## Step 2 - Reading

Shopping walhallas

You are going to read three texts about cities that attract shopping enthousiasts: London, Milan and Barcelona.
Je gaat drie teksten lezen over steden die erg aantrekkelijk zijn voor winkelliefhebbers: Londen, Milaan en Barcelona.

- Skim the text and do exercise 1.
  Skim de tekst en maak oefening 1.
- Read the texts again and do exercises 2 and 3.
  Lees de teksten en maak oefeningen 2 en 3.

London Alternative, dynamic and stylish. London offers a big choice of shopping areas to find the most trendy and up-to date clothes and accessories. London offers everything you can imagine. The most famous places to go shopping are Oxford street, which has almost 300 shops, and Harrods. Harrods is one of the most famous department stores in the world. The store is very big and it will take you a long time to see the whole place. The spots you must visit are the food hall and the gift shop. In London shops are open every day from 9 am to 6 pm, and have 'late night shopping' on Thursday.

Milan Shopping lovers choose Milan to buy the best of Italian fashion and design. There are plenty of places to go shopping in the city, you can just walk around and you will find many shops spread across the city centre. The most famous shopping area in Milan is the Golden Triangle. You can choose between designers such as Armani, Prada, Gucci, Valentino and many others. In Milan you can find many outlet stores where you can buy designer clothes for a much lower price. You can get discounts up to 70%! Usually shops are open from 9.30 am to 12.30 and from 3.30 to 7.30 pm in winter and from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 4.00 pm to 8.00 pm in summer. Some shops are open every day. Most shops are closed on Sundays and during the Italian public holidays.

Barcelona Enjoy Spanish fashion, visit one of the many Zara or Mango megastores or buy the young trendy Spanish brands as Desigual and Bershka in the city centre. Barcelona’s main shopping area starts from the famous Rambla to Plaça de Catalunya. Here you can find a huge variety of clothes shops selling international and national designer collections. Combine the Spanish culture with shopping pleasure walking around the Barrí Gotic, one of the oldest districts of Barcelona with some Roman remains. Here you may find many bookstores, handcraft shops, music stores and much more. In Barcelona, shops are open from 10 am to 8.30 pm, closed on Sundays and on Spanish public holidays. Some shops are open 24 hours a day. Barcelona Tomb Bus is a bus service that brings tourists to the main shopping areas of the city.