When History Beckons

Disclaimer: This is an extremely shallow and incredibly girly post (unlike my OTHER posts, which are deep, meaningful and replete with wisdom)…

So the only thing better than traveling is the pre-travel shopping. I know you are supposed to buy stuff during your trip and not before it, but if the destination in question is an expensive Western European country, and if you are going at a time when the INR has touched a record low and the Euro-Rupee exchange rate is as high as the average age of our politicians, you are left with no option but to be happy with our desi brands.

So yes, for the last 10 days, I have explored the shadiest corners of Mumbai, trying to find cheap holiday clothes, shoes and accessories apart from the usual rounds at the malls. Walking six and a half hours in the heat in Linking Road/Hill Road/Waterfield Road is well worth it, because you can find clothes/chappals cheaper than petrol. I bought a host of colourful bangles, bracelets, earrings and hairclips at dirt cheap prices, awfully cute chappals for 80 bucks (yes, I kid you not) and export-reject dresses and scarves at throwaway rates.

Of course, I had already visited the showrooms (henceforth referred to as temples) and splurged on ridiculously expensive stuff which I would never wear again, including a tunic dress from Vero Moda and a jumpsuit, which makes me look like a clown at a birthday party. Really, what was I thinking?

But that’s the beauty of holiday shopping. You don’t think; you just go with the flow, especially if the place in question is beautiful, romantic and straight out of the history books. The land of Julius Caesar, Michelangelo and Leonardo Di Vinci beckons to me.

Yes, I am off to Italy for two weeks tomorrow night…