The commute to school is officially horrific. For those of you thinking I'm just swanning about in cafes and museums, THINK AGAIN! I spend nearly 3 hours a day on a bus, metro, sprinting alone or with a pram, getting repeatedly hit with bus/metro doors, or getting the pram caught in them. Today the pram was so stuck halfway up the bus entrance way the doors shut on us and nearly drove off with Ruby hanging out the door in her pram.........kid friendly, hah!
School mothers are equally scary. We've got a varied mixture of nannies/au pairs and very posh American and French mummies arriving in their luxury cars and high heels as I arrive all sweaty and dishevelled from my daily sprint. So far I'm aware of a Belgian rock star and a French football celebrity with children here, not to mention various vineyard owners. There's also a former covergirl model, a Naomi Campbell/Grace Jones lookalike who calls her daughter 'Funky Monkey', not sure if I'm going to bond. All the local French moms seem to end up at the local Tabac after school drop off for coffee and a fag. Maybe when I master my french I'll hang out with them.
Finally get to Le Bon Marche and it is frighteningly posh. So many well dressed, perfumed up staff about adjusting Louis Vitton handbags, trying to look busy but positively bored. I ask a lady in the lingerie department where the café is, she gives me ‘the look’ and says something ‘gauche’. As I walk away I’m sure she’s thinking ‘fat American tourist needs more food….hmph’.
The square near our school metro stop is full of drunks and handicapped junkies with various body parts missing, luckily Sam hasn't noticed yet to say...'Look at that funny man mommy...' Another gritty reality of city living which I'm still getting used to.
Our particular street is comprised of antique furniture shops, dry cleaners and a pizza place. Around the corner is buzzing, nice shops and more of a Parisian family atmosphere in our residential arrondissement.
Saving grace – our shipping boxes arrive today so the kids finally have toys, only thing is my heart is saying, ‘take the boxes back to England, and take me with you!!!’.
And wine, thank god for wine.
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