Prices Here are Not as Bad as We Feared

We've read a lot about how expensive Paris is; some reports call it the second most expensive city on the planet (behind Hong Kong, I believe). We've been sort of worried about it but so far the prices haven't been that bad (if you ignore the exchange rate).

Clothes seem to be more expensive than Seattle, and rent prices and home prices are very steep, but other stuff seems reasonable. For example, earlier today we shopped at a supermarket called "Franprix", which is smaller and apparently a bit cheaper than the Monoprix we visited yesterday. We bought:

• 1 large bottle of Suze (a French aperitif) 
• 1 large bottle of Muscat 
• 4 pkgs of Madeline cookies 
• 4 yogurt cups 
• 1 Charcroute Garnie (a 2 lb pkg containing sausage, ham, sauerkraut, and potatoes) 
• 8 ounces of a nice gooey French cheese (not pictured) 

Our haul from the Franprix supermarket earlier today -- notice anything missing? (Yep, we forgot the shampoo)

The total came to less than 20 euros.

There are some VERY expensive restaurants in Paris but eating out like a regular person isn't that bad. For example, tonight for dinner we went to a cafe called "Cafe Primerose".

It's going to be very hard to diet in Paris

For dinner we ordered:

• 3 Mojitos 
• 1 Glass of red wine
• 1 Poisson et frites (fish and chips - the wife said it was amazing) 
• 1 Tuna over squid ink risotto (with a wafer of carmelized parmesan - also fantastic) 
• 1 Cheese plate 

The bill for our meal was 66 euros and change. The waiter was nice so we paid 70 euros total. (Tipping isn't strictly necessary here, but he was very helpful.)