Today...

We went to one of my daughter's favorite places in Paris, Le Jardin d'Acclimatation.

We live in the 16th arrondissement and are only about six blocks from the edge of the city.  Once you cross the "beltway", the périphérique, you enter a 2000-acre park called Bois de Boulogne. Despite its reputation for prostitutes at night, it has been a wonderful retreat for us during the day when we are tired of the concrete and the noise of the city.

In the far side of these woods is an amusement park called Le Jardin de Acclimatation with playgrounds, rides, trampolines, animals, gardens, and much more.

From our apartment to the woods in 10 minutes.

(And, yes, that man is carrying a baguette through the woods.)

Thinking back...

It was two years ago in March when my husband called me upstairs and away from our daughter to tell me his company wanted us to move to Paris for a couple years.  My reaction?  I cried.  I liked my life in Virginia. We had friends, a great homeschooling community, a garden that was finally coming together.

But in theory it seemed like it would be a great opportunity for all of us, especially our daughter, to experience another culture and to learn a new language.  It didn't seem right to turn it down just because we were a bit scared of change.

My daughter and I returned to Paris this morning after a trip to the U.S.  We REALLY didn't want to leave our new house and all our friends and family but it always amazes me how I actually have a feeling of coming home when I get off the plane. Since this is the last time we'll make this trip "home" to Paris I felt a bit sad as I walked through the airport that smells a bit like cheese (in a pleasant way) and rode in a taxi back to the apartment. It was morning so when we reached our neighborhood the kids were on their scooters heading to school and everyone was bundled up in, what always seems to us, overly heavy coats and scarves. We aren't really a part of their world but it does feel very familiar. It will definitely be bittersweet when this is all over.

I won't miss the jet lag, though.