4 October 2009

The girls are much happier at their new school and I am delighted to report that they will emerge at the end of the year with not one, but two foreign languages: French and British. The school is much more diverse; Claire is one of two Americans in her class.

The big news is that Rob came to visit! It was great to have him here and the girls had fun showing him all the neighborhood hot spots. Unfortunately, Megan and Claire were down with a virus much of the week, but he was still able to spend some good one-on-one time with them. Erin and Rob went to Notre Dame and the Rodin Museum. Claire and Erin have both assured me that it's small and you can "blast through it" in under twenty minutes (some of you may not know that I have an incredible aversion to museums and tend to behave badly when forced to go). Rob and Megan went to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.

Megan and Claire are packing for their week-long school trip to Brittany, where they will study marine biology and water sports. Erin leaves the following week for Bordeaux. There, she will:

• choose a pony to care for and ride for the week,
• learn about life in a medieval village; and
• finally learn to distinguish between the aromas of black currant and licorice that characterize the full bodied Cotes de Francs, and the hints of vanilla and oak that grace the fruitier Medoc.

We are terribly worried about her lack of progress in the third area and may have to get her tested, but her teacher is hopeful that this trip will get her up to speed.

Zoning

I have done a lot of walking around our quartier and wanted to share deep thoughts with you on Parisian urban planning; specifically zoning. Now, I've lived in London, New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco and I know that city neighborhoods have restaurants and corner groceries mixed in with residential buildings. But Paris has taken the commercial/residential mix to new extremes. Here are a few examples.

• A Thai massage parlor directly across the street from a Catholic elementary school in an otherwise quiet residential neighborhood. What was the thinking here? Did some Thai entrepreneur note the high percentage of fathers who walk their children to school and think to him- or herself: "I bet what those fellas could use after drop-off in the morning is a good Thai massage!" Or, perhaps the joyful shrieks of children playing in the school courtyard provide cover for the joyful shrieks in the massage parlor. I may be overthinking this, but it could also explain why guys don't show up to work until after 10:00 am and, more importantly, why they're always so darn cheerful.

• The ultrasonic cellulite removal clinic next to the creperie. There's a certain symmetry there, but I wonder if the location is just a happy accident or if, in fact both businesses are owned by the same person.

• My personal favorite, the tattoo parlour next to the wedding dress store. Which do you do first?

A bientot.