I MADE IT. [Sigh of relief] The blue building: the colour of artificial-coloured Smarties, unwanted hyperlinks in Wikipedia-copied homework and the dress Sleeping Beauty looks best in at the end of that Disney film; and with yellow capital letters: also the colour of extremely bad food-poisoning aftermath, the coloured car that results in a black arm and the screams of ‘mine!’ and the centre of daisy’s which when you were young you’d hold up to your friend’s chins to see ‘if they liked butter or not’ (??!), but which, combined, form the flag that put Sweden on the map for egg-head Twits and people who didn’t go to school ‘becuz itz kewl’. I rejoice. I smile. I can stop twisting and turning my head around searching for signs to make sure I’m on the right bus going in the right direction. I can stop worrying that the bus driver is planning to take us to a dark torture chamber (no, not a rendition of Hostel...) or use us for Scientific testing. It’s all normal, and no adventures after all. I’ve taken a long (and very grubby) train and 2 buses to get here, BUT I MADE IT.
I got back home at about 7, after 1 hour 30 of travelling. (Although I still didn’t actually get lost.) I spent only 9€ over my ‘budget’, and I’m extremely pleased with my purchases! I feel so grown up, buying FURNITURE. Well, I bought a mirror, about 120cms in height, a very tall lamp for my room (I don’t actually have a light in my room... nothing on the ceiling etc), a ‘throw’ for my bed (so soft – that chenille type fabric, and the nights here are ICE-CUBIC COLD), shelves which tie round the hanger rail in my wardrobe for extra storage space (seriously needed!), some photo frames (a must-have on every IKEA trip!), some candles (again, a total must-have, and the same scent as the ones in my room at home – a coco-butter/vanilla F.Y.I.), and a very cool/ retro clock. It was nice to see a some furniture that I have back at home – those bright coloured ‘spot’ carpets, lamps, lights, desks, shelves, storage boxes... (and no, I do not live in Ikea!)
However, I feel compelled to tell you the characteristics of French IKEA. In England’s IKEA’s, I’m used to perfectly made beds, everything done with attention to detail, the perfect kitchen, the perfect bedroom – total happy families. In France, people take the saying ‘try before you buy’ to complete extremes. The store was a bit of a bombsite... Much like Oxford Street’s Primark. Beds were completely unmade, as if people had crawled inside to ‘check the darkness under the covers’, tables looked liked an entire cavalry had lunched there, to test the ‘sounds of the cutlery on the plates as if actually eating a meal’, and the ‘sound of the chairs on the floor’, and to compare which study desk really was ‘best for resting one’s head on’. I kid you not – a lady actually put down two rugs to see if they looked ‘right’ on the floor (rather than on the crates), and I caught another checking her spots/makeup in a bathroom mirror. I felt as if I’d really just walked into someone’s apartment. Afraid I would accidentally pull the shower curtain to reveal someone ‘testing the water’; I evacuated that ‘happy house’.
Needless to say, it was a lovely day. My room looks a lot more... ‘homey’ now, with some light, warmth and a mirror. The candles have already scented-out my room, and I can’t wait to fill my photo frames! I’ve spent most of my wages from last week, but I won’t need to buy anymore furniture. I am also SO CHUFFED that I managed to assemble my lamp all by myself. :)
The next Jamie Dyson? Maybe a weeny bit over-ambitious...
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