I think all my overwhelming musings have reached their quota on this trip. That was 2025 and this is 2026 - time to fully accept all the signs and full circles that have come to fruition in this second half of our honeymoon. We still have some things we need to accomplish - another pair of shoes, for sure, while we still search for our elusive French knives and of course, we need chocolates. And maybe one or two bottles of wine. So much to do, so little time left it seems. With housekeeping not cleaning our room til late this afternoon, we enjoyed a really lazy start to the first day of the year. The one thing we missed getting up so late  was our morning latte and cappuccino. So, if I sounded grumpy at some point today, it was not my fault. I think I was just fine, after all, I had a really big mimosa at lunch, but champagne before caffeine was probably not the best order of beverages.

Once again, we stumbled into an incredible small restaurant. This one was in the 6th after finding the perfect place for our future Paris apartment right across the river in the 1st. What better way to start 2026 than with Italian food? And Paris knows how to do Italian. We have yet to have anything short of spectacular in any of the establishments. The one thing that amazes us is that the Parisians are very strict on tables matching your party. A group of 2 is never seated at a table for four or a table that will accommodate three. And if you're a party of over 6? Well, get prepared to wait a very long time for a place to sit.

I think this is where my husband decided I was grumpy, but I say it was him because it wasn't my fault we didn't go for coffee before we ate. So I chalk up the confusion to the temperature dropping considerably today. The wind has picked up, but with my ears warmly covered, there's no way I was the grumpy one. The streets of Paris were wonderfully quiet today. We have noticed things that during the crowded masses of the summer we hardly were able to appreciate. The side streets are where Paris really shines and even in the colder temperatures, walking them are full of joy and wonder. On the way back, we stopped into a quaint little cafe in the park of our potential future apartment. The young man who waited on us spoke incredible English. When we complimented him on it, he shared that it is part of his studies at university. He spoke better than most Americans, and we would love to see where his future takes him. If he baked the desserts we had, then there's even more power to him. The coffee alone was one of the best we've had here, too.

Overall, the only surprising moment of the day is how comfortable we are in Paris. We know which way to walk  - even if it is only one of us who is right - and what streets to avoid, what metro stops to bypass and which pastry shops are better than others. And, with the wind picking up this evening, a simple sandwich and wine dinner at our hotel room was all we needed. We're set for that apartment, for sure. It will more than likely be small, but as long as there's room for an espresso machine to stomp out any potential grumpiness, I think we'll be just fine.