The Best Souvenir Ever

The other day in my French class we had an assignment to list as many monuments as we could that are in Paris. Me being a Paris fanatic, went crazy. I listed like 50 monuments; my French teacher likes me a little more now. :) Anyway, this assignment started a conversation on French culture. I had such a strong urge to buy a one-way plane ticket to Paris during that class, I mean you wouldn’t even believe it. Thinking about going to Paris again and then realizing that it isn’t going to happen (not yet, anyway) made me depressed, so I decided to shift my focus to my first trip. I remembered an event that I had forgotten about. So, this post is on one thing, and one thing only. My trip to Abercrombie and Fitch: Paris style. Oh yes. So, here we were, strolling down the Champs Elysées, when I noticed a huge line coming from a big gate. When I got closer, I realized that this was not your ordinary Gucci, or Louis Vuitton. No, this was Abercrombie and Fitch, my favorite store in the entire world, the only store that sells jeans that actually fit me, the store that fills my closet and makes me broke. I needed to go in that store. I begged my mom, and she obliged, but suggested that we come back the next morning, when the line wasn’t so long. I agreed.

When we arrived the next morning, the line was minimal. I was able to walk right into the store, but this was no normal sidewalk. The path up to the store looked like it belonged to Versailles (a famous French castle). I could say the same about the actual building. Four stories (!), and covered with murals. I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Once we walked into the store, we were immediately greeted by two employees: one young woman, and one very attractive, shirtless guy. The girl said something in French to my mom, and she responded with a confused look. The employee understood, so she again asked the same thing in English. “Would you like a picture with the model?” My mom was so surprised and said no right away, but I quickly replaced her, you know, so she wasn’t embarrassed (I’m nice like that). So then I was forced to take a picture with a very, very, very good looking, shirtless model. I have a hard life, I know. They printed off the picture right then for me, and I became a very happy camper.

After that, we were free to roam around the store. Much to my disappointment, the clothes were not cheap. I later learned that the store had just opened a couple of months ago, which explains the long lines and high prices, oh, and the free model pics. So, I didn’t get any souvenirs from my Abercrombie and Fitch trip, oh, except for one, which I love more than any amount of clothing...

The best souvenir I have ever gotten...