This article about 'alpargatas' in Spain, brought back a flood of memories of my first trip to Europe as a backpacking student. Footloose, fancy-free, no itinerary, no set return date and virtually no money! Those were the days. My first pair of alpargatas cost about 50 cents at the time. I still buy them and and pack them for warm weather travels. They cost about 10 euros in southern France these days but look for ones made in Europe, rather than the cheap knock-offs from Asia. They come in many colours, can be thrown in the washing machine, and are great souvenirs/gifts for budget-minded travellers.

http://tinyurl.com/cvqc5

Now that I know where the shoes are made, it's another reason to return to Barcelona.

Lucy, Toronto