What’s Been Happening in Europe

Photo: Biggest little tourist attraction in Brussels, Manneken Pis ("little man piss" in English). Credit: Michelle St Lambert

HEMA: A UNIQUE EUROPEAN SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. Recently, I had a fun weekend excursion to Brussels with a friend, and we discovered a magnificent shopping find: HEMA (pronounced Hey-Ma). First of all, our weekend started out with a super cheap SNCF bargain to Brussels that included return train fare on Thalys, two nights stay at a lovely and central hotel, and two breakfasts, all for just 100 euros each. The hot and cold buffet breakfast was the best I’ve ever had in Europe. On our first day we set out for the main pedestrian shopping street, Rue Neuve. This street has mainly European and international chain stores but we decided to poke our heads into a store we’d never heard of before, HEMA. And are we ever glad we found this gem! Shelves of cosmetics, hair, body and skin products boasted prices averaging around 1,00 euro each. At first, we thought we were seeing the pricing wrong, how could this be? The products were mostly private label and simply but wonderfully packaged. We loaded up on shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, body and skin creams, exfoliants, face masks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bath products. There were even Miss Helen and Paris Chic products for less than half the price than I have seen at Monoprix and other stores in Paris.

We forced ourselves to leave this department and scour the rest of the store where we met with amazement rows of Belgium chocolate, bisquits and other gourmet delights for mostly under 2 euros. On the second floor, the clothing sections can largely be skipped but we found great candles, towels, sheets, curtains and all manner of dishes and other housewares. We did a quick pit stop in the HEMA cafe where tasty drinks, sandwiches, soups and baking could be had. I figured out that this chain is a smaller, more manageable IKEA-clone, with the addition of the beauty products. If it opened in Paris, people would go absolutely nuts. Oh, and how do the pas cher products rate in terms of quality, you ask? The best, we’ve tried them and love them all, especially the hand cream! My advise is to scout out cheap tics to Brussels, take your largest shopping cart on wheels (or two) and head directly to HEMA to bulk-buy a few months worth of all your necessary everyday products. It will be worth it, even with the cost of the train tickets. You can even do this trip in a day and don’t have to bother changing currency as all prices are in euros in Brussels. HEMA has stores in Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. Visit the HEMA site for more information. 

NUIT BLANCHE TOURS FUN STREET OBSERVATIONS. Recently on a tour, my group and I were fascinated by this extreme male fashion statement that we came across. Observing this couple, we determined by their wedding-ring-bearing, hand-holding, kissing-on-the-lips behavior that the man is indeed a straight, married man. Check out the laced up boots, short pants, suit jacket and (gulp) tights. While the shorts-boots-tights look is standard female fashion in Paris, this is the first time I’ve seen it so boldly displayed on a guy! We loved it but all hoped that our boyfriends/husbands would not be adopting this strange fashion combination any time soon, somehow, we think the risks of that happening are pretty low, especially in North America!

FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: HIGH ENTERTAINMENT VALUE. Following the French Presidential election is proving to be as entertaining as watching vehicles whip around the Arc de Triomphe traffic circle. The entertainment value kicked into high gear with candidate Segolene Royal’s numerous international gaffs; most notably when she was sharply chastised by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for her "sovereignty and Quebec’s freedom" statements in an interview. "Experience teaches that it is highly inappropriate for a foreign leader to interfere in the democratic affairs of another country," Harper scolded. The fun continued when Jose Bove decided to throw his hat into the Presidential race. Bove is the radical, anti-globalization farmer who has been jailed many times before for his McDonald’s-burning, GMO-crop-destroying activities. Now leading the massive Airbus strike demonstrations, Bove has vowed to continue to campaign from his jail cell if jailed again. Hmm, let’s hope he will secure a good campaign manager from the outside…

JACQUES CHIRAC: A ‘DISCREET’ WOMANIZER. So far, the cream of the pre-election crop for me has been the release during Valentine’s week of current French President Jacques Chiraq’s new tell-all book, L’Inconnu de l’Elysee, a book of interviews with Pierre Pean. The book confirms Chirac’s appetite for extraconjugal affairs, saying that he loved many women in his lifetime as discreetly as possible.  This book didn’t raise a single hair of disapproval or outrage by French citizens because well, affairs are as part of normal life here as the baguette is. Even Chirac’s wife commented in interviews. In fact, French politicians are admired for their sexual exploits, instead of being cannonized like we all know who in America… Before I spent time here, I wondered about the saying that goes around the globe: "all French men have affairs," or, "careful, you know what they say about the French and affairs." I had originally thought that this was a bloated generalization like so many others that get repeated over and over again, but in fact, are not true. You know, like the lines "all Irish are alcoholics" or "all North Americans are fat." But, the more I am here and deeply experiencing the culture, the more I am discovering that indeed, many, many people do have affairs. In fact, just last night, a new acquaintenance announced that she had just moved here from Australia and lives with her French boyfriend. She added, "So, I guess I will be allowed to take a lover." Much more to come on this endlessly fascinating subject….

HOW I KNOW I AM IN PARIS. Continuing with the naughty amour theme, because I witness PRAOA everywhere. Public, Random Acts of Affection, that is. L’amour abounds in Paris and more lovers can be seen publicly kissing and making out than in any other city in the world. It’s happening in the streets, in cafes, in museums, on the metro, on the bridges, in stores, literally everywhere, everyday. It’s no wonder that chilled champagne can be purchased at any grocery or corner store (wink).