June 28, 2025
If we were home in Hoboken, today would have been a '“reset day” where we have no set agenda, get groceries, do laundry, spend some time outside and watch a movie in the late afternoon. We tend to feel a bit guilty having days like this while on this trip, but we won’t have enough energy or stamina to make it 10 months of traveling without them.
Len’s exhaustion again caught up with him and he slept past 9am. Ollie was up much earlier to write a letter and knock out his entire homeschool curriculum for the day. Len then began his daily curriculum with Kyle while me and Ollie went out for a walk in search of a new water bottle for his brother. Len lost his canteen somewhere in Corsica and sharing with his brother created a constant source of conflict during our time in Paris.
Ollie and I set out in the direction of Le bon Marche but first stopped at Soma Sando for an iced coffee and a cookie. We then searched for the one child-sized aluminum water bottle at the store and made our way down to La Grand Epicerie to source food for a park picnic. We were overwhelmed with choice but landed on an eclectic assortment of focaccia, dim sum, strawberry-orange juice and a chocolate bar. Kyle brought hummus, olives, green beans and leftover chips from home to round out the picnic.
We considered trying out a new playground, but the boys were eager to return to Ludo Jardin for the big slide and zip line. Grandma and Nonno also met us at the playground with macarons in tow. The boys played for a bit but were soon asking for popsicles and another carousel ride. After a disappointing performance collecting rings on the carousel, both boys completely lost it and it was clear we needed to head back to the apartment for some quiet time. On the walk home, we stopped again at the neighborhood Greek takeaway spot to make for an easy last dinner in Paris.
The boys colored for a bit while Kyle and I rotated between our own quiet time, short naps and preparing for the flight tomorrow. I was especially eager to make sure that all of our laundry had completely dried to prevent another damp clothes packing session. The boys also had a brief dance battle where they performed their current favorite songs; Ollie’s as Big Dawgs by Humankind & Kalmi and Lenny’s as Ms New Booty by Bubba Sparxxx & Ying Yang Twins. We also snuck in a brief Facetime session with Queen where Lenny kept grabbing the phone to hug it. Ollie had been clamoring all week to watch Harry Potter 4 despite us not having finished the book yet. We were worn down by this point and agreed to all watch the first part of the movie tonight. Ollie was buzzing with excitement, running all over the small living room. Len protested (“I HATE Harry Potter!!”) but soon resigned to the choice and eventually admitted he liked it “just a little bit!!” We stopped the movie after task 2 of the triwizard tournament to put the boys the bed though they both protested intensely.
