Saint Louis

I went to Saint Louis today. Don't think Missouri, think France. And be sure to pronounce it as if you were speaking French-- it sounds much fancier. Saint Louis the French town just across the border from Basel. Kirk asked me to pick up one of his suits at the cleaners, and I was happy to have an excuse to take my first journey into France with our new license plates. Dry cleaning, like everything else, is much cheaper in France than in Switzerland. On the way home I stopped by Géant, which is one of the big grocery stores in Saint Louis where a lot of Basel "expatters" shop because it's cheaper and bigger than anything you'll find in Switzerland. It's really more of a super store, because it also sells everything from clothes, to hardware, to TVs, to furniture. I've been there just a couple times before, and I have to say that I was totally overwhelmed. I think I've really gotten used to my regular Basel stores where they may not be much selection but I know where everything is and the produce is always good. Géant certainly has much more selection, including lots of interesting products not sold in Swiss stores, but I'm not sure I'll make it a regular thing. It's also hard to say how much cheaper it is because I have trouble converting from Euros to Francs, especially when I still think in terms of dollars. The best part of the whole trip was when I went back through the border into Switzerland I wasn't stopped and slammed with a million questions about our car because we no longer have Virginia tags! Not only did the Zoll (customs) guy just wave me through, he actually gave me a big thumbs up as if he knew I was excited to show him my new Swiss plates.