names can be misleading

When I was preparing for a year in France, one of the most challenging packing issues was shoes. I bought new sneakers, 2 pairs of sensible loafer-type shoes (brown & black), threw in my favorite dress shoes and a couple of pairs of flip flops, and considered it done. And until today, my shoe collection has not increased since I arrived. While Paris Hilton and I wear the same shoe size, it's still not easy to find a decent pair that fits me. It has become easier in the States in the past few years, but in France, my feet are just a centimeter or two bigger than standard sizes. Look at your ruler. A centimeter isn't much. This is terribly frustrating to me.

I discovered early in the school year that wearing heels to work - especially when I have a 10-minute walk - is just not a good idea. Besides, I have been wanting something a bit more...well, French. You can tell an American in France by her shoes, you know.

When I was in Paris last month, I saw an ad for Le Palais de la chaussure, and was intrigued because they sell my size! A shoe palace! Sounds like heaven to me. So my number-one mission for today in Paris was to find the palace, where I intended to spend at least an hour immersing myself in the rows and rows of shoes.

The store was easy to reach by the Métro; there was even a big poster in the station indicating its location. So much publicity - I was ready to be overwhelmed. And then I nearly missed it. Turns out the shoe palace is more of a shoe cottage. I lingered in front of the window and looked over the stock - they had exactly what I'd seen online. No false advertising there, but I was still disappointed by the limited number. Still, I decided that I needed to go in and look. The woman measured my feet and I told her I was really interested in a particular pair I'd seen on their website. She went downstairs to retrieve said shoes in my size. A few minutes later, I was walking around the store in the first pair of French shoes that fit! And they were not made with big-footed old ladies in mind. I think I got caught up in the excitement and forgot about the terrible exchange rate because I didn't let a high price tag keep me from buying them.