Shopping And Souveneirs

The honeymoon is coming to an end. I have to admit that it was a fantastic experience. We have bought many souvenirs to bring back to our friends, such as French postcards, clothing, bumper stickers, movies, posters, and books. I have noticed that there were many different types of markets in France (rather than a few supermarkets).

There were separate markets for fruits and vegetables, shops for flowers, and many other simple markets with a narrow list of products. These markets tended to be together in a market place. Here is a list of some of the famous marketplaces that my wife and I did most of our shopping at: -

Guerlain Parfumerie: an elegant old shopping center with many nice stores in Paris

- Printemps and Galeries Lafayette: are huge malls in Paris that are both rivals and typical shopping centers for non tourists in Paris

These places were both in Paris. This is probably due to the fact that Paris is where the majority of tourists who visit France stay. Below is a picture of Galeries Lafayette:

Entertainment

I have found that in many of the cities that I have gone to so far, there are many film festivals. It seems that there are many popular and independent film makers in France.

My wife and I have had a lot of fun experiencing the lively nightlife here in France. We have found a large number of night clubs with great foods and drinks. We have also found many discos and dances. I have observed that there are many plays performed in theaters that also serve food (similar to the Alamo Draft House in Austin, except with plays instead of movies).

French Food And Drinks

Good news: my wife and I are getting along again! It turns out that I forgot to tell her that we didn't have to pay for anything. Oops. Well, we "made up" for our arguments. Anyway, I would like to comment about the great food in France. It's really good! I look forward to all of my meals! Here are some of the foods that I found especially tasty:

- Crêpe: a thin pancake often filled with cheese, meat, and/or sweets

- Croissant: a nice pasty that is eaten for breakfast

- Crème brûlée: a desert consisting of of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hard caramel, created by burning sugar under a grill or other intense heat source

- Blanquette de veau: a dish consisting veal, onions, and mushrooms in a thich sauce

- Bouillabaisse: a stew containing many herbs, spices, and fish shells

- Éclair: a doughnut without a hole, covered in chocolate and filled with cream

Despite the tasty and unique food throughout France, I have not found any special drinks. French people seem to drink a lot of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk, wine, and orange juice.

Living Accommodations / New Years

Anyone reading this blog is probably having a very happy new year. Unfortunately, I can not say the same about myself. It is now awkward traveling with my wife, seeing that we are arguing a lot. She now began complaining about the average cost of our basic living accommodations:

- Food: $100 per day

- Souvenirs: $100 per day

- Bus/Taxi Travel: $50 per day

- Total Per Day: $250

- Total For 21 Days (Total Trip): $5,250

So what if we spend extra money! IT'S OUR HONEYMOON AND WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR ANYTHING!!!