Shopping In Paris

Today (day 4) was spent doing what I do best, shopping in Paris!  We headed to well known department store, Galleries Lafayette, which I had read a bit about before our big trip but nothing, I repeat nothing, prepared me for what I was greeted with when I entered the building…

 

 

 

It was 7 levels of nothing but high end designer womenswear, shoes & makeup (the men get their own store across the road)  And when I say high end, I mean every label there is…Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton,  Lanvin, Prada, Cartier, Hermes, Tiffany & Co (which looked positively low brow compared to all the other labels…poor Tiffany.  I felt sorry for her), Burberry, Givenchy..the list goes on.  Needless to say, my heart skipped many beats while inside this gorgeous store and I honestly don’t know how I’ll cope when I have to go back to my local Westfield in a few weeks time!

 

 

 

 

After a few short hours at Galleries Lafayette, we strolled through the surrounding streets which were even more incredible than the shopping centre.  All the high end labels had their own shops scattered throughout the gorgeous lane ways and for the first time in my life I completely understood Rachel Zoe’s expression “I die.”  I mean, the quality and the design of the clothes on offer was superior x1000 and if I was a cashed up size 0, I would’ve done some serious damage to the credit card!

 

Instead, we hoofed it down to this place (which probably explains why I’m not a size 0)

 

 

 

Which was yet another Bucket List moment.  I’ve wanted to go to this gorgeous macaron shop since forever and I still can’t believe I can now say I’ve done it.

 

We then jumped in a taxi and headed home, where we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the bar before strolling across the road and inhaling a steak dinner, followed by a creme brûlée (again, probably explains the whole “I’m not a size 0” thing)

 

But you know what?  The French have got this diet thing well and truly sorted.  They eat decent sized portions for breakfast, lunch & dinner and rarely snack in between. They Carb It Up like nobodies business, eat slabs of cheese at most meals (not even kidding) and drink wine like they’re borderline alcoholics.  Then, because they can, they walk EVERYWHERE.  

 

And as a result, there’s not a fat local in sight.  Plenty of fat tourists (hi!) but not a single overweight french person to be found. Not one. So it seems the key to being healthy is to eat plenty of fresh food, get plenty of daily incidental exercise and don’t let any form of processed food pass your lips.  All of which is so easy to achieve here in Paris as the city is set up for exactly that way of life.  We Aussies have a lot to learn from the clever French!