Overcast, rainy and cold. We are pretty much over the colds we caught, me first, then Jeannie. But between the sniffles, the cold temperatures and the rain, our time outside has been limited since the Fête des Lumières.

We have gotten out most every day, including long walks (>13km or 8 miles), and even a ride on the local Open-Tour, double-deck bus. We started late and sat up top. Froze our faces, but were otherwise warm-ish.Well, today it’s been cold again, and it has been raining all day.

However, we HAD to get out. So off we went to the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse again. This indoor, high-end, high-quality market, always has us salivating upon entering and encountering the aromas. The meats, cheeses, and seafoods are beautifully presented and exceptionally fresh.

There are restaurants all around inside the market, and it was at one of these that we ate lunch. We often search out the plat du jour or plate of the day. It is always good, and economical. Jeannie usually has to follow tradition and get a dessert, while I have an espresso.

Once we finished lunch it was still raining, and our plan to go to one of the museums didn’t sound like such a good idea now. Besides it was closer to the mall than to the Metro station where we would have taken the subway to the museum (and another walk in the rain).

The mall isn’t usually my favorite destination, but we did need to shop for something, and it was warm and dry. But, it is the week before Christmas, and just like at home it was packed. After finding what we needed, we popped back into the rain, put up our “parapluie” or umbrella and made our way towards home.

We still needed to make three stops.  First was at our local fromagerie or cheese shop. The gentleman has seen us several times before, and has always been helpful. Of course he doesn’t speak English, but he has been most helpful and friendly. The conversations center on just a few simple words or phrases, as well as a lot of pointing and gesturing. We have stumbled through purchasing several wonderful cheeses over the past couple of weeks thanks to him, and we have only tasted the tip of the iceberg {?}.

Then we stopped at a small shop where we can get some fresh salad items to go with the cheeses for dinner. Some lettuce, 2 carrots, and a shallot (required for traditional French vinaigrette).

Finally, we needed a baguette, so another stop at our little boulangerie or bakery/bread shop around the corner was in order. They know us too. It is nice when a smile of recognition greets us as we walk in. I like to think that we are an amusing diversion, with our broken French and American grins still bewildered at the fact that we are really doing this.

After our pleasant exchange we headed toward the door, and the young lady behind the counter doesn’t merely say “merci, au revoir”, she says,  knowingly, “à bientôt” or “see you later”.

Back out into the rainy evening, it wasn’t quite so cold.