Stunned

Looking for a way to get the kids out of the house, we decided to go to the new Kika store (think IKEA). So we set out to go to the western edge of Bucharest to find it, but it was closed, even though it was the day after Christmas! But right next door we found a building that looked very out of place for this part of the world. We parked and went inside to find a really nice outlet mall. Now if this was Orlando, Dallas, Atlanta or any other city on the U.S., such a find would really not be that earth-shattering. But this is Bucharest! Inside were cute little storefronts and park benches. There were even stores with things that we actually considered buying. In fact, we did by some shoes. Again, I might sound a little crazy for being so excited, but Chrissy and I generally haven't bought shoes or clothes in Romania in the 5 and a half years that we have lived here, mainly because affordable items are usually of poor quality, such that wouldn't even be sold in the U.S.

Now, the mall wasn't full of fabulous bargains, but the prices really were less than they would have been elsewhere. And the simple attractiveness of the building - inside and out - was a pleasant surprise in itself. It was a nice place to walk around! You can even check it out at http://www.fashionhouse.ro/galerie.html. Now, if only it had a food court...