Shopping Streets

A friend commented that had she been in my place, she would never survive coming back given her mania for shopping.
Alas for me, shopping had never been something that I had much enthusiasm for. Of course, the cursory visits to the malls and street markets is something I do on my itinerary. Some of these due to necessity and some for leisure.

Where have I been that has the best shopping? Well, if I were to categorize shopping abroad, then of course, the most famous, and tourist oriented places, would come to mind.

The first category would be the more exclusive and expensive places which are strictly, at least to me, only for window shopping, and just for the sake of saying "I've been there, done that! ha ha! " would be places like Ginza in Tokyo, Champs Elysee and Ave Montaigne in Paris, Oxford Street in London, Rodeo Drive LA and 5th Ave NY in the US.

The more affordable category would then be places like Orchard Road in Singapore, Shinjuku in Tokyo, and even the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Yes, I'd probably buy stuff from these place.

Lastly, the cheapest places to shop would list Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok for best value

But if I were to name only 1 place that to me would be the best shopping street anywhere, my vote goes to The Stroget in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Stroget is a pedestrian only shopping street with cobble stone pavements and is a joy to stroll along, especially in the cooler seasons. Running from the nearby famous Tivoli Gardens right across town to Nyhavn. You've probably seen those places without realising it. It's always used on jigsaw puzzles for some reason, very likely due to its picturesque scenery, esp Nyhavn Harbor. Be warned though, the prices are astronomical but the quality of the products being Danish is outstanding.

The shops, no malls thank goodness, are all located along a mile long stretch with more adjoiningg streets all being pedestrian streets. Al fresco cafes and street buskers all lend an endearing atmosphere to the entire place. And a cool beer is always waiting at the end of your walk.

The things I like best here are the amber shops. There seem to be more shops selling gems and amber here than in any other places I've been. This place set me off on my fascination with amber, the semi precious stone that contains organic matter like leaves and insects inside.