Shopping in Koln

BMEs who had perviously completed a rotation at ESA kept telling me not to bring much because I would love the shopping in Koln. After living here a month I thought I would write down my comments.

Major Plus: I enjoy the boutiques and not having to be in a crazy mall packed with teenagers to buy a shirt.

Major Minus: The hours. If I want to go shopping, I am always rushed to get home just to make sure I can make it over to the shopping center before they shut down at 8:00. This time wouldn't be so bad in Houston because I can get out of work at 4:00 and be at the store by 4:30. Here, I don't get out of the office until 6:00 and with a 1/2 hour drive into the city, shopping is always rushed making it less fun. However, I had been able to get in early on a few days so that I could leave early to get some shopping in.

When I got to Koln I realized that I did not have a proper rain coat or fall jacket. Living in Houston, when it rains it pours and no rain coat is really going to help. Also, funny enough, Houston doesn't have a fall. I still have heavy winter coats for when I go home to Rhode Island to visit family for Christmas, but I had not experienced a fall in years!

I had been window shopping enough to know what I was looking for. But when the store was finally open, things looked much different when they were on. The cute little A coats made me look 8 months pregnant and the 3/4 length sleeve ones made me look like an orphan with no clothes. Empire waist was too high and the low waist made me look boxy. :-P

I wanted something a little more daring, but European fashion can be a little over the top for me so this excursion was a challenge. I wasn't going to go into Zara because we have one in Houston, but it was getting colder and I was getting desperate.

This Zara was huge. I'm talking 4 floors of the trendiest fashion. This was nothing like what they had in Houston. I spent an hour going in sircles trying every coat they had. The poor sales lady was following me around because no matter how neatly I put a coat back, she would come and fix it.

I had given up and was heading down the stairs when I saw it. It was a black trenchcoat style in wool with a large houndstooth pattern in white, gray brown and tan. I didn't think I would like it, but when I tried it on I knew it was the one. Love's like that you know. That baby has been keeping me toasty ever since!