June 6, 2025
We started the day thinking we’d do another round of surf lessons in the evening, but the instructor didn’t reply to our Whatsapp message until 8pm tonight. The new plan is to sneak in another lesson this weekend before we leave on Monday. There is also a festival by the water to celebrating the unofficial start of summer that we plan to stop by at some point.
With our surf lesson plan thwarted, we instead had a slow morning. The boys slept close to 9am, tuckered out from a busy day yesterday and late bedtime (~10pm). We ventured outside nearing lunch time thinking we’d go to the same restaurant as yesterday. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a farmer’s and food market in the square by our apartment. We first stopped at the Armenian food tent to pick up hummus for the boys and cheese borek in hopes they would enjoy the combo for lunch. We then stopped at the poulet (chicken) truck which had an impressive mobile rotisserie setup and we got a petit chicken for later in the day. Next, we headed to the oyster tent where we secured a dozen of the smallest oysters available for only 5 euro a dozen. Kyle and I were still in need of something to eat immediately for lunch and were thrilled to find a Thai food tent on the way out. We took our Pad Thai and the boys’ Armenian treats to the park for an al fresco lunch while Kyle ran the chicken and oysters upstairs for later.
We ate lunch at the playground which allowed the boys to run laps and climb the jungle gym between bites. Kyle constructed a paper plane gun we bought back in Sevilla which took nearly 2 hours. I was on paper plane folding duty which was harder that I thought it’d be. The time at the playground was marred by an emotional turn of events for Ollie. Kyle told him he would give him 10 ‘points’ if he punted the rugby ball over the jungle gym. As Kyle and I were working intently on our construction tasks, we heard him rejoice, “OHHH YEAAA!” and claimed he had done it. Kyle and I were both skeptical and our hesitancy to believe him set him off. He was SO upset that we did not believe he had done it and that he may not get the promised points. We encouraged him to keep going and do it again as he had succeeded so easily, but he was hearing none of it. Lenny, the ultimate troll, chimed in with, “Yea I saw you but I don’t believe you.”
After the time invested into the paper airplane launch activity, our crew lasted only 10 minutes of playing before a fight broke out between the boys. Something to do with “unfair paper plane construction” or “he got more turns than me”. But as the fighting intensified, Kyle and I called it on park time and took everyone back to the apartment for quiet time and snacks.
The sun was shining and I knew we needed to get everyone outside and close to the water for a refresh. We took a brief walk to the waterfront and were surprised to see the carousel up and running. I thought it would only open during the peak months. Len was visibly thrilled to ride a bouncing airplane and Ollie rode a spinning acorn with quiet enthusiasm. We stopped at the vegetable store for broccoli and a mini head of cauliflower that Len claimed to be craving before heading home to get started on dinner.
Dinner was leftover polenta, rotisserie chicken and broccoli/cauliflower for the adults and the last dregs of the leftover pasta plus the vegetables for the boys.
The boys were jacked up to watch the finale of Ultimate Beast Master– a cancelled obstacle competition show on Netfilx that they have definitely seen before but still love to rewatch. We had purchased a Vienetta ice cream cake that we planned on for desert, but the boys constantly hit each other with round couch pillows so it was straight to bed instead. Len protested with all his might (“If no ice cream, I won’t brush my teeth!!”) but did fall asleep quickly after brushing his teeth. Ollie stayed up past 10pm, popping out of his room every 15 or so minutes to check on Kyle and I.
