it's time to criticize myself instead; while some ppl HAVE to go to supermarkets; I never fail to slip into the Zaras and H&Ms whenever i spot them; i dun even buy stuff half the time but just can't resist myself from going in... and there was a sale at the Monaco Zara today! very rare. and i bought an impractical long coat =P sigh. it's good that i'm leaving land of outdoor carousels, tartlettes and baguettes for Central Europe tmr morning... no more Zaras for me (i think....)

am off to Cannes/Monaco today... just a very quick note on daily itineraries... the supermarket has been an attraction in every single city... the bigger the better.. cos higher chance of finding roast chicken. though i'm not exactly a supermart fan i have been highly influenced to be thrifty... but supermarts are however places to hunt down interesting french cookies for me =P i just hope i wun get sick of them soon... not to be evil; but am really amused how persistent companion is on finding cheap food when i'm undoubtedly the poorer person...

am in Nice but stuck with extremely slow connection and non-qwerty keyboard so feel very disabled... prob can't write a proper entry till like 2 or 3 days later...

i really had no clue how famous a team FC Barcelona was so when i said i didn´t want to pay 10 Euros to go into the stadium and museum think zy was a little shocked =P so instead decided to return to the Picasso museum as it was closed yesterday (New Year´s Day) but unfortunately it was closed today too cos they are closed on Mondays! aargh so very sad didn´t get to go in. but i chanced upon my KUKUSUMUSU store!! (where i bought my "stranger´s favorite" lil-monkeys- stack-up-to-kiss-giraffe-tee first summer in France) Consolation also came in the form of a free attraction that gave me breathtaking aerial views of the entire city... decided to just visit Park Guell (also by famous architect Antoni Gaudi) for a relaxing afternoon stroll and this totally random choice has turned out to be my favorite destination... Click here for pictures if you just want to have an idea of some of the highlights of the park.

just one last comment about Spanish dressing.... the most popular colors are undoubtedly black, brown; diff shades of olive/army green; deep orange and khaki... all very "earthy" colors... dunno perhaps cos it´s winter and coats generally dun come in other colors? but scarves also follow similar color tones... i was surprised that even many children dun wear very pastely or bright colors... i like how they dress... and the color combis... very cool. =P ya and so as a result i really couldn´t blend into the crowd lah. what with a light purple backpack and light blue skechers shoes... too ai4 yan3 le. and so high-sch kid-ish... haha. but i mean travelling mah.. cannot wear too nice things. get dirty or spoilt will xintong one... hmm.. i shall attempt a very gradual wardrobe revamp after this...

just spent most of the evening and night roaming the streets..... and i found two Zaras!!! within like few blocks of each other. unfortunately it´s not that cheap... but still cheaper. hehe and i bought one tiny thing just now... =P chanced upon this street with vendors selling really cute arty necklaces, earrings and bracelets... wanted to buy EVERYTHING... but obviously cannot. so just took pics... even though i´ve only spent like 3-4 hours or so walking around... can totally imagine this place being shopping paradise for ppl who can afford it... the poor me shall be contented with just a few cheap Zara steals... also look forward to seeing the famous architecture and museums in the day! am now waiting for bathroom to clear up and for travel companion to turn up... hope tmr wun be spent searching for a missing zy. j/k.