Saturday, January 30, 2016
A Shopping Mall in Laval hr561
Near the hotel I stayed in, there was an indoor shopping mall called
Carrefour. I walked on the bridge that crossed a 10-lane highway and
caught a glimpse of the glass ceiling of the mall up ahead. As I came
closer, the mall got bigger and more splendid. It was my first visit to
this mall which beauty made my jaw dropped. Although it was a one-story
complex, its ceiling was about three-story high. The passageways are
wide, and in the middle of them, there were cafes, kiosks, shop wagons,
trees, and life-sized decorations that looked like a park. A classic
car-shaped cart was running around to help shoppers who had difficulty
in walking. I felt as if I was strolling around an elegant European town
rather than a mall. It was undoubtedly the most gorgeous, fashionable
mall I’d ever seen. I passed high-class brand shops and bought
accessories on sale at Old Navy. To have lunch, I was headed for the
food court that was the fanciest one I’d ever been. Sunlight came in
through the glass ceiling high above. Glittering chandeliers were
everywhere. The restaurants weren’t just for fast food but for steaks
and seafood as well. I had a Chinese dish at a cozy, clean table with a
gleeful grin all over my face. After lunch, I strolled about the
department store Simons that was on one of the wings of the mall. I
couldn’t tell whether it had to do with a French-spoken region or not,
shoppers there were all fashionable and somehow good-looking. I was
embarrassed that I wasn’t pretty enough for the place and felt the need
of more serious dieting. The merchandise the store carried was colorful
and stylish, which was the kind I rarely found in Japan. By the reason
that I couldn’t get any of those in Japan, I talked myself into impulse
buying of a bag, scarves and gloves. And I took a rest on a bench in the
mall having ice cream. I had never been in such a pleasant mall like
this. Of course Japan has big modern malls in suburbs too, but those are
crammed with idle housewives and noisy kids. Restaurants are
chronically too full with them to get in. Remembering how uncomfortable
life in Japan was, I was impressed by this town Laval afresh. People
were nice and kind. The town was safe and relaxing. And it had this
beautiful and gorgeous mall. I couldn’t believe a place like this
existed on earth. I craved to live here and wished I had money to do so.
I had liked to live in my apartment back in Japan since I moved in five
years ago, but that life seemed miserable now that I knew Laval. Time
is limited. With each passing day, the remaining days of my life
decrease. That thought pressured and threatened me. I was assailed by a
strong urge to move to Laval as soon as possible…