Ooh La La, Part Deux

Paris trip. Day Two I woke up and wrote in my journal for a bit, lounged around, then showered. I bought a bottle of water at a little drug store down the street and took off in the direction of two department stores on Haussmann boulevard, Primtemps and Galeries Lafayette. I wanted to get my shopping out of the way because I didn't know if anything would be open on Sunday. I've been disappointed before, in London, trying to shop on a Sunday morning only to find that nothing opened until later or didn't open at all. First, I went into Galeries Lafayette. I was overwhelmed by the choices! There is nothing like this in Prague! You don't find such a large collection of high end goods in one place. Much of it was too expensive for me but it was fun looking at all the handbags, shoes, wallets that I drool over in Vogue, Elle and other magazines. I actually considered getting one of the lower end Chloe bags but couldn't rationalize spending that kind of money on one purse. Besides, I like purses so much that even though I would tell myself, "I'll only buy this one bag and won't need another for years," it wouldn't be true. I buy cheap bags and mid-range bags because I like to switch them around a lot. I popped upstairs but felt strangely out of place in the fashion departments, even though I was dressed well and could afford at least *some* of the couture. Well, if I were only going to buy one piece, I could afford it. I've been wanting a "signature piece" by Michael Kors, Calvin Klein or Marni but still couldn't even bring myself to try anything on. Weird. Isn't it? And I didn't even go into the cosmetics and skin care departments. I have no self control when it comes to skin care products! I'd likely spend all my shopping budget, and then some, just on lotions and such! I went all the way up to the children's toy department to search out something small for Sophia. I had one small carry-on suitcase that I knew I could lock and check if I had to. But everything I bought had to fit in that or my collapsible tote or my purse. I managed to find some accesories for Penelope in the BuildaBear section. (Sophia adopted Penelope in Disneyland earlier this year.) I also found some teensy tiny Strawberry Shortcake playsets which I knew would fit in the suitcase if I opened the packages and put the toys in a plastic bag. Topping off the ShoppingForSophieSpree, was this little guy. At this point, I was feeling like I was about to faint from hunger. I had skipped breakfast and the store was hot and stuffy. I headed outside and down a side street to a cafe for some food. I had a slice of pizza topped with mozarella and basil with a side salad. It wasn't good but it filled my stomach. I love French cafes. All the chairs point outwards, towards the street, for optimal people-watching and drifting off into your own thoughts. It's heavenly! Shored up a bit, I made my way to Printemps. Same high quality goods. I walked through the designer stuff and still couldn't bring myself to at least try something on. I'm a nerd. I did find some shoes that I loved and, from the amount of women clamoring to get a pair in their size, they are going to be The Shoe for Parisian women this fall. The price was 56 Euro so I felt that was acceptable. However, the sole didn't look like it would last a month on the cobblestoned streets of Prague. Sigh. (For anyone wondering what the shoe was, I am so sorry to admit I can't remember the label. They were Italian ballet flats, simple and elegant, comfortable and flexible. In other words, adorably perfect! Except for the streets of Prague...) I walked into Zara, H&M and Benetton even though they have shops here because each country has slightly different things and in different sizes to accomodate local tastes and body types. (I'm really liking the clothes at Benetton lately...must be getting old!) Guess where I ended up buying clothes? The freakin Gap! I got three shirts, a tank top with a lacy embellishment and a glorious cashmere sweater. I like the shirts at The Gap cuz they are a bit longer and are made so well, even when the material is thinner. I wear them underneath sweaters or over tank tops or to sleep in. I allowed myself to buy the cashmere sweater because I knew I would wear it every day when the weather was cooler. (Such mind fucking!) And I have. It's part of my uniform right now: jeans, slighty dressy but comfortable shoes, Gap T with tank underneath, sweater then belted raincoat. I like this uniform because it's appropriate for most anything. If I wear a nice bracelet or necklace, even better. So yes, laugh at me. I went to Paris and ended up shopping at The Gap. (Note: I also went upstairs and bought a sweater, socks, 3 shirts and 2 thermal shirts for LittleBiscuit.) I took all the bags back to the hotel and decided to walk over to Musee D'Orsay on this day and save the Louvre for the last day. I wanted to get some pictures of the outside of the Louvre so I went through the entrance on Rue de Rivoli and walked through the courtyard. It was so bright I couldn't even tell half the time what my pictures looked like. Therefore, some of these aren't as centered as I would have liked. I was also in somewhat of a hurry because it was already nearly 3pm and I knew the museum closed at 6. I walked through the arcade and looked to my left: Looking back to where I came in: To my right, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (erected by Napoleon in 1808 and modelled after the Arc de Triomphe, so my guide book reads), which is the entrance to the Galerie du Carrousel, leading to the Tuileries gardens. Again, please forgive how wonky these are! A closer look: This car ruined a potentially wonderful shot of the controversial entrance to the Louvre (designed by my favorite architect, I.M.Pei): Just to give you an idea of size: A little further along, looking left still: A close up, because I like facades: Bye, bye, Louvre! See you tomorrow! Crossing the Seine on Pont du Carrousel, looking towards La Rive Gauche (the Left Bank): Looking to my right: Despite the oh so fragrant pool of urine on the stairs, I take a mental note to walk down here after I visit the museum: Looking back to that area and the bridge I just crossed: The trees lining the Jardin du Carrousel: I made it! And the line didn't seem long at all. Woohoo! I'm going to stop here and finish later. I'm scared of losing all this work, for one thing!