shoes

It seems to me that the problem with only taking carry-on is shoes... shoes... shoes. Which ones do you take? What if you get a blister, or worse - bored of them? Jeff and I backpacked in Europe 12 years ago with a pair of running shoes and a pair of sandals each. Then one day you want to actually look nice and so you clean yourself up a bit and put on your... runners? Ugh. We have a picture of me up on a stage in Salzburg, Austria dancing in a Sound of Music performance wearing schleppy jeans, a t-shirt and my dreaded running shoes. Of course why I was up on stage to begin with is another story (I don't dance, or sing, or act... it was not a pretty sight, and I was not at all pleased to be there). Anyway, that's not the point, the point is that I am trying very hard to avoid looking, and more importantly feeling, like a poorly dressed tourist. So, with only a carry-on each this task has started to consume me - and the shoes are receiving the brunt (sp?) of my thought.

Adding to this is the fact that we have a 7 year old who is a shoeaholic. I didn't know it could start at such a young age but it's been ongoing for years. Two years ago in Paris we spent hours and hours searching for her 'Paris Shoes'. Thankfully we did eventually find them (we were lead to them by a beam of light and singing angels, I swear) and she wore those gold ballet flats until they fell apart. So, of course she has many pairs of shoes she wants to take - shiny silver shoes, her faux suede ankle boots (!!), and her newly purchased (after saving her allowance for well over a month) little ballet flats with a fancy button. Sigh. Of course not many of these shoes are actually good for walking but hey, that's not what she's after! I'm sure we'll reach a compromise of some sort and luckily for her she is very small and her clothes don't take up much room in that suitcase of hers. I wonder if we'll return home from this trip with any extra shoes?

So, I will move away from shoes for awhile to discuss the other stuff - like the rental car. That was interesting, because when I went to rent it I was met with the descriptions and names of many European cars that I have no idea about. I'm not really good with cars to begin with - honestly I don't really care too much about them as long as they are decent looking, no rust, safe... etc. But, on the other hand I have a very tall husband who does care about them. Not just about what they look like, how fast they go, etc, but if he will in fact fit in them. So, I try. But, I have no idea about the different models of car that Renault makes. So how do I know which one to rent?? I even went the extra mile and googled some of them but... ugh... so boring. So, I rented one that had a pretty picture and hopefully his head doesn't smush up again the ceiling of the car! This could be interesting, or I could be a hero - we'll see.

So now the only thing looming over my head is the procurement of euros. When we get off the plane in Paris we are supposed to give the remainder of our balance of the rent in cold, hard cash. I have known this for weeks, if not months, but I keep forgetting to go to the bank to get it. Last time we went I actually had to order it and it took awhile, so this procrastination isn't necessarily a very good thing. So now that I have sent it out into the universe (and cyberspace) I am motivated enough to go to the bank tomorrow! Hurray for me! (But will this blog hold me to it?? That is the important question...)

One week to go...