We had learned of Paris' Costcos (two!) on our first visit to Rueil-Malmaison back in May and had vowed to see one of them. Both are way south of the central city and long Metro rides from where we lived in the 6th. The Costco at Poncault, near Creteil, however, was nearly on our way to Melun, our next destination, so we had to stop for a look and a taste. It was crazy busy, as one might expect--the French appear to love it and are demanding more, particularly in Lyon--we wandered around, savoring the familiarity, and bought ourselves a poulet roti, some frites, a baguette, and a bottle of Rhone red for a repas in the parking lot. After Costco, we drove on to Melun, south of Paris, to spend the night and next day at the nice campground there, La Bel Etoile, packing, cleaning, and readying the camper for its return on July 3 to the rental agency in Rueil-Malmaison. After a night at the CDG Holiday Inn, United and its affiliates on July 4th flew us back to the States, and, eventually, our former home in Missoula, MT. Another adventure was about to begin.
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| The exit line |
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| Pretty much like any Costco, except en Francais |
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| And some items perhaps not common in the US |
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The only disappointment was the wine section...very limited, and
none of the great French wines...almost as if they had decided not
to compete |
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| Five years ago would have been a scandal... |
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| Main attraction |
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| Lesser attraction |
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| That's 3+ lbs of the best roasted chicken ever, for $6.51 |
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| Our repas in the camper; actually, it was dejeuner... |
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| The desserts were from a patisserie in Sens |
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Our last photo from 2023 in Europe...La Bel Etoile is right on the
Seine, in Melun, well south of Paris, where the river traffic is freight
and not river cruise tour boats... |
