June 25, 2025
Souvenir Shopping at Local Supermarkets
We started the day at Auchan Supermarché Voltaire – Paris (see on map), looking for souvenirs. Bonne Maman sweets were cheaper here than at Carrefour City or Monoprix.
The store also carried a variety of herbal teas under its own brand.
From there, we walked to NATURALIA (see on map). The prices for Melvita products were lower than in Japan, so I bought Melvita’s avocado oil (€10.99) as a gift for a friend who had been worried about dry skin around her eyes.
Next, we went to MONOPRIX (see on map). It was quite a large store, with the entire second floor dedicated to groceries. We picked up more sweets as souvenirs there.
Monoprix’s eco bags are popular as affordable souvenirs, but since each one costs €3, I couldn’t help thinking, “Well, they’re not that cheap.”
Lunch Course at Café du Coin
For our final meal in Paris, we went to Café du Coin (see on map) for their lunch course. We arrived right when they opened, but all the tables were already reserved, so we were seated at the counter instead.
The dishes included a fennel appetizer, duck, and an apricot tart — everything was delicious. Sitting at the counter made us feel a bit like locals, and the relaxed atmosphere became a memorable part of the experience. The staff were friendly and easygoing, which made the meal even more enjoyable.
It was a wonderful place overall, and the total for two was €48. The only minor downside was that the apricot tart was a bit too sour for my partner.
Afternoon Stroll and Ice Cream Adventure
After returning to our room to pack, we still had some time before heading to the airport, so we stopped by Maison Kitsuné Filles du Calvaire (see on map).
The summer sale had just started, which was lucky for us — I bought a cap, and then we dropped by Merci (see on map) before returning to our Airbnb.
I wanted to have ice cream one last time at Les Gourmandises, Glaces maison (see on map), but it hadn’t opened yet at 3 p.m., so we gave up and went instead to La Glace Alain Ducasse, Manufacture à Paris (see on map).
We got a small cup with yuzu-passion fruit and grapefruit flavors for €7. The yuzu-passion fruit was so tangy that I laughed — but it was a hot day, so the refreshing taste was perfect.
Heading to the Airport on the Roissy Bus
We boarded the Roissy Bus at the Opéra stop. I had already purchased our tickets (€13 each) through the Bonjour RATP app, so we could simply tap to board.
Unfortunately, the bus we took didn’t have working air conditioning, and it was swelteringly hot all the way to the airport. We left Opéra at 4:17 p.m. and, after getting stuck in traffic, arrived at the shuttle train area of Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 3 around 5:30 p.m.
The driver told us to take the shuttle train from there to Terminal 1.
After moving to Terminal 1 and passing through security, we finally relaxed on a bench near the gate. I tried to charge my laptop using the outlet on the bench, but for some reason it didn’t work, so I used my mobile battery instead.
Unfortunately, I accidentally left my MacBook Air’s original AC adapter plugged into the outlet when we boarded the plane. After arriving in Japan, I reported it through the Charles de Gaulle Airport lost-and-found form — but the adapter never made its way back to me.
