John and Melanie Try a New Cafe... And Go Shopping

We had a very quiet morning and skipped breakfast.

At lunchtime we decided to check out the French supermarket called "Monoprix". It's a two story building with clothes, housewares, and a bakery on the bottom; and a fairly large grocery store on the top floor. It's supposedly pretty expensive but we found the prices manageable.

We bought some bread, cheese, a bottle of wine, some shampoo, and a few other small items. I had read that Parisians must always bag their own groceries, so I was prepared for that, but I couldn't find the bags! Melanie put a few items in her purse and I was able to carry the rest. We'll have to buy a cloth bag for next time.

Also, I had heard that you need a 1 dollar coin to unlock the shopping carts (you get it back when the cart is returned) but this didn't seem to be necessary. Maybe we just got lucky.

You are supposed to release these carts with a coin, but our cart was already unlocked

Earlier this evening we tried out a new cafe, across the way from "Le Pierrot" (we're becoming friends with one of the waiters there, but we wanted to try a new place). It's called "Le Bouquet de Grenelle".

Cafe Le Bouquet de Grenelle

It has been another warm sunny day in Paris, so we once again ate outside. Melanie ordered a roasted chicken with fries dish and I got a variation on a croque madame they called Provençale. My sandwich was very delicious and Melanie said the chicken was the best she's ever had. Anywhere. (It came with a tarragon sauce that really complemented whatever spices they added to the chicken.)

We've been told that there are strict laws here regarding food, and the French are not allowed to add hormones or additives to their meat. They are particular about their chicken, especially, and most birds are pasture raised, by law.