Il pleut.
Anyone who’s taken French 101 has certainly seen that expression. Of course, it means: It’s raining. And it sure is. Beaucoup de pluie !
With the weather being what it is, I opted to unpack my suitcase(s), and organize my apartment life a little.
After being awake for over 24 hours, I’ve adjusted to the time change, and while that sounds awful, it wasn’t. It certainly wasn’t the plan, but in the end, I was oddly alert all day and night.
Maybe I’ll venture out later.
I’m on the third floor of this apartment building, and thankfully, there is an elevator. It’s one of those tiny ones that accommodates MAYBE 3 adults – possibly 4 if we hold our breath. If you know me, you know I opt for the stairs. They’re everywhere! Into the Métro, out of the Métro, museums, apartments, even grocery stores. The City of Light could easily be renamed The City of Stairs.
I’m not complaining. It keeps you fit, or at least mindful of wanting to be fit.
As I tend to my friend’s flowers in their window boxes while she’s on holiday in Cannes and Antibes – I found myself thinking about my own hanging baskets of Petunias back home in Pennsylvania. I wonder how they’re surviving the scorching heat that’s hitting the region. I’m picturing my neighbor/friend at home watering my flowers, and looking after my my cat, Lulu. I know she’s taking good care of everything and I am grateful.
With the window open for a bit, I couldn’t mistake the iconic sound of French police sirens. There was something going on yesterday. The Gendarmes had blocked off Rue Saint-Antoine, and were out of their vehicles. I never saw any other activity, but there are often protests here, so you never know.
The other sound one always hears in Paris is church bells. They’re never too far off – as you can guess, what with so many streets, Métro stations, and neighborhoods named for Saints.
Earlier I had checked online for happenings in Paris, finding a few things I haven’t yet done, or might want to do again. I just found out there’s a Banksy Museum in the 9è arrondissement, and I definitely want to see that. Merely 22 minutes and 14 euros away, so that’s on my list for sure this week or next.
It’s time to venture out sous la pluie, avec mon parapluie, c’est certain.
LisaH in Paris 
So happy th
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Lisa,
I am so glad you arrived safely. This looks like a terrific apartment with the fireplaces and large windows. Live it up, girl.
Interesting information about the two flights of stairs. For your sake, I am glad they have an elevator since you had your suitcases.
I am going to forward this to the girls, including some you don’t know who were on the Viking cruise. They will all love your Paris blog. If you can find the one with the shops, can you forward it? I think it was Louis Vuitton, Gucci and perhaps CC.
Have a wonderful time with NO CLASSES OR HOMEWORK. Just embrace your French heritage, and travel like a Parisian.
Let me know how the city is with the Olympics on the horizon. It will be interesting to see the finished product without scaffolding and traffic jams when the games begin.
Love you, Mary
>
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Bonsoir, Mary!
it’s a very typical one-bedroom Parisian apartment. All the rentals I’ve stayed in have those tall windows that open to a courtyard, or street. Everyone gets windows like that. Most are still the original windoes, too, that have been painted over a hundred times.
Every apartment I e stayed in, even my smallest one, had what we call cathedral-height ceilings. No a/c in Paris, so cross ventilation was always considered it seems, for there’s always some type of window in the kitchen and bathroom. Also, the toilette is usually in its own “closet.”
this apartment has 3 fireplaces – there is one in the bedroom.
and what I love is all the hidden storage. It’s all made to blend in. You sometimes don’t even realize there are cabinets because there aren’t knobs, just a wall of shelves and hanging rods (in the bedroom) built in. You have to be a minimalist. lol.
Also, they sell smaller bottles of juice and whatnot in their grocery stores because a lot of refrigerators are small. If there is a dishwasher that’s not human (!) it’ll be a little bigger than a microwave.
kitchens tend to be tiny. But sometimes it’s a family-sized apartment, and you’ll have something larger. Or it’s been updated and reconfigured to have full-sized kitchen appliances.
More later.
Love you!
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