Our New 'Hood

Today is a day to get things done.  First we go back to our friend's office by Bois de Boulogne and reverse the hauling of our stored luggage back to our new temporary apartment.  Visit the bank to get our French checkbooks, then off to the girls' school to pay our fees and also tour them around. They are so excited to go to school and meet some new friends! I realize that we left SF to go to the East Coast at the end of June, and with the exception of a few visits with cousins, basically the girls have had only each other as playmates for almost 2 solid months. It's quite remarkable now that I think of it that they're still getting along at all. Of course, the silliness and hyper factor have ratcheted up, and I have been with them nearly 24/7 for those two months, so I can't wait till they go to school and meet some new friends, too.

It is a beautiful walk from the apartment to the school -- crossing two bridges over the Seine and via Isle St. Louis -- and with a fabulous view of the back of Notre Dame, the side with the famous flying buttresses, that is.  The girls have never seen the Disney Hunchback movie but are  impressed nevertheless.  This will make an unbeatable first-day-of-school photo.

Even more impressive: right across the tiny street from our new temporary apartment is a lovely "Boulangerie/Patisserie."  Since we have no other food yet, we are happy to have treats for breakfast.  Finally, P gets to try her first real French pastry: a pain au chocolat, if you must know. This is the view from our window:

The apartment is 70 square meters, about 750 square feet, and very old.  Our house in SF is also very old, by SF standards, at 120 years old.  But this is about 500 years or so.  The windows are more like an idea of something that separates you from outside noise and temperature than any actual barrier.  I am just grateful the kitchen and bathroom have been redone in recent centuries.