Shopping in the Suburbs

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to IKEA with a couple of friends. Yes, I consider it an opportunity here because it requires someone to have a car and be willing to drive in the chaos of Paris. The first IKEA we went to was a fake IKEA - it only had kitchen and bathroom stuff, so we set out to find a real  IKEA and on our way we happened upon a little outlet mall so stopped to do some shopping. 

 

Confession: At home, I scorn the suburbs, as I prefer the mountains, the country, the beach or the city..... really anything but the 'burbs.  In France I am living in a small village and I visit Paris from time to time, which is perfect for me. So this weekend, when I found myself in the suburbs of Paris, I was shocked to find that I felt very comfortable and almost a sense of "home".  Maybe the truth is, I'm much more of a suburbia girl than I care to admit?

 

I spent my shopping time in a shoe store because shoes make my heart happy! I remember when I was a young teenager telling my mom that when I walked into a store I could hear certain shoes calling my name. She thought I was crazy, and you probably do to, but it's true.... there are some shoes that just speak to me, and it's nearly impossible to walk away without taking them with me. On this occasion I took lots of pictures, and only brought home one new pair of shoes. Here are some that knew my name and made my heart smile, but I had to leave them at the store, for now.

When I packed my bags to move to France, I agonized over which shoes to bring with me, and I ended up bringing only eight pairs.... which means I put nearly thirty pairs of shoes in storage and giving away more than ten pairs. I consoled myself with a promise that I could buy four new pairs while I'm here (one for each season, of course!) Ok, so I might have a bit of a shoe addiction.... but alas, every gypsy needs a good pair of traveling shoes!

I don't have a picture of my new shoes, but I'm sure you'll see them on my feet in future posts!