BONJOUR! I just returned from three weeks in France and will be sharing all kinds of information about my latest discoveries: shops. restaurants, bars, and exhibits. Be sure to check back Tuesdays and Thursdays. FloSHOE-LOVERS DREAM!
Shoe-worshipping shoppers now have a 34,500-square-foot (no pun intended) mecca devoted to 12,000 pairs of shoes (150 brands) in the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. This is officially the world’s largest shoe department and comes complete with brown leather sofas for trying on the footwear, an on-staff cobbler, and a salon devoted to pedicures.
You can buy flip-flops for €10 or boots for €1,000 and there are 25 brand names that are only distributed by the Galeries. For those enamored of the slipper (did you know 20 percent of the total shoe sales in France are for slippers?), there is a large area dedicated to mules and embroidered cloth slippers, sequined clogs and charming ballet-style slippers.
The 10-story Galeries Lafayette was built in 1912 and is worth a visit just for its beautiful glass and steel dome and Art Nouveau staircase.
Hours: Mon – Sat: 9:30 until 7:30; open until 9:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
WINNING WINES BY THE GLASS
I enjoyed a very nice evening at Restaurant Victor in the 16th arrondisement (near the Trocadero) and highly recommend it for those who love fine French wines. Here you can enjoy grand crus vintages by the glass – very rare in France! And, on the first Monday of every month, the Victor offers superb vintages at cost prices. A local favorite since 1911, the restaurant was refurbished in 2005 and serves a different menu daily, based on what’s fresh and local.
Restaurant Victor 101 Bis Rue Lauriston
Tel: 01 47 27 55 07. Open Monday – Friday, lunch and dinner; Saturdays lunch only; Closed on Sundays.
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