revolutionary and modern times. The air was humid with a strong odor and seemed to stick to your skin, so a quick stop at the restrooms on the way out was required to wash up.

Bright sun and strong gusty winds greeted us when we emerged from the sewers. We aired out as we strolled along the Seine to the new Musée Quai de Branly. We didn't go in, but instead walked through the courtyard and interior gardens of this object of contemporary design. The architecture is captivating…with striking modern wings seeming to growing out of a classic Parisian historic building. Old and new were blended perfectly.

We continued our blustery stroll beneath the arched legs of the Tour Eiffel. The crouds were smaller today as they bunched together to brace themselves from the wind.

We boarded Metro (line 6) at Bir Hakeim and zipped by 9 stops, arriving at Denfert-Rochereau and our next activity…after a quick bite…walking makes the tummy grumble. THEN it was on to the famous Catacombs, where the bones of approximately six million Parisians were relocated in the 18th and 19th centuries from cemetaries all over Paris. The bones were systematically moved into abandoned limestone quarry tunnels deep within the earth. The walking tour of the Catacombs takes you past piles and piles of orderly stacked skulls, arms, and legs…many arranged in decorative patterns.

Exiting the catacombs several blocks from our entry point, we strolled around the neighborhood…briefly passing by the apartment building where Jeff and his friend Matt stayed in the fall of 1996.

Oh, and we tried out one of those automatic public toilets that pop up frequently around the streets of Paris. I was impressed how sanitary the toilet felt, including washing and drying hands. The entire enclosure is automatically cleaned and sanitized between each patron. All for free!

We walked back in the direction of the apartment by way of the Jardin du Luxembourg…not THROUGH since the park police were blowing whistles to hustle everyone out for closing time. We strollled down the Rue de Tournon, past quiet shops and noisy cafes. We got an energy boost from a pastry followed by creamy Italian gelato in St. Germain des Prés. Strolled back to the apartment along the Seine…enjoying the dusk-views of the river, its long boats, and adoring lovers in the shadows on the quai.

We ate a final, hearty meal at Starcooker…one of our favorites this trip. A final drink at the Open Cafe, and then back to pack for the morning.

A steady rain has arrived…its time to go home. Our next update…from the USA.

Jeff's sister Julie, her son Keegan, and her fiancée Adam arrived 30min early this morning to meet us in front of Notre Dame. I was 15min late. Please keep the math to yourselves…but yes, I somehow shut off our alarm this morning and fell back asleep. End of confession.

The gang and I went back to the apartment to meet up with Jeff and have breakfast–pastries from Gabrielle and fresh orange juice (construction on the street took a rest for the weekend).

We decided to hit two major stops today–the Arc du Triomphe and Tour Eiffel. We walked a fairly direct route between these landmarks, but this was still a heck of a walk…particularly with a 4-year-old in tow.

The first leg of our walk: through the grounds of the Louvre, past the giant pyramids, sat and watched ducks at the fountain in the Jardin des Tuileries, rode the Tuileries caroussel (twice), walked along the Champs Elysées past the Grand and Petit Palais, ate lunch along the Champs Elysées (another Quick stop), and continued on to the Arc du Triomphe.

Along the way, Keegan spotted a young woman with a bright blue balloon. His face lit up, and the woman gave Keegan the balloon. For the next two hours, Keegan's gaze was fixated on that balloon as it bounced around in the wind.

We spent some time up on top of the Arc du Triomphe. The sky was a colorful mix of blue sky, rain-filled grey clouds, and bright washed-out sunny patches. Keegan loved pointing out how we were giants compared with the people below. I was delighted to finally have a strong telephoto lens with me to visually compress some of these long-distance city views. (For the record, my new digital SLR is performing exceptionally well.)

We strolled down the Avenue d'Iena towards the Tour Eiffel. Passed several embassies. Lost the blue balloon. Mourned the loss for five minutes. Walked through the Jardin du Trocadéro, across the Pont d'Iena, and arrived at the Tour Eiffel.

The lines were long and the winds strong. As we boarded the elevator to ride to level 2, Keegan told us, "I'm so excited!" which made the wait and chilly winds worth it. Keegan had a look of wonder as he gazed over Paris below. He thought we were as high as Superman flies. Kids are so cute keeping things in perspectives that they can understand. This is certainly something he will always remember and us as well.

Keegan started to lose steam as dusk turned to nite, so it was the Metro to the rescue. Lines 6 and 1 brought us home…Keegan was asleep as we crossed back onto Íle St. Louis. We had traditional French cuisine at the nearby Brasserie de Íle St. Louis. We finished the evening with family phone calls back to Michigan announcing the impending birth of grandchild number 6 (Julie's second) and our 7th nephew/neice. Wow, I really had to think about the math there.