Oui, Oui, Oui, All the Way Home

We touched down at Detroit Metro yesterday afternoon, officially closing out our great Parisian adventure. Well, my cell phone said it was afternoon anyway. My body clock, on the other hand, is so messed up from chasing the sun westward, I'm pretty sure that if you stare into my eyes you will see a blinking, digital 12:00 am. Air France's liberal, free wine and cognac policy didn't help either. 

Viva La Dehydration!

But it's the morning after now, a CD purchased from a French street guitarist is playing in the background, vacation laundry is making its way through the machinery, pictures have been downloaded, Dog is not letting us out of her sight, and grocery shopping, banking, and a visit to the dry cleaners are on the agenda. By midday, the routine will have already re-consumed us, and the memories of France will begin to blur along with my pathetic attempt at their language. 

Sad? Not really. Melancholy? Perhaps a better word.

Paris really surprised me. Although it was on my bucket list, to be perfectly honest, it was no where near the top. The whole trip came together on little more than a whim, our persistent and generic wanderlust, and, most immediately, the desire to bust Uncle Joe's balls on another continent. (I'm pretty sure that I mentioned that I'm a dick.)

But Paris gets inside of you a little bit (probably via duck). There's something funky, slightly pretentious, oddly carefree, liberal, and yet traditionally respectful about the whole vibe. I'm still processing it, but it is definitely the kind of place that I think stays with you forever. The history, the architecture, the wine, the food, the culture...it's truly like no place I've ever been before. We'll visit other places first, but I wouldn't object to returning if the opportunity presents itself. Not even a little bit.

This is almost my last post on this inaugural attempt at a travel blog before I pull the plug. I'll post some final pictures later in the week along with some useful tips we picked up along the way. The goal was to entertain, but what the hell, I figure I might as well throw a little utility your way as well. You've been kind.

Thanks for following along, the e-mails, comments, and Facebook posts. I was surprised at how many people ended up getting on board. And thanks to Uncle Joe & Aunt Carol for bringing a little American accent into the end of our trip just about the time we were getting homesick for it. And thanks to Gretchen and Alan, our other fourth-quarter, American travel mates who led us to a fabulous and final meal and tried to convince us that vacation pictures should be completely devoid of human and/or plant life.

Au revoir pour le moment.