Only a few short hours separate us from the painful reunion with our regular monotonous lives and bringing the end of a blissful month vacation. Sri Lankan beaches are about seven hours away now and the crisp air of Paris has been greeting us with our morning chocolat croissants.

Paris is everything grand that you've heard and nothing like the nightmares you've been told. Barely knowing a word of French, I was more than a bit nervous about our brief layover here before coming back to Milwaukee. I've heard all about snobby Parisians that turn up their noses at your pathetic French mumblings and feared that I'd starve trying to order a coffee and croissant. All my fears were unmet. Paris is delightful - more than delightful, amazing - and Parisians are quite friendly.

Our brief stop in the city of lights brought us to Pere Lachaise, Eiffel Tower, the Marais district, a lovely river tour on Bataux Parisiens, the Pantheon, the University of Paris III, and countless boutiques and boulangeries.

Many pictures are yet to come and as the weather looks pretty frightful in Milwaukee this weekend I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to post them up. Voila!