Lundi -- J'ai fait du shopping

Before I left for France I got some very generous donations to the "keep Emily chic" fund from both my mother and grandmother with instructions that these donations were best to be spent on the latest French fashions. Being the frugal girl that I am, I had yet to spend more that 7,50 EUR of this money on clothes, keeping it handy for a rainy day, a nice meal, or maybe just keeping it out of the hands of the stores at les Galeries Lafayette who are known to eat large sums of money without warning.

Well last night I got a careful reminder from my mother that I had such a sum of money and that perhaps I should do some shopping. I didn't have any classes today, so I made myself a little shopping time slot in the assortment of various other activities I wanted to accomplish. I began the day with a trip over to some of the local vendors, finding little that I hadn't already seen. Next I went down to boulevard du Montparnasse thinking that I could snag myself some lunch at the Resto U after a trip to les Galeries.

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with the Galeries Lafayette. It was just like every other mall except everything was more expensive. I was even charged 50 centimes to use the toilets, which were just as crappy as the ones in the metro! I advise you all to pee before you go.

Feeling disappointed, I walked down the boulevard to CROUS and had a huge meal of steak, frites, salad, baguette, and a big hunk of cheese. I know some of you may be wondering why I passed up delicious French desserts for a hunk of cheese. All I have to say to you is, it was a hunk of cheese. I couldn't finish the whole thing so I tucked the baguette into my purse and took off to revisit Montmartre.

Unlike at les Galeries, I had great success at the little boutiques on the sidestreets in Montmartre. I don't know if it's because I've lost weight doing all this walking, or if it's because I'm actually built more like a French woman, but the clothes actually fit me better here. I even got a pair of the very chic "skinny jean," something that never fits me right in the states (I have very long legs, so I always flood them and look like Steave Urkle). The best thing about the clothes here is that I noticed my clothing size is for the most part the same as my shoe size: 40. How easy is that?

These are the jeans hanging out on my bright blue couch --->


The boutiques in Montmartre aren't that expensive either (not cheap, but a decent bargain when we're talking Paris). Sweaters were going at 10 to 15 EUR a pop for anything not-cashmere, and I got myself a nice, wool, red peacoat that I absolutely adore for only 23 EUR (about 35 dollars). The punk/ military look seems to be very "in" here, and both the jacket and the skinny jeans reflect that style in a very subtle way.

Feeling that 38 Euros out the door was enough shopping damage to satisfy my mother for one day, I decided to trek back from Montmartre via rue des martyrs, a "long" street ("long" being very relative as nothing is really that long in Paris) which goes from the 18e to the 9e. I felt very epic making the same journey as Saint Denis supposedly made, even though I wasn't headless or immortal. Most of the street felt pretty old world, except for the Carrefour which installed itself about half way down the street. There were chocolatiers and patisseries, antique dealers and ateliers -- I think if I had just gotten beheaded, I would have liked to walk down such a wonderful street as well (though I realize Saint Denis was beheaded before such a street existed).

When I made it to the bottom, I wandered about the 9e a little bit, remembering that GOUTU, the 1 EUR sandwich shop, was in the 9e. When I found it, they were just closing but I managed to get myself a sandwich for later: turkey, coleslaw, and curry. To be honest, I don't know if it was worth my 2 EUR -- it's pretty much as small as the dinner-roll sized baguette we get at Resto U. For only 90 more centimes, I could have gotten a full meal and seat right next to my school. I'm still intrigued by the sandwich (perhaps it is delicious) but I don't think I will frequent GOUTU as often as I thought I might have.

I walked home via my normal route along the Seine, spotting lovers and venders and musicians everywhere. The streets really smell delicious here at around 1-2 pm, I've noticed.

The day is still young -- only 5:46pm here -- so I may just put on my new jacket and flâner. My dinner is really portable after all -- pocket size, you might say!

Total damages:
Using the bathroom at les Galeries Lafayette: ,50 EUR
Lunch at CROUS: 2,90 EUR
Skinny Jeans and Red Jacket: 37.98 EUR total including taxes
Sandwich at Goutu: 2 EUR