Les Soldes!

My first week in Bordeaux is in the books! There were so many things to figure out and I'm still trying to get a handle on my French life. First there was the realization that my French has a long way to go because it doesn't sound like I have marbles in my mouth. I've got to work on that. Then there was the frenzy of getting my 21st century American technology up and running (finally it is). Then there was the hassle of telling the bank that I am not a fraud and indeed living the life in Europe, so please accept that and let me do my thing. And then there was LES SOLDES!

Here to greet me in Bordeaux was the arrival of les soldes, also know as sales. France has a much more centralized government than the US and so the government actually has the power to regulate when stores nationwide can have sales, so they do just that. The people sitting on their high thrones in Paris dictate that period of time to be the first couple weeks in January so now is the time to take out your wallets! For about two or three weeks straight, craziness ensues.  Stores here in Bordeaux, and throughout France, can cut prices as much as they want to attract customers. I bought a jacket today that was on sale for 50% off, costing only 20 euros! I am going to like it here.

While almost every storefront around the city is promoting price cuts, Bordeaux has a main rue that attracts the most shoppers--Rue St. Catherine. I made a beeline for Rue St. Catherine this morning and I wasn't disappointed. The throngs of people in the streets easily rivaled Union Square during the holidays. I can only imagine what the next two weeks hold in store for the avid shoppers of Bordeaux (and for their wallets)!

Rue St. Catherine and its shoppers!