I admit I am a shopping fanatic. Every year, during the anuual winter sales and the summer sales, I have to spend a few days in one of Europe's top shopping destinations and splash out a fortune on designer coats, sweaters, shoes and handbags etc.
In contrast to most shopping addicts, I actually do not do my designer wears shoppings at one of the established fashion capital of the world, such as Paris, London or Milan. My favourite destination for spending money is the Spanish capital, Madrid. The reasons why I prefer Madrid to most other cities in Europe when it comes to designer goods shopping are:
a) Madrid has always been my favourite city with or without shopping
b) All the designers and brand names I fancy have flagship stores or boutiques in Madrid and they have my size (not easy to come by in other European cities given my 'petite' size)
c) The weather is almost always good and sunny in Madrid, even in winter - it's such a turn-off if you have to do shoppings in pouring rain or amid heavy snowfall
d) Prices of decent hotel accommodation are very affordable - I don't want to spend more than 50 euro on my hotel room when I spend almost 20 hours per day outside running from one boutique to another.
e) Overseas visitors from outside the EU are entitled to tax refund as soon as purchase 91 euros or more in one store - an easy to attain target given that any designer handbags will cost at least 100 euro, Unlike Italy, where you have to purchase 130 euros or more at a shop, or worse still France, where you need to buy more than 172 euros in one shop before you are allowed to claim your VAT back, Spain are a good bargain indeed.
Calle Serrano - Madrid's No. 1 Shopping Street and one of the most upmarket districts of the Spanish capital, where some of the world's most exclusive labels and brands can be found.
Thus a shopping pilgrimage to Madrid has become an annual fixture in my calendar: usually I choose to fly to Madrid in January for 3-4 days because Spanish winter is not as harsh as most other countries in Europe and it is great to spend a few days in the bright winter sun.
The shopping trip usually takes place as soon as I get off the plane at Madrid's Barajas Airport. It takes about 40 minutes from the airport to Madrid's prime shopping district - Calle Serrano and Calle Jose Ortega y Gasset - by subway. I always try to find affordable accommodation near Calle Serrano so that I don't have to waste too much time on public transport to and fro from the hotel.
In contrast to most shopping addicts, I actually do not do my designer wears shoppings at one of the established fashion capital of the world, such as Paris, London or Milan. My favourite destination for spending money is the Spanish capital, Madrid. The reasons why I prefer Madrid to most other cities in Europe when it comes to designer goods shopping are:
a) Madrid has always been my favourite city with or without shopping
b) All the designers and brand names I fancy have flagship stores or boutiques in Madrid and they have my size (not easy to come by in other European cities given my 'petite' size)
c) The weather is almost always good and sunny in Madrid, even in winter - it's such a turn-off if you have to do shoppings in pouring rain or amid heavy snowfall
d) Prices of decent hotel accommodation are very affordable - I don't want to spend more than 50 euro on my hotel room when I spend almost 20 hours per day outside running from one boutique to another.
e) Overseas visitors from outside the EU are entitled to tax refund as soon as purchase 91 euros or more in one store - an easy to attain target given that any designer handbags will cost at least 100 euro, Unlike Italy, where you have to purchase 130 euros or more at a shop, or worse still France, where you need to buy more than 172 euros in one shop before you are allowed to claim your VAT back, Spain are a good bargain indeed.
Calle Serrano - Madrid's No. 1 Shopping Street and one of the most upmarket districts of the Spanish capital, where some of the world's most exclusive labels and brands can be found.
Thus a shopping pilgrimage to Madrid has become an annual fixture in my calendar: usually I choose to fly to Madrid in January for 3-4 days because Spanish winter is not as harsh as most other countries in Europe and it is great to spend a few days in the bright winter sun.
The shopping trip usually takes place as soon as I get off the plane at Madrid's Barajas Airport. It takes about 40 minutes from the airport to Madrid's prime shopping district - Calle Serrano and Calle Jose Ortega y Gasset - by subway. I always try to find affordable accommodation near Calle Serrano so that I don't have to waste too much time on public transport to and fro from the hotel.
怪不得C.S.Lewis的長篇故事'那尼亞傳奇'裡的小男孩Edmund,為了這些軟糖,把他的兄弟姐妹都出賣了...
自助旅行實用資訊: 交通資訊 Transportation: Tips and Advice (1)