Arlinghaus, Sandra Lach

Landmark event of this year: Trip to Europe for academic year 1949-50. See First Seven Years, Baby Book, pdf linked.

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After the trip to Nice, and recovery from sunstroke, we went on to Italy. I'm not sure where we went. The main thing I remember is crossing the border where the border guard thought it cute to tease the little girl by threatening to cut open Eeyore to see if I were smuggling diamonds. I was NOT amused and clutched Eeyore very tightly for a long time after that. Even though this particular guard was joking around, after that, I declined to take Eeyore or other stuffed animals across borders except when there was no choice.

We lived in Paris "en pension" with a French family: Madame Henri Bardel, widow of a French flying ace of World War II, and her two young children, Claude and Francoise together with their help (cook and maid).

MEMORIES

Living in Paris, and in particular living with a French family, again opened many varied and broad opportunities, especially in regard to the remarkable set of Americans who lived and worked in Paris during this post-WWII time period.

Madame Bardel, Claude and Francoise, my best friends in Paris. We lived en pension with them in one sub-apartment on the Boulevard Malesherbes. We ate dinner with them, en famille, most evenings. The meals were traditional classical French cuisine; many courses, wine, and water to drink. Children drank wine mixed with water in addition to water.
Jacques, the British (bilingual in French and English) student who also rented a sub-apartment from Madame Bardel. He ate dinner with us only occasionally.
Sol and Rhoda Hirsch. My mother met Rhoda and Sol at the American Embassy.
Joe and Rose Tanous and their children, Peter, Evelyn,... The children went to the American School; they were all older than I was. My mother met Rose at the American Embassy.