Boyhood

What did you do today? I for one went and checked out my childhood home. Well, not alone: my wife and daughter joined in. And it was their first time there, which is perfectly understandable for my 6-month old daughter, but you never know with my wife: although she is from Lyon, she’s seen more of Paris and its suburbs than I ever will. Then again, I don’t work in transportation.

The point is — we went to Suresnes today. What/who/where is Suresnes, I (may) hear you ask? It is a city that directly borders Paris, although standing on the other side of the Bois de Boulogne, our Central Park, if Central Park was in fact ‘Western Park’. It is a fairly nice, residential place, provided 1) you don’t really feel like going out ever, as the most action you will get there is a soccer game on TV at the one kebab shop, 2) especially in my day, since the only way to and from Paris at the time — that didn’t involve killing yourself on a bike in traffic — was a train that showed up every 20 or so minutes and that you would have to wait for at a station located on the side of Mont Valérien — mont meaning ‘mount’, you can imagine that the morning winter breeze could wake you up better than any Columbian-grade coffee. Good times.

But today, it was a remarkably warm and sunny Indian summer-type of Sunday and everyone was casually walking around said Mont Valérien wearing shorts and T-shirts — me included. Even in front of the Flamme de la Résistance: on top of Mont Valérien sat a fortified military base that the German took over during World War II and used as a location to shoot down many suspected resistants. This, by the way, is the main reason anyone should come to Suresnes, regardless of the weather: I went there once with my resistant grandfather and it counts as one of my most memorable youthful days…

This didn’t phase baby girl, though. And my wife had a hard time picturing wintertime train waiting. In short, the desired effect didn’t quite materialize. I guess we’ll have to go back winter. When baby girl is old enough to understand any of it. There is time…