Hello again! I am dead beat from running around town and dropping by VisitBritain and Maison de le France to pick up some tips from the lovely people over there for my trip. Aunty Ruby at the VisitBritain office is a dear lady who so happily shared with me some of the most useful shopping tips, bless her soul! She just returned from a shopping spree herself not too long ago.

Apparently she started out from Oxford Street, which is this nice long stretch, home to shops like Selfridges, Topshop, Marks & Spencer and loads of eating outlets at which I can get quick bites to ensure my energy levels are kept at an all-time high! Think I will get a pressie for my bestie Mel from there. She really loves the new season at Topshop – let me surprise her with a top or two.

Aunty Ruby also told me I should definitely head down to Portobello Road Market, which was the set of Notting Hill, that lovely romantic comedy. While there, I can scour for some nice antiques for Mom -- she’d love that. Oh, she also told me that in Britain, there are two sales seasons that I wouldn’t want to miss, the winter and the summer sale. The winter starts right after Christmas for about two weeks while the summer one takes place between the last week of June to about August. Brilliant, there’s nothing better than getting what I want at a fraction of the price!

One other thing she pointed out: remember to claim my tax rebates once I am done shopping. As a visitor to the EU, I can enjoy tax rebates of up to 12%. All I have to do is to make a minimum purchase, which varies from store to store. (Mental note to self, remember to enquire at every store I visit!)

No sooner have I said goodbye to Aunt Ruby, I walked straight into chic and elegant Anne Chapalain at the Maison de le France office. Must be my lucky day! Anne was as helpful, dispensing tips on shopping in Paris. This lady truly knows Paris inside out and guess what, her love for the city is infectious! She even helped me pick up some brochures with shopping discounts! Just what I need! Cool right? We talked a fair bit about Paris and then some more about Paris and before I knew it, it was closing time. But no worries, I can still surf for information on the two cities from their comprehensive websites respectively -- both of which have been added under my Useful Links for more research later at my own time. Now, time to do some packing – let me raid my wardrobe to put together a sexy ensemble or two. This is getting really exciting…