subject: Shopping And Vacationing Go Together [print this page] Shopping and vacations seems to go togetherShopping and vacations seems to go together. For some reason people will buy things on vacation they would never normally buy and never for those prices. I am a very budget minded travelers; I shop all the internet deals, find the lowest hotels, flights, transportation, package deals. I scrimp everywhere possible and always get the best bang for my buck. Hours and hours are spent finding the cheapest everything in the heart of where I want to be. My daughter and I spent 3 days in Germany last year and it didn't cost us three hundred dollars. I know how to travel on a budget. But why is it that I end up buying dumb souvenirs or treasures that I would never buy at home when I am in a foreign or exotic city?
Chicago and Illinois in general have some pretty fabulous antique dealers. I don't collect antiques, I am not sentimental and am known for my ability to throw anything away. So why do I love to rummage through other peoples old stuff. Maybe it is the old adage, "When in Rome." I don't necessarily buy a lot, but sometimes I do, mostly I just love to look and can't imagine people saving all that stuff!
I love the street vendors throughout the world, but New York and Paris have the best. So many things for such great prices, I am a sucker for a good deal and will come home with a Pashmina scarf for everyone I ever met if the price is rights. I love scarves with all the beautiful colors and fabrics, I love charity stores with fantastic deals, I love to watch the people of various cities come and go to work and play and see how they dress and what they are like. Hands-down the best dress people on this planet live in Paris. I could sit in a cafe and just watch the beautiful petit women and the beautifully dressed men walk by all day. Why can't American men dress like the Parisians? I buy my husband beautiful clothes and the guys at work just make fun of him. What a sad commentary on American style.
There is a fabulous farmers market in Salt Lake City, Utah that runs June through October with handcrafted wares, fresh produce and always lively music. Everyone brings their dogs and it is a jolly way to start a saturday morning in the summer.
Shopping, collectibles, looking, watching, the wares and people of this world are very interesting and fun to observe, and sometimes it is even fun to bring a collectible, a scarf or a trinket home.
