I had a bit of difficulty finding a shopping cart when I entered the store. They keep theirs outside in the carpark in corrals like we have in the US only they have tokens like Aldi’s does to use them. There were conveyor belts that took shoppers and their carts from the ground floor (aka 0) to the first floor.

It was a bit of a confusion for me as well that there are self-scanners that a loyal customer can use to shop. It’s kind of like self-checkout only you have the dreaded cashier at the end to verify your purchased items. That’s my understanding of how it works but I could be wrong.

On the East side of the store were practical items like the grocery buggy I purchased, candles, gardening, auto repair stuff, all similar items to what you might find in a Walmart, although, everything is in French so out came my handy Google Image Translator which helped me navigate pretty easily when I remembered to use French to English. Facepalm.

They freaking sell hard liquor and wine in the grocery store! It’s all self-serve which I thought was pretty darned neat to see. There were no drunken brawls or anything. Just ordinary people selecting their beverage of choice.

I found bodywash, shampoo, a poof, and full sized toothpaste in the toiletries aisle. I found the produce section and had to watch how other people were doing it before I figured it out. You take a paper sack that has a clear view window on the side, load up which you like, then take the items to a central station in the middle of the section. The clerk weighs each bag after verifying contents then puts a price sticker on it. Saves hassle at the register for checkout.

I scored a fresh baked baguette that was still warm. I picked up a few other items including “Mountain Milk” which turned out to be spoiled when I got home.

As you can see by the buggy, it’s quite full. I paid less than 100 Euros for everything. I couldn’t believe it! No sticker shock or buyer’s remorse. The prices you see on the shelf are the price you pay. No bullshit, just straight up. BTW, taxi’s are like that too.

And now for the funny story besides the fact that I found my stupid mouse hiding while I was looking for my other outlet adapter. Facepalm again.

What you’re looking at are the pieces of my French press (HA! I nearly typed oppressed!) Why is that amusing? Well, I decided to give it a go. I used my translator to read the directions and was able to successfully brew a two cup pot of satisfying coffee. When they say don’t use fine ground coffee, they aren’t lying (spits out coffee grounds).

Anyway, after I’d consumed the delectable bitterness, there was a small amount of liquid and of course the grounds in the bottom. After pondering my next action, I figured, I’d just dump them down the toilet (because I didn’t know what else to do, okay?!)

I brought the pot into the bathroom and dumped the contents AND the glass container directly into the toilet. I didn’t know it came apart! I was worried I’d cracked the jar, but I didn’t. It got a thorough hot water and soap cleaning (thrice). Now that I know, I’ll make a better plan in the future.

It’s nearly midnight here in Caen, while you’re still looking at nearly 6PM EDT. Tomorrow I get to start working for the family I came here for. I will have to navigate a bit (I know, good luck!) but I will show up precisely when I mean to, and not a minute before.