When I woke up it was still raining/drizzly and cool. A typical rainy April day for both DC and here as I am finding out. The end of March and April were beautiful and warm which was very nice but not as a rule.

Having adopted the French lifestyle of shopping at the market (which is think is mostly older people and stay at home mothers), I had to go to the market to get what I wanted to eat for dinner. I have fallen into a routine for life here. I usually go out to dinner on Friday night, I run Tuesday and Thursday so have my big meal out for lunch. As you have read, I am trying to experiment with restaurants for lunch on those two days. Those nights I have a light meal after the runs. I generally cook on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights. This means that I go to the market and get food for Sunday and Monday on Sunday morning. The markets and lots of restaurants are closed on Monday. This means I usually go to the market on Wednesday to get food for dinner that night. Saturday is a mixed bag. Sometimes I go out to dinner and sometimes cook at home. I am moving to having more dinners out on Saturday as it gives me the option of trying new restaurants.

I shopped at the fish market today. I am really like seafood and they have some many more options of fresh seafood that I generally find in Alexandria. I am going to have to go to the fish market at the Wharf when I get back and see if they have more of the options that I find here. There are many things I do not know how to cook but would like to try. There are lots of mollusks which I have only had in seafood towers here. I saw sea urchins which I would no idea how to cook and probably would poison myself if I tried. Below is a picture of the market with a surprising option. Not sure if it was for sale to eat or just as a decoration.

After shopping I headed to my favorite cafe for a hot chocolate and to read a little while to see if the rain was going to let up. The forecast had called for a nicer afternoon. It was not better by the time I left so I walked home in the drizzle. It did seem a little warmer but it might have been just the warmth from the hot chocolate.

I have my usual charcuterie lunch. It makes me happy but at sometimes it makes me feel like I am very boring and definitely in a rut for eating lunch. The cheese, jambon and olives are all great so I cannot real complain. I think I might get some pate the next time I am at the market to give me some variety.

The weather did clear up so I went for a walk in the afternoon to enjoy the sun after two days without the sun. After the walk, I FaceTimed with a friend. It was nice to catch up with him and what was going on with his family. My goddaughter and her boyfriend got engaged and that is great. We talked a little about the prospects of when the wedding would take place.

I bought new wine and had it with dinner. It is very fun to try new wine. I am always thrilled with the price of the wine. This bottle was 10 Euros which is a great price.

The featured picture shows a plane landing at the airport. The airport is fairly close to the city which is nice. I do not see the planes landing as I would from my apartment in Alexandria and definitely do not hear the jet noise but when I see them landing, it does remind me of home. There are many fewer flights here so I definitely do not see or hear them as often.