L'Invalides and carousel

John returned from taking everyone to the Pantheon right as Oscar

woke up.  So, then it was time for some snacks in the room and going to L’Invalides with some of the students who wanted to go there.  Again, a place where I thought that Oscar could run around in, but he mainly wanted to run on the grass which you’re not allowed on and run away from mommy and daddy.  So, these visits that I think are going to go well, end up being frustrating because Oscar doesn’t magically know what’s off limits and how to run around in circles so that I can sit in one place and watch him.

  No, he has to make me run around after him which is not relaxing.  That’s the problem with the idea of the leash.  Even if my stupid backpack hadn’t broke, I would still have to wander around tied to him on the leash and not be able to just sit down and soak up some Paris.  We head back to the hotel because it’s cooler and tomorrow is a travel day to Madrid, so it’s time to pack everything up again.  This is getting to be a hassle mainly because you have to airplane pack, which is different than packing for a car, for the train or anything else.  You don’t need everything 

  in a ziplock baggie for the train, you don’t have to have only one checked bag and only one carry on in your car….so we’re packing and John mentions that the students have found a Domino’s near the hotel.   This has happened because we told them to have French Dominos because we loved our 4 cheese pizza that we had to get there in Rouen when it was truly the only place open in the entire city.  So, we figure we should live up to our statements and it’s a pizza night in our room with mini pancakes for Oscar that he wolfs down on the stroll back to the 

 hotel from the restaurant.   We have the next morning free before going to the airport and we have a sleep in time, some leisurely breakfast and then catch the bus back over to the Eiffel Tower because there was a carousel there.  We get some great time on the merry go round and Oscar screams again about getting off, but finally does get down and have to catch our bus at a different place because they are setting up stuff in the Champ du Mars like for a movie.  They were building a domed thing to go up into 

the base of the Eiffel Tower too, so we think that it is either a new Dan Brown book and Tom Hanks is in town, or Matt Damon is around as Jason Bourne.  But, these big European towns keep having things go on that diverts stuff and poor foreign tourists have no idea what is happening.  I’m sure there are true Parisians that have no clue what’s going on either until their road is closed with barricades.  We have some lunch at the crepe place we ate at the first night where the man was so nice and the cider was so good.  Again, Oscar doesn’t eat his sugar crepe, so mommy and daddy get to.  After bidding adieu to the Ducs de 

Bourgeon for meals, we head to the hotel for our ride to the airport which is one seat short.