Saturday morning Meg and I did some shopping while Jason and Peter took the kids to the Jardin du Luxembourg. When we met up with them later, Ollie was off on the far side of the playground with Jason, venturing into new territory now that he felt comfortable there. Between her little hanging bee toy and her very own toes, Minna entertained herself in her stroller, staying the very happy little girl she was throughout her visit. From the Jardin we cut through the 6th, stopping for macarons at Pierre Hermes to see if they indeed were Paris' best, and for superb steak frites at le Relais Entrecote where they specialize in that alone. We crossed the river for a stop at Dehillerin so Ollie could get some new baking equipment - be on the lookout for his Tour Eiffel cookies. Past the Pompidou we stopped at the sculpture fountain, which unfortunately is being repaired. A few of the sculptures still had their brightly colored skins on but many were just the inside black mechanicals. Nonetheless it was still a good spot for some running around time before heading back for dinner at home.
On our last family day we, and hordes of other tourists, headed for the Marais and a falafel lunch. The line was extra long at l'As du Falafel but Meg recommended Mi Va Mi across the street, with no line and tastier falafel. We stepped right up and ordered, and by the time we got our sandwiches, the line behind us was at least 20 people long. And were those sandwiches good; sitting on benches in the Place des Vosges, we just devoured them. Then it was off to the other side of the Place to the children's playground with Ollie and Minna while Jason and Meg did some unfortunately unparisian, but successful, shopping at Camper and Muji. Unable to face a last meal at the apartment, Meg made reservations again for Brasserie Balzar. Ollie got dressed up in his red checked shirt, just like Jason with his new shirt on. Just as all young French kids are trained to be, both kids were exceptionally well behaved from aperitifs and appetizers right through the final espressos. Ollie and Boppie worked on how to use a knife and how to eat properly with a fork, even for french fries, when in a fancy restaurant. One last stop at the nearby Cluny playground settled Ollie down for the night, so he was ready to head for the airport first thing in the morning. No one else needed settling down and we all headed for an early bedtime, already reliving the happy memories of our final family days of Paris by Playground.