Why? Because I purchased every pair of shoes in France that were available in my size.  I did.  EVERY single pair.  And I enjoyed every moment of it… until it was time for me to pack my suitcase.   Did you know that you can cram 6 pairs of shoes in your handbag?

So I’m back ~ and what a FAB time I had with my girlfriend!  I know that many of you followed along via Instagram and Twitter, but if you didn’t, please allow me to share our little adventure with you.

We arrived on the west bank of Paris on friday morning and forced ourselves to stay awake so that we could attend an afternoon fashion show at the glorious Galeries Lafayette.

france show1Anyone, by the way, can attend this fashion show   ~ you just have to secure your spot.  You can attend the free show like we did or you can arrange for a private fashion show (at a cost) but, fair warning, I’ve registered for the freebie show before and had difficulty because I didn’t have a France address.  I even submitted my hotel’s address where I would be staying… nope – didn’t work.  This time I had my mother call and use her address in France…we were “IN”!

The best part of Galeries Lafayette is not, however, the free fashion show.  Other than having 8 floors of every high-end designer’s latest collections, the BEST parts can be found on the roof and in the basement.  Huh?

Go to the roof for the best view of the city… other than from, you know, the Eiffel Tower…and the basement has the largest, and I mean the LARGEST shoe selection we had ever seen.  Our jaws dropped… our knees buckled…we fell to the floor with our arms raised to the heavens… 

The next day we went to the famous Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen where I treated myself to these beauties:

france earrings1Christian Lacroix earrings.  Another MUST see.  This marché is the oldest, largest and best market in Paris.  I do confess that after we scoured the market, we did return to the shoe department.  I KNOW ~ but believe me, we did not see all of the shoes on the previous day.  Really…it’s THAT big.

The next day we took a train to my mother’s home in southern France. She lives in a very small town where no one really speaks English.  But who cares when you can see this from her upstairs window?

france castle1Don’t you have a castle in your town?

We had 3 days of french cooking lessons. This was my personal fave:

pie1Tartelettes filled with crème patissière. We also learned how to make veau à la provencale and pomme de terre dauphinoise, amongst other french delights.   I’m feelin’ your envy.

We sadly had to leave my mother and, after barely catching our train back to Paris, we checked into our hotel on the left bank.  The left bank, in our opinion, has better shopping and lots of fun things to do and see. Such as:

france shoe1This awesome store where you purchase your pair of shoes, along with a selection of heels.

france mac1The world’s largest meringue cookies.  I called this “Lunch”.

france fur1Fun items to toss on when running errands.

france street1These were just laying on the street and I wondered “Hmm ~ are those my size?”

french wine1Proof that the French know how to party.

And so, after running out of euros, it became obvious that it was time for us to bid this city adieu.

france RJ1Au revoir, fabulous Paris!  Until we meet again.