Walter and I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport today at 6 am from Danang, Vietnam then Saigon, then Bangkok, then Paris. A long but pleasantly uneventful flight. A taxi home, a shower, a few cups of My Espresso Coffee, unpack, then we did what we always do when we return home to Paris:  A ritual lunch at a café just a few blocks from our apartment,  Bar de la Croix Rouge. For the two of us, it is  a sign that we are grounded and home. On the menu for us, always, is the Assiette Saint Germain, an open-faced sandwhich -- or tartine -- of perfectly toasted Poilane bread lightly spread with butter, then topped with ultra-thin slices of the most delicious rare-roasted beef. The garnish is pretty much an afterthought, a few forgettable slices of tomato, a touch of greens dressed with a classic creamy mustard vinaigrette, and some welcome,  puckery cornichons. There is always a jar of pungent mustard on the table, as well as a small glass (or two) of chilled Brouilly. The pink chestnuts outside the cafe are in bloom, so Welcome Home Indeed! (Althought when Walter walked back into the apartment after lunch, he looked at all the Vietamese purchases -- lots of bamboo, a giant bronze rice cooker, chopsticks galore, Asian kitchen gadgets -- he commented: "Looks a lot like Pier 1 Import in here!")

Bar de la Croix Rouge,2 Carrefour de la Croix Rouge, 75006 Paris, France. Telephone: 01 45 48 06 45.