Not the most eventful week

The past week has been pretty good - just not incredibly eventful. I kept it low key most of the week but did make it out a few times to check out les soldes. You see, in France, sales are regulated and the dates are fixed. There are summer and winter sales which start on the second Wednesday of January and the third Wednesday of June and last for five weeks. It's a pretty big deal here; malls are open for the first few Sundays, there are shuttles available, and signs everywhere. (Stores can have promotions outside of these dates, but those, too, are regulated.) In college, I remember watching a news segment about the first day of les soldes in Paris which resembled news clips outside Wal-Mart on Black Friday - trampling and all. I did pick up a few things for myself, though I didn't dare try the sales on the first day. Really, anyone who knows me knows that I shop rather exclusively at Nordstrom and enjoy shopping their sales and their sales only...

My collègue Sylvia recommended that I go to L'Usine, which is an outlet mall near our school. On top of the already low prices, they take extreme discounts for the sale. This was perfect for me because I HATE outlet malls. I never find anything and always regret going. So I went on Friday afternoon with 100 euro in my wallet, sent from my Uncle Bruce. Why do I go to outlets if I loathe them? Because it gets me my shopping fix without impacting my wallet. In fact, I earned 10 euro when I bought a pair of jeans (the only thing I bought that day). They cost 19 euro and I handed la caissière my bill, she did the math to make change, I confirmed that my change should be 81 euro... and she handed me 91 euro! That was easy! On my way home, I saw un tigre being pulled behind a car in a cage. Yes, a real tiger; the circus is in town.

My week also included a few sweet treats, like une tarte au chocolat, croissants, dinner and a movie... but some things I've got to keep to myself! ; )

Bisous,
-kelse

Les soldes - the sales
Un(e) collègue - colleague
L'Usine - the factory
Le caissier/ la caissière - the cashier
Un tigre - a tiger
Une tarte au chocolat - a chocolate pie