First Time for the Second Time

Well, we have now been here long enough that this is the first time we are doing something for the second time: Gigi's birthday and la rentrée (back-to-school).

This year, Gigi's birthday falls on the day before school. She looks forward to a fancy restaurant dinner every year, so despite the fact that it always seems to fall inconveniently on a school night, we take the family out. But this year we are a little bit wiser in the ways of Paris restaurants: We decide on soufflés, which will be a whole lot easier to get down than the sea whelks of last year. We know enough not to go to La Cigale Récamier, which is a wonderful soufflé restaurant, despite the fact that I vomited nearly $100 of soufflés after eating there (smoking, not cooking, being the culprit). But La Cigale Récamier is not super convenient location-wise, and will also cost an arm and a leg. Why go there, when we can go to the aptly-named Le Soufflé? The soufflés are delicious, and it's right on a great metro line for Anthony to get to from work, for us to get to from gymnastics class, and for all of us to come home. We need to get them to bed as quickly as possible since the morning after this dinner is their first day of school.

Here's our lovely 9 year old, her lovely banana-chocolate soufflé, and our lovely family dinner:

 

 

It turns out, I was wrong about something in the posting on last year's rentrée. Here's last year's photo. My quote then was "One thing's for sure: you'll never get a more scenic walk to school, or better first-day-of-school photo than this!" Yeah, it's a nice view of Notre Dame (yawn).

But then I didn't know where we'd be living now, and truly this is the most scenic walk to school imaginable. I have to say that every single school day, at least four times per day (there and back for drop off, there and back for pick up), I marvel at the route to school. It takes us over the Seine to Ile de la Cite and a glorious view of Notre Dame and its gardens, then across the Seine again with an even more glorious view of Notre Dame and the love locks bridge, then steps to their school's door. I love it rain, shine, and even snow. Here's our walk to school now:

 

 

 

The girls are again very excited for school this year, but in a different way. Now it's home, and it's familiar, and they can't wait to see their friends. Plus, Pippa has a big-kid backpack; that's heady stuff. They have a few hesitations about their teachers, both of whom are reported to be strict, but only time will tell. Mostly, everything seems so much easier now. We knew where to buy our school supplies, what they all were, and even had some of them already from last year. We aren't living out of suitcases either, which is nice. We show up in the courtyard this morning and see good friends, giving kisses on the cheeks, discussing summer vacations, and checking out how many teeth the kids have lost.

 

 

 

 

Gentlemen, start your engines. Let the school year begin!