Une Bonne Addresse

September 13, 2007... He met me at the airport and we took a bus into the city, then a taxi to the apartment. He had been looking for two months, which is not unusual, housing being in such short supply. We were simply lucky to get into one the very day I arrived from California.

We drove along the Seine excited about our new neighborhood/quartier, passing the Louvre before turning onto our street.


We are surrounded by one-way streets and I am happier than ever that I don't have to drive here. In fact, we are so central that I rarely even need to take the Metro...

The street/rue is very short, but the name is very long...
Rue des Lavandieres Sainte Opportune. According to Balade Historique Dans les Rues de Paris, the name Rue des Lavandieres Sainte Opportune dates back to 1244 and is due to the laundresses of the street named "Sainte Opportune" after the neighborhood convent.

This is Sainte Opportune...





...getting shit on.












And this is our building. We live on the top floor with no elevator. On most days, I don't mind the exercise, but the four flights of stairs were a challenge with two well-stuffed suitcases after fifteen hours of travel .

We couldn't have the keys until the rental agency received a fax showing proof of insurance. (The "charm" of the old building is all the reason you need.) So he made insurance arrangements on his cell phone while the agent counted the dishes and linens and noted the condition of the walls and floors and furniture.

I kept thinking, I could have decorated it myself...









...all white and wood with accents in chocolate brown and sage. It makes for good rentals! I promise better pictures once we've settled in... maybe a before and after!

This picture was taken just the other night from the window over our sofa... cold and clear. Most of our windows face south and let in lots of light, which will be most welcome this winter.

That's the Conciergerie across the river... I wonder where they kept Marie Antoinette... guess I'll have to take that tour. You can also see the rooftop and spire of Sainte Chapelle. Our bathroom window faces east and lets in all the pink and orange morning sun. Once the leaves all fall from the trees, I'll take a picture of it... the Hotel de Ville and the Tour St Jacques.

Somebody, pinch me!