Todo normal, Todo normal

Today was pretty quiet - not bad for my first day back. All my work accounts were still disabled, so there wasn't much I could do other than meet with my new boss, and talk to a few other people throughout the day. I also stopped by to see my old co-workers, and it was very nice to see that they were genuinely happy to see me. I got plenty of hugs. But the highlight of my day had nothing to do with work. My happiest moment was probably when Bella chose to join me and Zoey on our walk, and happily skipped next to me the entire way, occasionally holding my hand. The way she was smiling, and the way her eyes were shining, simply made my day.

First day back

Today is my first day back, and I am sure everything in the office will be weird and familiar at the same time.

Day 87 - The end

Today was my 16th anniversary in Cincinnati, the last day of my sabbatical, and the most stressful day ever. I have no time to write about it, but let's say it included things like Bella being stung by a bee (she is fine now), and Sofia closing the garage door while the trunk of my car was open, which made the door and my car get stuck ... All while I was by myself with the girls and Lionel was out for dinner.

I would say I am glad the day is over, but part of me is also sad because when I wake up again I will be back to the routine, away from my girls for most of the day ... And that does not make me happy. After 3 full months with them, I am going to miss them a lot!

Day 86 - First day of school!

Today was the first day of school, and the girls were happy and ready to go!

Day 85 - Still recovering...

Today was all about continuing to get settled, and getting ready for the first day of school. I think we are ready ... tomorrow we shall see.

Day 84 - Recovery!

Saturday was all about recovering from the trip and settling back at home. We were tired, but we accomplished a lot: Finished unpacking, did laundry, and did grocery shopping. 

Day 84 - Yoga!

First yoga practice in a month. Stretch heaven!

Day 83 - Home!

After a long, but happily uneventful flight, this afternoon we made it back home! Home, sweet home!

Day 83 - On our way!

Today we got up at 6:00 am, got ready, and took a taxi to the airport. We came with plenty of time, and on top of that luckily today the airport is not as crowded or disorganized as last year. So without much drama we are now at the gate, waiting for our direct flight home. Let's hope the girls can hang in there with a little bit of sleep, a little bit of drawing, and (just for today), as much screen time as they want.

Day 82 - Last day in France

Today was our last day in France, so we took it easy ... except for one thing. I really wanted to take pictures of the girls by the Eiffel tower - so we can see how they grow over the years as we visit Paris - so we did. On our way there we ran into yet another carrousel, so we made it our last one of the trip.

And just like that, it is a wrap! Our one month trip is over and tomorrow we are heading back. I am not quite ready to go back to work, but I am sure looking forward to going home!

Day 82 - Last morning run

This morning Lionel and I went for a run, the last run of our trip. We ran for 6

miles, which brings my total mileage for the trip to a decent 35 miles: 7 in Barcelona, 5 in Nice, 6 in Lucerne, 3 in St Die, 3 in Caen, 5 in Tours, and 6 in Paris. I didn't get to take pictures in St Die or Tours, but here are pictures from the rest.

Barcelona

Nice

Lucerne

Caen

Paris

Day 81 - Hello again Paris!

Yesterday we left Tours to drive to Paris, our next and last stop of the trip. We drove to the airport to return our rental car - which made me a little sad since we drove it for over 3000 Km and it was good to us - and took a Taxi to Lionel's uncle's house. After settling in and hanging out for a little bit we went to visit his grandma, who was very happy to see him. She is now 96 and she is very frail, but mentally she is all there. It is always nice to see all the pictures she has at her place, many of them from back in the day, and this time around there was also a new and interesting one: A picture of his uncle meeting the Queen of England. Pretty cool!

After our visit we came back to his uncle's house, had dinner (we were glad for a home cooked meal), hung out a little more, and went to bed.

Day 80 - Taking a break

Even prior to our dinner disaster from has night, we had decided to make today a rest day as tomorrow we are driving to Paris - the last leg of our trip.

Even though we got up early the morning went by fast. I ran 5 miles, which I really needed both for exercise and to let go of the stress of last night, and Lionel went out after me - his first run ever since he got hurt playing soccer before our trip. Lunch time then came quickly, and we (VERY HESITANTLY) went out to eat. We were not very excited about it, but we had no choice as there is no food in here.

The place where we went for lunch is very "eclectic", and every room is decorated as if it was a room of a regular house - a very clutter house at that. We went there because they had crepes, which we thought would be a safe bet with the girls. The girls still found a reason to complain about the food though - which was highly frustrating. Sofia's cheese and ham crepe had too much cheese (not really!) and Bella's crepe had too much nutella (not so!). But the good news is that much needed relief was provided by the [God-sent] kids area in the place. The girls got up and went there, and Lionel and I were able to stay at the table and have a peaceful meal.

Tonight we have to figure something out for dinner, but considering the last couple meals we've had I get stressed just thinking about it.

Day 79 - 13th Wedding Anniversary

Even though my goal for this trip was to pack light, I did pack a nice dress that I thought I could wear for our anniversary dinner. I knew we wouldn't be able to go to a fancy place with the girls, but I thought the dress wouldn't be too much for a regular nice place. Unfortunately I wasn't counting on the cold weather - since my dress is strapless - so I just wore my regular outfit from the day. But as it turns out it was a good thing I didn't dress up, because our anniversary dinner was a bit of a disaster.

The girls brought their colored pencils to the restaurant, to entertain themselves while we waited for the food. Bella suggested that we all drew a mitten, so we did, and Sofia made us a card. Unfortunately the whole thing went downhill quickly, as Bella refused to eat her food and a whole drama ensued that ended with her and Lionel leaving the restaurant and walking around for a few minutes. Sofia and I stayed at the restaurant, but needless to say I could have also stood up and leave right there and then.

If I wasn't feeling all the great before - since this nagging cough won't go away, and the cool weather doesn't help - I was certainly feeling awful by the end of the meal. So when we got back to the apartment we put the girls to bed and I crashed right away. Physically and emotionally I was completely exhausted, and I didn't want to utter another word, have another thought, or interact with anybody or anything.

Day 79 - Chateau du Clos Luce, Parc Leonardo da Vinci

After Chenonceau we went to Chateau du Clos Luce, which is technically not a castle, but rather a fancy house where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last 3 years of his life. Most of the house had been destroyed throughout the years, so the current house is really a reproduction and there is not much to see inside other than Leonardo's bedroom. The real highlight is the garden, which is a great place for kids to run around. It contains life-size models of Leonardo's inventions, based on the manuscripts he left behind, which the kids can interact with. I wish we had spent more time there, but when Bella announced that she needed to go to the bathroom "super bad", and that meant walking all the way back to the main house, everybody decided to just call it a day and drive back to the apartment.