Paris, France: As you may imagine, no one wanted to wake at 7a to ready for anything. The four of us were beat. Lucy said her legs ached. I was up by eight (just woke up) and wrote my journal/blog from our day in Disneyland Paris, but the kids didn’t start moving until 11a. They asked to wake them by 11a, as they wanted to go back to Le Deux Magot for hot chocolate and pastries. But by the time we arrived to the cafe around noon, breakfast was over.
No worries, Bubbe knows a very nice place, just a ten minute walk away with some of the best hot chocolate in town and croissants for miles - Mademoiselle Angelina at the Luxembourg Gardens. Our fun and attentive-to-children server brought them each a small pitcher of the famed Angelina hot chocolate. It is so thick and rich, it is more like a runny chocolate pudding than a beverage. It is served with whipped Chantilly crème - just in case you didn’t find the chocolate rich enough.
Neither were finished - just too rich.
Leo had the hot chocolate and a regular croissant. DT had coffee and a pastry. I had a spinach omelet and a coffee.
As long as we had walked to the famed Luxembourg Gardens, we took the grandchildren to the Medici “pond” and rented a boat so they could push it around on the water. This is a fun pastime - boats are rented for 8 euros per 30 minutes. You get a boat and a stick to push it around the lake. It goes where the wind blows, and if/when it reaches the shore, you push it back out into the pond with your stick. Easy.
We had but a few boats to choose from, so we chose Japan. Our boat had some-sort of obsession with the fountain in the middle of the lake. Like a magnet was drawing the boat towards the fountain. Then the fountain water covered the boat and trapped it from sailing away. The second time this happened, the boat seemed to be wedged up against the fountain’s cement wall. What was going on? Just when we think we are going to have to climb into the water (probably not allowed, nor safe, nor sanitary in any way), the teeny boat decided to head-off towards the Indonesian boat. Or the USA boat. Or The Netherlands. Or any of the 50 other country-named boats on the water. It was so much fun.
PS: the girl working at the boat-loan kiosk said she does have waders, just in case, and occasionally does have to rescue a craft.
Heading back to our apartment after brunch and the sailing adventure, we walked past St. Sulpice - the largest church in Paris - yes, even larger than Notre Dame.
We took the long way back to the apartment. Needing to stop into a drug store for supplies, then Leo needed a meringue cookie the size of a softball he had seen a few nights ago at a chocolate shop. Gifts were procured for friends. Dave and I needed pods for the espresso machine in the apartment. We definitely needed more of the perfect strawberries we found at the fruit vendor a block away. Priorities, people.
Lucy found a massive Kinder Easter egg. Apparently they are now banned in the US, due to a child choking on the toy prize inside. (I do not know this is true and I did not take time to google, so there ya go.)
There is a warning to not give to children under 3 though. I can’t believe that massive orange capsule could fit inside the egg. And… I believe the “chocolate” egg will not be consumed.
Somehow it was already five o’clock, so we all had a little rest. Yesterday really did us all in, I think. None of us would change even one thing (except the weather) though, but it was nice to have a quiet day, as we have another big walking day tomorrow. (Of course.)
We took the kids to a little place a few blocks away that we enjoy for traditional French bistro food. Dave and I went old-school, but Leo had a shrimp poke bowl (waiter said this is a new menu addition, to suit the tourists) and Lucile had her stand-by Chicken Caesar. I had Duck Confit and DT had duck breast. Very good meals.
We followed a rambling route back to our apartment. The cafes were so lively for a chilly Thursday night. And there may have been a little fresh strawberries with canned/squirt (but French) whipped cream before bed.
PEDOMETER: I have no idea how this happened, just walking around the neighborhood and around that pond a few times, but I clocked 12,000 steps; 4.75 miles.
Until my next update, I remain, your rested correspondent.