Europe Trip Revealed Part 6: Shopping

This is the sixth installment of the series. If you haven't done so, you may want to read the previous parts first: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5.

Europe in March is still on early spring, thus appropriate clothing is necessary for the weather. Nice, being located at southern part of France and in close proximity to Mediterranean Sea, has a warmer temperature than, say, Paris. In March the temperature in Nice will be around 7 to 15 degree Celsius.

The problem was, I didn't have any cloth designed for colder weather. All my clothes were appropriate for living in tropical region. Aside from a light jacket, all t-shirts I have were short-sleeved, thin, and as cool as possible. I didn't have any long-sleeved t-shirt, and not even a single sweater. I was never in need of them.

Gap cashmere sweater

So, for my trip, I had to buy warmer clothes. But I didn't want to buy clothes that I won't be using in Singapore or Indonesia, like a thick, heavy, feathered winter jacket. I opted for some light sweaters and a coat, which I'm hoping are enough, despite many people saying that they wouldn't be enough. I bought two thin long-sleeved cotton t-shirts and a soft wool tights (for men, of course) which will be used as base layers. However, I also bought some new thin t-shirts and a light canvas shoes, to be used for the late spring.

I also bought three gloves (two cheap cotton ones, and one leather ones) as well as three scarves and some thicker socks. And I already have one winter hat, a Christmas gift from my colleague (see this post). I must admit, wearing a black coat and a scarf makes me look more sophisticated. I think I like this new appearance. But I still need to learn how to tie a scarf quickly and properly.

Zara coat

Clothes were not the only things to buy. I had to buy a lot of small travel gears: money belt, umbrella, ear plug, neck pillow, ziplock, poncho, padlock, flashlight, hand warmer packs, guidebooks, and many more. I also needed to buy a new suitcase. My 20" two-wheeled suitcase apparently wasn't enough when I tried packing. I then bought a 25" four-wheeled suitcase, but as it turned out to be bigger than I though, I sold it to my colleague and bought a 22" four-wheeled suitcase.

From left to right:
20" 2-wheeled Polo, 22" 4-wheeled Hush Puppies, 24" 4-wheeled Hush Puppies suitcases

I had to test wearing and wash all those clothes before departure, trying to get used to wearing those warmer clothes. New pants and shoes were also needed to be worn and broken to not cause blisters later. Money belt, especially, was worn for two full days to simulate how it would feel wearing that thing tucked under my t-shirt or pants the whole day while walking around the city.

Many more clothes and things were bought, which I don't mention here. In total, all of them cost a little bit more than S$ 1,000, and it hasn't included the medications and vaccinations yet. Most items that I bought were bought during year end of 2010, where it was still the winter clothing seasons and there were many sales and discounts. I never thought that this kind of expenses would cost that much; a good lesson for anyone in preparing for big trip.

UPDATE: read the seventh part here.