Paris Day 9 Wednesday: Rain Enforced Rest Day

We slept until 9am and were awoken by the wake up call I’d ordered to ensure we wouldn’t miss breakfast. I decided last night that if it rained today I would just stay here at the hotel with the girls and take it easy. The girls had requested last night that we go to the Louvre today to see the Mona Lisa but we can do that tomorrow. After breakfast the girls spent the better part of the morning playing creatively with the Kapla blocks in the lobby while I sat in the lounge area next to them and caught up on James’ progress and blog entries. A little Dora viewing on the laptop and conversation with other spouses took us through lunchtime and in the afternoon the girls rearranged the lobby furniture to make little houses for themselves. These little abodes were equipped with kitty flaps and the girls played contentedly for a couple of hours while I chatted with Dan and Jan who had dropped out of the ride.

The staff here are amazing and we are getting to know a few of them quite well. This afternoon Noemie, the receptionist, assured me that the girls rearranging furniture was fine as there were hardly any guests in the hotel and few others downstairs besides ourselves. We talked about her own son, Hugo, who is 6 yrs old and currently on holiday with his grandparents in Burgundy. He returns next week in time for returning to school.

Jerome, the waiter at the Novotel Café, is a true gentleman. He carries his tall stature in a very erect, though not stiff, manner. He told me yesterday that hi s father is originally from Brest. He and his wife are hoping to have their first child next year and in the meantime he dotes on his 3 yr old niece. He and Caitlin bonded over the Dora nightdress Caitlin wore to breakfast one morning. Jerome is polite and kind to us and yesterday generously supplied the girls with coca-cola, which Caitlin thoroughly disliked. Ashley seemed to enjoy her drink on first sip but then abandoned it when Jerome offered them hot chocolate instead. I was pleased to have them move away from the coke. I was fine with them trying it because it was such a generous gesture but relieved that it was not a huge success. We routinely receive free drinks here from the staff and their warmth and friendliness has made it a whole lot easier being the only family in the hotel with young children.

Later Jerome, and the waitress Marie Charlotte, came over to us in the lobby bearing gifts for the girls. Ashley chose a soft plush reindeer and Caitlin chose a soft, white cuddly seal. They also received a set of small wooden dominoes and a game called Mikado (a pickup sticks game) and a box of coloring pencils. The girls were delighted and these new toys added a couple more hours of fun to their evening. They delightedly snuggled their new reindeer an seal in bed last night and each generously offered me their Teddy bears to sleep with so that I wouldn’t “be lonely without Daddy”. Having finally forced myself to go to bed at 1:30am, after my PBP update blog, I did find it soothing to have these little tokens of comfort beside me, each smelling of its adorably loving little owner.