Sept. 3, Saturday, saying hello to Paris once again

Given the twists and turns of the past year in the Cochrane-Middleman household, we decided to use our airline and hotel points to spend Labor Day week in Paris for our favorite kind of R&R. We've always wanted to visit in September, but the start of school prevented it. NOT this year.

After an uneventful flight on Air France from Dulles to Charles de Gaulle, we checked into a Marriott in the 14th arrondissement very close to two Metro stops. It's a leafy area of the city not far from Montparnasse. After a short nap, we took the Metro to the end of the line at Etoile (Arc de Triomphe), had lunch at a cafe on a quiet side street, then strolled down the Champs Elysees until we got hot and tired, at which point we jumped back on the Metro so we could walk through the Ile de la Cite and Saint Germain as we wended our way back to the hotel for a good rest.

Drooling at Laduree, the world-famous macaroon/candy/tea restaurant on the Champs Elysees