20 Things to Do Before the Rentrée

The rentree (start of the school year) is in 1 week. And yes, I stole this list, but its pretty accurate (especially #4 and #7 and #14).... I'm going to try and get this all done in the next 10 days. Phew! So much to do.....

1. Park a car, any car, anywhere, because you can.
2. Walk through the Tuileries.
3. No-stress at BHV.
4. Make the most of the national assumption that everyone is on vacation for your work.
5. Nap.
6. Ride the bus.
7. Pretend you’re French when talking to tourists.
8. Get first dibs on theatre / concert tickets.
9. No line on a Sunday at Sacha Finkelstein’s.
10. Reserve your bar stool at La Belle Hortense.
11. Figure out how to work the Vélib,
12. then get to know your bike route.
13. Get a taste for good music at Flèche d’Or.
14. Sleep in.
15. Celebrate the return of your local boulanger.
16. Watch cheesy reality shows on TF1.
17. Catch up on international news before France finishes its August hibernation.
18. Sit on the grass ( for once! ).
19. Reminisce on the first time you came to Paris...
20. Kick back and enjoy the calm before the storm.

OOPS - HOW COULD I FORGET ITALY????

As pointed out by my lovely dad, I forgot to post something about my Italy trip with them.... not because it wasn't a great holiday, just because I lost my brain in the heat (no, really - ask my friends!). So, lets go back a month or so to the lovely Amalfi Coast, just near Napoli in Italy. If you have been to the Cinque Terre then you have some idea what the Amalfi coast is like. Small villages perched on cliffs overlooking the Med, which is the most inky blue I have ever seen in an ocean. Great wines from the vineyards of Mt. Vesuvius, a vista from our balcony back along the coast to the 3 famous rocks off Capri, lots of tiny churches loaded with Moorish influences, and roads that twist and turn and can barely fit 1 car, let alone 2 buses heading in opposite directions, providing plenty of entertainment! We went to Pompeii, where the sheer scale of the city buried in ash is almost beyond comprehension, and to Ravello, a little village right up in the hills overlooking the Ocean. And don't forget the sun.........It's a place where you revert to "Italian time" and soak up the atmosphere......... highly recommended.

Our new neighbour.....



Babies on the way???