Walls in France: La Rentree

Today is la rentree...the day that all of the French kids go back to school. We knew it was today because Josepha and Pablo had been preparing for it. Plus, you couldn't miss that school was about to start since practically every store front is plastered with posters advertising their wares for La Rentree. There are notebooks, pencils, pens, backpacks and all of the other usual "going back to school" supplies in every other store I walk by! We wondered what it would be like once school was back in session and we found out today! Bucky reported that on his morning trip to the boulangerie (while I was still warm and cozy in my bed), he saw lots of kids and their parents walking along the sidewalks and streets. The girls and I discovered that there must be a (big) school rather close to our apartment because we have heard gaggles of children playing outside at various times throughout the day. The noise of the kids always being preceded by a bell ringing, so we deduced it was a school! Sounds like the kids are excited to be back in school, seeing their friends and sharing stories about their summers. Good times!

Below, you can see the walk we take on our way to Lucy and Kathleen's French lesson each afternoon. Since Croix-Rousse is on a huge hill, you have to walk down to go to the other neighborhoods. We have not yet tried walking up, but we will give it a try one of these days. There is a metro stop near their school so we take the metro back up the hill. A cop out, perhaps, but it sure beats hearing two tired girls complain!!