Le Hypermarché

First stop after picking up the car - a visit to the largest Carrefour I have ever seen.

Just outside of the Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport, and only a couple of minutes from the car agency (see Mark’s upcoming post on our Renault Scénic), we spent about 1.5 hours shopping for basic provisions at one of France’s largest supermarkets.

The place is vast. It’s basically a giant Walmart with food, household goods, general stuff and appliances. You can also have your hair cut in the middle of the makeup department.

We had some specific needs like a cooler, a fan and mosquito repellent, so rather than search all day, I asked the very nice young lady at the information counter in the middle of the store. She explained that the Kleenex were found not next to the other paper goods like toilet paper, but in the parfumerie. But, of course! C’est logique!

I think this guy is looking for the emergency exit.

Here’s a sample of their selection of French wine in a box. My dad would be over the moon!

In the center of the store, they have a marketplace area with a butcher, charcuterie, boulangerie and …

a fromagerie! You could spend hours just selecting cheese.

On the tea aisle, I found an intriguing product - Groundhog flavored tea! Well, not exactly. In French, you call someone who sleeps too much “une marmotte” like an animal that hibernates during the winter months. Sometimes it take a fair amount of cultural understanding to negotiate the tea aisle.

This product is easier to decipher. Yummy little butter cookies with slightly browned edges. Tea time!