Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SHOPPING—THE PERPETUAL TEMPTATION
There's nothing like shopping in France. The shops of Paris,
like those of Tokyo, are designed to seduce you. The displays
are so tempting, the arrangements so fresh and the products
so unique, you will quickly begin to fall into the old lure of
'price is no object'. Exactly what they had in mind!
Shopping in the expensive parts of Paris (the 2nd, 6th,
7th, 8th and 16th
arrondissements
) gives a new meaning to
the old term 'value for money'. The new 1 euro coin may be
about the size of an American quarter, but it is worth more
than a dollar... and it doesn't buy as much.
The French discriminate to the point of ini nity. Don't be
surprised to i nd a French person recommending only one
pâtisserie
in the neighbourhood, when there are a dozen of
them and they all look and smell equally tempting to you.
My Paris friends think nothing of going all the way across
town for their favourite ice cream.
Parisians are particularly picky about their food, as we will
discuss in detail in Chapter 6. They moan all the time about
the declining quality, yet the rest of the world gasps at their
wonderland of options.
There are few bargains in France. You really must shop
carefully and compare prices. Generally I still consider food,
wine and house wares 'a bargain' in France. That old French
concept of craftsmanship still exists and is rel ected well in
these products. But you do need to shop around.
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