Made it to Paris
Made it to Paris! It’s amazing how you can be thousands and thousands of miles away and still feel like this is home.
So when I arrived, Isabel the apartment “manager” whom I really think was just a friend of the owner who at that time was out of town, wasn’t there to let me in like they said she would. Ugh…Grant it, I was about 20 minutes late. But anyone who’s gone through Charles de Gaulle airport knows how insane that place is. You never know exactly how much time it will take to go through customs, baggage claim, get euros, and finally hop on the métro to your final destination.
Thankfully a sweet little old French lady sees me with my hands full– the dog in one hand and my luggage weighed down with bottles of wine I brought from Croatia in the other. The added kilos from those bottles certainly didn’t help! She says, “Je vous laisse passer” (I’ll let you in). She was very nice and sweet.
These buildings are like ones in New York where you have several doors to go through. So while I was able to get through the first two entrance doors, I still had to get keys to the apartment. No cell phone because I lost it at the TSA security checkpoint in Atlanta (long story). I’m asking myself what to do, what to do??? That’s when I spotted across the street a Best Western hotel, yes! And so I go to the reception to explain the situation and ask to use their phone, all this in French. Thank goodness for those classes at Alliance Francaise! Isabel, who thankfully was just around the corner finally shows up, an African woman from Angola, raised in Portugal, and now is in Paris for work. She was nice and very laid back and obviously not too concerned about appointments, especially on a Sunday evening. Gotta love “les Parisiens!”
Here are some pics of l’appart (short for l’appartement in French). I found this one on VRBO. I think of the TV show House Hunters International when they’re in Paris. By American standards, this would be considered a small space. But by Parisian norms, this is a good sized apartment. I love how the owner makes use of wall space for storage, especially in the kitchen. By the way, you can tell she’s into cooking, just like I am! In this tiny space I found everything that I needed, including dish washer, washing machine, refrigerator/ freezer, full stove plus a beautiful collection of serve-ware. And the view from the kitchen is fun! Check out the architectural details in the ceiling too. And look at how tiny the elevator is! The book shelf is also great! Filled with books on art and literature…so Parisian!
Zoé loves being on vacation!!
