My Weekend in Paris (Part 1)

I left finally had the opportunity to go to Paris for the weekend. No sooner had I arrived and the metro workers went on strike. That is soooo NOT when you want to be in Paris! So I waited until after "la grève." (According to my uncle Michel nobody really knew what they were striking for; and here, it is strike first, talk later. My father used to say that, "la grève is the national sport of France!" Although, in the defense of France having been here during the World Cup I can assure you the national sport is definitely soccer followed my cycling and tennis!

I left on Thursday, July 3rd.

The above picture is the little train station in Vallon less than 5 miles from my aunt's house. When my cousins were in high school each day they would come here to take the train to school.

Below is my platform selfie and Aunt Basia (whose real name is Barbara, have I mentioned that??). It seems that every where we go Basia runs into someone she knows!

The train ride to Paris was a little over 3 hours and it is really easy and kinda nice. You can relax and watch the picturesque scenery, read or take a nap. I like the trains. Of course I have an on the train selfie too! (I micht have cheated a little too! It's with fresh makeup!)

I arrived in Paris at the Gare Austerlitz which is very much like being welcomed by an old friend. I bought my 5 day metro pass and was once again reminded that things are not as cheap as they used to be! What used to cost around $30 cost me $50. So sad!

Getting to my room wasn't  hard but let's face it, traipsing around Paris with luggage is not exactly a party either! It would not have been so bad if I'd didn't keep running into these danged obstacles! (See below!)

Unfortunately there they were going up and down! I was reminded to be thankful for my health and ability to be able to conquer the stairs and I was also reminded that when I return in a few weeks with BOTH my suitcases that I will need to be sure to have cash for a Taxi! While I am strong and healthy I am not about to try and do it with ALL my luggage in tow!

I made good time and was EARLY to meet the person with the keys to my room which meant I got to wander around with my luggage for a few hours. Luckily, I wasn't the only one doing that so it wasn't completely awful. I first found my lodgings (with no problem). The room is in a great location, very close to the metro in a lively neighborhood with easy access to shopping and restaurants. I even found the Holy Grail of traveling...

This beautiful beacon of love contained several thing I much desired and needed: a cold, creamy, caffeinated Carmel Frappiccino, a bathroom, and free WiFi! It was, to say the least, GLORIOUS!!

I should perhaps mention that while the weather here has for the most part been fantastic it does have quite a lot of humidity. Parisians take absolutely no notice if that fact and often are dressed as we would be for our Arizona winter. In fact, that is not really a Parisian thing as much as it is just a French thing (a later post on cultural observations is forthcoming). However, being an inhabitant of a dry desert leaves me with zero tolerance for the humidity. So please forgive any picture that clearly depicts my inability to tolerate humidity at any level (sooo not looking forward to coming home in the midst of our humid monsoon season!) which I should mention is most of them!

Thanks to my sister Valerie, I was able to locate a room using www.airbnb.com. The room was called a "studette" and was located on the 6th floor of a little apartment building tucked inbetween another small hotel and a café. The elevator (approximately 18" deep and 30" wide, no way two people could fit in it! With my luggage it was a snug fit!) took me up to the 5th floor and you had to walk up to the 6th floor! 

The room itself was approximately 8ft by 16ft. 

This first picture is looking from the window towards the door.

This second picture is looking from the door towards the window.

This third picture shows the shower which was just to the left as you walk in. The shower had two temperatures: too hot and scalding!

Next to the shower was the kitchenette. The dark panel under the stove top is the refrigerator. 

Beyond the kitchenette on the left there was a cabinet for clothing and a desk where in theory you could use the internet however the WiFi never worked in the room so I wasn't able to post until I got back to the countryside. On the right hand side you can see the couch/sofa/bed thing. This is really just a room for one but if you really liked someone you could potentially have another person on the floor with an air mattress for a few nights but let's face it personal space would be non existent!

This picture shows the "beanbag" chair (a complete waste of space) and the cubbard that held all the kitchen supplies. The lower cabinet was the "pantry."

If you have been paying attention you will notice that I have not mention the location if the toilet. That is because it was not located in the room! Just outside the room right across the hallway was a blue door...

And behind the blue door?? Yep, you guessed it! The potty!

Now, having the toilett across the hall wasn't really that big a deal in the bigger scheme of life. But it was a little weird at night because my room did not have a door knob. It opened by skeleton key so trying to be quiet was next to impossible!

Finally, I took this picture from the window. The view was just so pretty and charming. 

Finally, after getting situated in my roomI got cleaned up and met my beautiful friend Laurence at the café on the corner where I was staying. I had such a terrific time catching up with her! She is so lovely and just has a beautiful soul!


Stay tuned for part 2!