Settling in

As it turns out, the apartment was ready at 12 noon. Wow, am I jet-lagged.



I helped this Canadian guy get his bearings in Paris--he showed up
here to get some sort of nongovernment military job (??), speaks no
French, etc. At least he had his debit card -- he was not asking for
money. So I showed him how to get to town from the airport on the
train, and we stopped at the bookstores by St Michel so he could get a
map and dictionary (and I got a Paris by Arrondissement pocket atlas),
have a peek at Notre Dame down the block, then I showed him how to get
to his hostel and we parted ways at the Gare de l'Est. Even though we
had left the RER (and the metro), our tickets from CDG were still good
to get back into the metro. I guess they'd have to be, that's how you
transfer anyway--they must have a time limit or something though.

He looked completely French, the way he was dressed (the young guy
tracksuit look) and his looks (dark hair, buzzcut). Apparently his
father is French.



This apartment is great! It's a bit of a walk from the metro, though.
The courtyard is one shared by several large similar concrete
buildings.



They thought of everything to provide here. Some pics are
attached. It is just one large room (tv, closet, balcony, daybed with
trundle), a full bathroom (bathtub with shower and curtain! tub lip
is pretty high), a small galley kitchen (electric stove top,
microwave, coffeemaker, small fridge, sink).





I am heading out now to walk and see the high speed train exhibit at
Arts et Metiers museum.