different names for the same thing: The Final Countdown

Thursday we woke up to a sunny morning. Dave went for a walk with one of our walk cards and discovered a beautiful part of the city close to us that we had never seen! When Dave returned and told me about it, I decided to use it as my running course for the day. It took me across the Ile de St. Louis and then over to the other side of the Seine. There was a big walking path/park along the river. Then, into the Jardin de Plantes. WOW! This was a gorgeous garden with wide tree lined paths on either side – perfect for a run! I really am sad that we did not find this treasure earlier!
We started packing, cleaning and organizing since our time is running short . We are going up to Belgium tomorrow, so we’ll lose a day.
We asked the kids what they wanted to do these last few days in France, and Dillon’s request was to be able to venture out without adults. So, we decided to let him go out with Hayley. We sent them with some money, the map book, and a cell phone. They plotted their course and promised to call every half hour our so , just to check in. They had a blast! They went to lunch, shopped for souvenirs and then went to the Notre Dame, as Dillon had not seen the inside of the cathedral yet. I think it was just what Dill wanted.
Mali, Dave and I stayed home to wait for the washer/dryer repair guy. The window was 10-1 and he came at 1. He was unable to fix it, but we got our clothes out. After he left, we went out to run some errands. We ate lunch on the Champs-Élysées. We then went to the Pompidou to buy Mali’s souvenirs. Dave and Mali went home while I did some more souvenir shopping.
When I got home, Dave and I went to the Laundromat one last time. All other laundry will have to wait for Germany now. We had 50 minutes, so I went home for a super quick nap and Dave and Dill followed another “Paris Walk” card. I do wish that we had had these all along. We are discovering some really cool things around Paris.
The kids begged to go to the “Indiana Cafe” one last time. Dave was dying for falafel, so we split up. He LOVED the falafel place, more than the last one we found. I am going to let him insert the funny story about the falafel place:
First off, the place was hopping. There were a ton of folks with a long line where I was going. Waiting in line, a guy came up to me with a piece of paper and asked if I was getting a falafel. I said yes, and he asked for 5 euro. At first I thought he was just some dude trying to get money, but he said he was with L’As du Falafel (and had a hat) so I gave him my money and he gave me a paper. Then I noticed he was selling to everyone else. I also noticed across the street there was another falafel place with a guy selling. I saw them jawing with each other and trying to steal customers from each of the lines. They would try to catch passers by, and when they did the other would come over and say ‘their falafel is no good.’ I wish I understood French so I could get all they were saying to each other.
The best part was when an orthodox Jew drove up in a pimped out Mercedes convertible. It was blaring some French rap song with a ton of base. The street was narrow and all pedestrians at the time. The guy selling on the street walked up to him and talked for a bit. The guy ran into the shop and brought him out food and beer. He brought out the credit card reader and the guy paid and drove off. The combination of the guy driving the car, the car, buying beer, paying with a credit card from outside, and him blocking pedestrians for dinner (and jumping the whole line) added up for a really entertaining moment for me.
On top of that, the falafel was AMAZING. Died and gone to heaven good. I could eat it every day. It was that good.
After his falafel, Dave came and joined us at the cafe. When we finished, we metroed down to the Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower up close one last time. It is so much fun to be at the Trocadero at night. All of the people down there, the salesmen, etc. Dave wheeled and dealed for some key chains. The kids took crazy Eiffel Tower photos. We stayed to watch it sparkle. Then, we walked down to the fountains. The times we had been there before, the fountains had been covered up for events, so we were glad we got to see them before we left.
It was another great day in Paris!