First, I have to talk a little bit about the food...

I probably should talk about travelling to Calgary, or the little issue I had with security (easily resolved!) prior to boarding our flight to Frankfurt, or the flight to and transfer within Frankfurt, or the little hop to Toulouse and the drive to Chez Nous. But, I have to talk about food.

Croissants, chocolatines, baguettes, cheese (of all sorts), sausages everywhere, fresh REAL produce that tastes so very very good... Ahhhh, my senses are swimming.

There are a lot of differences from our small town grocery stores back home, to the markets and supermarchés. The groceries seem to be pretty much the same price as back home, except beef is much more expensive here, and pork is way cheaper. (And no, we're not forgetting to convert the prices from Euros into Canadian dollars! If we did, we'd be eating like kings, and broke in no time at all! LOL!) One of the many differences that first struck me as odd, are the lingerie aisles in the supermarché. Many different styles and sizes and colours and choices - of lingerie! - can be overwhelming to someone whose previous grocery store experience of adult 'lingerie' is Hanes white briefs, or briefs in white, in a three-pack. ;)

Carson has become devoted to croissants, and takes one for snack (gouté) every day. Riley, who previously scorned bread crusts of most types, is in love with the chewy baguettes - go figure!! And Margo loves croissants, and chocolatines, and anything else with some chocolate in it, including (especially!?) mousse au chocolat!!

And I, *sigh*, I love the Madeleines, the chocolatines, the croissants, the fresh produce (especially the fruit) without wax on it that must be scrubbed off first, and the coffee. I must admit, that it is the coffee, and specifically, my consumption of it, that has surprised me the most. It is rich, and dark, and oh, so smooth..., and I no longer drink my coffee with cream, or with much sugar in it, either. And it was GOOD. ;)