just another magic monday

As if living in Paris weren’t enough, how great is it that I get to hang out with my husband most mornings after school drop-off?  Pretty darn great, that’s what.  We are so much nicer in the morning.  There is no tension of the day, we don’t know we’re tired, yet; we’re still waking up.  The caffeine makes us artificially chipper and there’s no obligatory small talk, just mumbling our way through coffee and the occasional pastry.  It’s all around grand. 

There’s a cozy bakery and cafe near Annabelle’s school, where we have already garnered status as ‘regulars’.  The servers are friendly, the coffee is good, albeit scalding at times, they offer a number of organic items and when you order any sort of bread or croissant, they bring a trio of jars filled with delectable toppings, such as rhubarb compote, dark chocolate spread and apricot jam.  I’m all about the bells and whistles and this constitutes as a serious perk in my book.

 sleepy naud sporting a very french shirt

On Monday, we took some snapshots of one of our luxurious coffee dates to serve as proof that we’re not just dreaming them into existence.  I blame poor lighting for emphasizing our less than lively expressions.  The din of the daily 6:15 am garbage removal might also have something to do with it. 

 breakfast #2 (breakfast #1 was ‘fruit & fibre’ cereal at 6:20 am)

When I walk home from our coffee dates, I enjoy watching the city come to life.  There are so many interesting shops, cafes and people to observe along the way.  Every little street has something interesting to offer. 

  the cheapest way to shop in paris: ‘leches-vitrine’  (a french expression meaning to lick the window, better known as window shopping)

Monday was a big day for us.  In the evening, we moved from our short-term temporary apartment to our long-term temporary apartment.  I spent the earlier part of the day not packing, going for a sunny run and searching for my debit card, which I never found.  Apartment #2 was just a few doors down from Apartment #1.  Naud lugged our plethora of bags while I packed, picked up dinner at the nearby epicerie (fancy deli) and tried unsuccessfully to help Annabelle with her homework, in French(!).

perfect day for a run, near les invalides

The best decision I made all day was to drop everything and go for a run.  It was the most perfect day for it and I was rewarded with many postcard perfect views of my city (can I claim ownership already?  it feels too soon…).

the eiffel tower is best seen from a distance, in my humble opinion

The second apartment is bigger, fancier and has substantially fewer quirks.  It is absolutely gorgeous (photos coming as soon as we finish unpacking!).  The downsides are the absence of an oven (which was promised by the agency), a generally ill-equipped kitchen and the obscene noise level below, due to the apartment facing a busy street.  The agency promised to buy a countertop oven to (sort of) make up for their faux-pas.  The noise level, however, can’t be helped.  

Because we won’t be here forever, we’re doing our best to focus on the positives:  We are in the center of Paris, in a beautiful, roomy (for Paris) apartment with comfortable beds, no bugs in the bathroom and no electroshock in the kitchen.  Hooray!  There’s even a bidet (bum washer) in the bathroom, which we haven’t tried.  I wouldn’t even know what to do with it, but I certainly won’t fill you in on the details if I ever get up the nerve to try.

 monday at the louvre, just a 10-minute jaunt from our flat (photo taken on my afternoon run)

We were all so very tired after moving (again) that our first night in our new place was pretty much a blur of suitcases, new sounds and high emotions.  If we manage to rouse ourselves in the morning in time for school and work, we will have accomplished much.