count 3 & 4 from the left...very top floor...those are our 2 windows
All along the way, it seemed like we would not actually ever really travel to Paris. But we are finally here! We are in day 3 of trying to get settled and adjusted to big city life with a 9-hour time difference. We have the cutest little (28 sq. meters) apartment in the Latin Quartier, very near Notre Dame and the Pantheon. The apartment is on the 6th floor, top of the building, and occupies 2 of the adorable dormer windows common in Paris buildings. Despite the pint sized accommodations and lack of storage, the address is very cozy and adequate for our needs (a washer is even included – with a drying rack which sets up in the middle of the kitchen floor). Kevin and I will live in this apartment for about 2.5 months while we attend Institute Catholic to study language.
what you can see, from edge to edge, is the length of the kitchen
The address is 27 rue Lacepede, between rue Monge and rue Mouffetard for those who have a map of Paris and wish to see exactly where we are. If you know how to use googlemaps you can actually find our street and walk along it.
Sundays may become a favorite day (besides being the day of our Lord). Our community area has a very neat market day. Not only is there an excellent market square set up with fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, breads, flowers…there is also the length of rue Mouffetard arranged with individual flea market tables. The streets are closed to vehicles, and pedestrians take over the narrow road. It seems to be the thing to do on Sunday afternoons. Everyone is out with their wheeled carts or shopping bags, bartering (I’m guessing on this one, as it was all in French) and purchasing household items or food stuffs for the upcoming week. Kevin and I ventured out with bag in hand and managed to communicate enough to purchase bananas, a red pepper, broccoli (yes, Kevin wash helping me, the lover of veggies), green beans, delicious radishes, and carrots with greens on top. I found an old individual coffee brewer to put on top of a cup and add fresh grounds from our family stash (thanks Peeps, for the markouts).
what a view!
We did one load of sheets (ok, one sheet plus 2 pillow cases). It has taken 2 days to dry. Humidity is pretty high right now. Doesn’t matter how long it takes, but the kitchen is pretty crowded with the rack up. We just push it back and forth as we move around. The windows stay open when we are in the apartment for fresh air. But when we leave, they are closed to prevent the roving rain showers from sprinkling our rooms. You just have to be prepared for rain…it comes as quickly as it goes.
Chad & Amy, our new friends, met us at the airport with a station wagon. They have helped us tremendously – taking us to our apartment, explaining how things work, keeping us awake the first day, going out for a meal, dinner at their apartment (in Massy, where we will be in August), helping us find the stores with items we need…Thank you, God, for friends and helpers.
The only thing missing is our family. Hurry, get your passports!
And for dessert, madeleines avec Nutella!
madeleines with Nutella
Bienvenue a Paris!
the main doors into our building, on rue Lacepede
Love, Laughter, and Life 