Falafels and Shopping - Paris, France
Part of: Fashion , Food , Slice of Life , Travel[Low-fat apple bran muffin from Grateful Bread]
I don’t have much fun shopping in Cannes, because there tends to be only very high-end boutiques or low-end ones. Saint Tropez does have a made-to-order sandal store. I almost got a pair of sandals, but the salesperson was helping someone else forever so we walked out. Even after walking into K. Jacques in the Marais in Paris, I came to the conclusion that my Matt Bernson sandals were better made and less generic than the former and latter. They’re the most I’ve ever paid for flip flop sandals, but they are leather and I spent hours walking around Cannes and they didn’t pain my feet. I have high arches, so my feet get easily fatigued.
Another thing I’ve learned: Bring at least three different pairs of shoes if you’re traveling in warm weather. I had stupidly worn a pair of shoes that gave me multiple blisters before I went away. My favorite travel sandals that are great for arch support (but not good for flat feet) are my gizeh Birkenstocks in taupe suede. They are fashionable and go with everything. They have many different styles now. (I’m sure that Mephisto has some nice picks as well.) They hit my feet in a different spot than other sandals, so they were perfect for whenever I had blisters. It’s vital to bring shoes that hit your feet in different places. I always bring moleskin, medical tape, gauze and a few band-aids to deal with blisters, cuts, and hangnails. Brown medical tape and gauze work so much better than band-aids for cuts on your fingers and stay in place. I also accidentally discovered a far superior antiseptic to Polysporin and Neosporin called Mupirocin that I used after a minor surgery. It is by prescription only, but really helps my hangnails from becoming infected and can be used for more serious skin problems as well.
Two years ago I bought a pair of Castaner sandals in Paris (Rue Saint Honore) that are another pair of my favorite sandals. They are comfortable, but not shoes I’ll walk in for hours. This year I was interested in buying a pair of Repetto ballet flats, but I never managed to try them on. I covered a lot more ground in Paris this time and accidentally found one of my favorite new shopping areas, the Marais (3rd and 4th Arrondissements), when I went to visit the Picasso Museum. I though the Marais was outside of Paris. It’s a really hip, young area yet is the oldest area in Paris, so there are some great walking tours and other museums. I also accidentally discovered a famous falafel place called L'As du Falafel there. It’s essentially a fast food falafel restaurant where you can order at a window outside to-go or sit down. This ended up being one of my favorite restaurants. There was such a great vibe there—cool customers and the nicest service people ever who loved their jobs and would be fine speaking English to you if needed. The falafels were different and refreshing, and especially great since I was very sick of meat and poultry.
The other area that I liked shopping in the most was on Montmartre St. in the 1st Arrondissement. Favorite Parisian stores of mine like Maje and ba&sh are located there. Of course, they’re in the Marais as well. Next time I think I want to stay in the Right Bank since I ended up there everyday. Of course, I did stay by the Pantheon this time on the Left Bank where is was very noisy and got very tired of the loud students.
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