I’m no girl and I try my best not to succumb to gender stereotyping. But this has to be one of those wish-list kind of things for women and girls, right? I’m talking about having your hair cut in Paris by an honest-to-goodness Parisian hair stylist. As you can tell from the photo, such was Ella’s experience today. She had been telling us for some time that she wanted her bangs cut but the rest of her hair left pretty much as is. The conversation had gotten so serious on Tuesday night that Melinda was willing to buy some scissors and cut Ella’s bangs herself. With a little encouragement (discouragement?) from Chloe and me, Melinda decided to forego this approach and added “Haircut for Ella” to the family Parisian To-Do list. The plan was to have an affordable salon fall out of the sky, or at least make itself visible to us, as we were out exploring today or tomorrow. The first place that made itself known was way too expensive but the second, just down the street from the first, fit the bill, literally. They even had an opening right after lunch. Clearly, this was meant to be! Ella is happy and looks darn cute, if I say so myself.

Speaking of lunch, we had an amazingly delicious meal at Rose Bakery today and highly recommend it if you find yourself in Paris (get a full sense from this review). Melinda and I both had a tofu-vegetable dish that if made for me regularly might convince me that vegetarianism is for me. Chloe and Ella both had the omelette of the day. The girls and Melinda each ordered from the extensive dessert menu. I poached. Great, great food.

After lunch and after Ella’s haircut, we ventured not far to visit Sacré Coeur. That really is an awe-inspiring place and the view of the city magnificent. It was packed on a chilly Thursday in March, leading us to wonder what it would be like on a beautiful weekend day in late spring.