During our last trip to Paris in October 2021 with our dear friend Louise, the three of us took a purse class in an artist’s studio on Rue Daguerre in the 14th. I fell in love with Rue Daguerre that day; it was in a true “neighborhood“, far away from swarms of tourists, tour buses and scammers.

This was the “real” Paris, with doctor, dentist and veterinarian offices, dry cleaners, churches, schools, pharmacies, and lots of neighborhood cafes. In short, an area where real Parisians live, work and go about their daily business.

Best of all, we discovered that about 4 blocks of Rue Daguerre were car-free, and lined with the most amazing food retailers.

So, when it came time to find an apartment for our month in Paris, we were thrilled to find a place one block away from Rue Daguerre!

Yesterday, despite major jet-lag, we took a stroll over to see if Rue Daguerre is as cool as we remembered. And it is! Check out these greengrocer and bakery displays.

This is Holy Week, with shops displaying wares for the Easter Weekend. Mom and I have resolved to break our long-standing “no Easter candy” rule and buy ourselves a chocolate bunny…and maybe some chocolate Easter eggs, too!

Tonight we cooked our first real meal: Mom requested potato leek soup. This required a bit of fumbling around in the corner grocery store to find the ingredients, remember how to use the produce scale/label printing thingie, and figure out the cashier etiquette, all while attempting NOT to make nuisances of ourselves in the tiny, cramped aisles.

The next challenge was to figure out how to use the apartment’s induction cooktop (which I have to say is 3,000 times better than the one we use at the Ronald McDonald House,), find the pot I needed and figure out the blender. But I prevailed and dinner was delish!

So for those of you keeping score, we have mastered the cooktop, the microwave, and the washer/dryer combo. The electric heating registers remain a mystery, but it is getting warmer here so that won’t be an issue much longer. Tonight we will attempt the dishwasher. Fingers crossed!