I got up and had breakfast and then headed out to the local farmers’ market. I needed some fruit for breakfast and lunches and dinners. I am stuck on the good strawberries. I always buy them from the same stand as they are relatively inexpensive and good.

I have become particular about the clementines that I buy. There is a Spanish import clementine that is very juicy and good. I look for them at the different stands. They are slightly more expensive than the Morocco clementines but I am willing to pay the extra for the taste and excellence.

I did buy more of the mini avocados. I have been enjoying them for my lunches at home. They seem ridiculously cheap but I am not good at remembering costs in the U.S. so I cannot really tell. But 5 for $2.36 seems very good. The other part is there is not any worry about not finishing one at a meal and them getting brown in the refrigerator.

I have been trying to figure out if food is actually cheaper in France than in Alexandria. It seems that way but I do not really have a good gauge for a couple of reasons. One is that sizes are different. Everything here, as expected, are in grams and liters not pounds and quarts. I definitely know chocolate croissants are definitely cheaper. I pay less than $2.00 which is great. Also, baguettes are much cheaper. I do feel that things are more affordable. The other aspect of the buying food here is I can buy single servings of things which is not something that is easy to do in Alexandria. This is true at the markets. I do not shop for anything but staples at supermarkets so cannot really say about those.

For lunch I went to Restaurant Gascon, the retirement lunch restaurant. The food is definitely regular food not fancy. It is very inexpensive and good. It is somewhat comfort food. I was surprised that the restaurant was almost empty but Friday is a holiday so some people might be out of town. The whole town seemed somewhat quiet as I walked around.

I had tomato and mozzarella salad, sautéed duck with rice and olives and flan for dessert. All very hearty and good but not something memorable. The local table wine is good and definitely inexpensive just over $3.00

In the evening it was Run in Toulouse as usual. Elliot is back from his trip to Argentina so I got to run with him and learn about his trip. It was nice to see him again. It is really nice to have a group to run with in the evening. Clara was there and she gave me grief as I was not staying to do the exercises. It was raining so I was even less inclined to do them than regularly. The rain did not start until just as the run started and it was more drizzle than real rain so it was nice to run in. The real rain did not start until after the run and I was heading home and once I got home. Another person knew my name and said hello as we were running to the group. It is nice to be recognized. My IG posts about running might be the reason.

Marc is running a trail marathon in Andorra the last weekend in May. I think he jokingly said I should come and cheer him on. I jumped at the idea. I have wanted to go to Andorra ever since I started coming to Toulouse but have not made it. This will be a good excuse to go so I am definitely planning to go. It should be fun.