In the Neighborhood

So, a little confession...

my rose-colored Parisian glasses still think this is so pretty, but you might not.

So, I'm admitting that everything in Paris might not be pretty.

It's the sunrise through the window of our hotel room. About a ten to fifteen minute metro ride from the center, in the Montparnasse area.

I still think it's pretty.

One of my favorite parts of our trip was exploring the neighborhood.

I loved just wandering around listening to the French, soaking up the culture (or maybe just soaking up the fact that I was wandering around in Paris!).

There were several little cafes, and a surprising number of pizzerias. What's up with that? I found a little fruit and vegetable market and a boucherie (high school French vocab - do people even still use that word in France?). There was a tabac! Why is that exciting to me? I found a couple of little grocery stores where I picked up some cute little strawberry yogurts for the kids and some la fermiere yogurt for Dave and me (after spending a fortune on croissants, brioches, and the best hot chocolate I've ever had at the hotel cafe our first morning in town).

The little terra cotta pots were rinsed and came home as my favorite French souvenir. I have since found some different colors and flavors in grocery stores here in Moscow.

Looking for a cheaper dinner, we found a boulangerie one night - yummy, yummy bread! The only thing missing was a fromagerie, so we skimmed the extensive offerings of cheese at the grocery store instead (seriously - a couple of long rows of just cheese), and picked up a few varieties. Bread, cheese, the rest of our strawberries, and some Orangina - still not cheap, but light and delicious.

It was such a fun adventure for me.