…and I don’t know why. All we have done for the past few days is eat. I’m up to four servings of steak and fries this week and after eating chicken and rice for 24 hours on the plane, I think I’m ready to reintroduce vegetables to my diet. Some quinoa salad really hit the spot today, as did the fruit salad yesterday, but I really am hankering for a decent stir fry with some crispy veg.
Meanwhile, my sweet tooth is getting a workout – I just finished the richest hot chocolate I have perhaps ever consumed. I also burnt my tongue, given how keen I was to feel any kind of warmth in my fingers and toes, but we already established how cold it is here. (As in, there is cold, and then there is Paris).
It has snowed all day and while it is freezing, I can’t help but find it incredibly beautiful – so much so that yesterday I got all welled up at lunch! (I know I’m a crier generally but it was in the moment. You had to be there. It was magic.)
So yesterday we moved apartments from Saint Germain to le Marais, packing our suitcases and lugging them to the other side of the river. The process took quite some time, and upon arriving at our new apartment and taking our luggage up four flights of stairs (THAT is why French women don’t get fat) the woman letting us into the new apartment couldn’t get the key to work. After some jiggling and letting us have a go, Sarah was the one who finally clicked the lock.
Our new apartment overlooks the rooftops of Paris and reminds me of the scene in Mary Poppins where the chimmney sweeps dance on the roofs – there are little chimmneys everywhere! It’s surprisingly noisy on the fourth floor, however my bedroom overlooks the courtyard so it’s not too bad. After unpacking, we ventured to lunch (steak and fries! and wine!) and then to a little bar where we met Jenny, who is crowdfunding her Paris project, LAmour or Less.
She was a delight, and we enjoyed sitting in the dimly lit bar, drinking red wine while we shared dating stories, and tales of our time in Paris. With the temperature now below zero, we returned to our new apartment and watched a classic (though not very French!) movie, Pretty Woman.
Today we wandered the streets of le Marais, exploring the Jewish quarter and the gay district. We stopped at Starbucks for the free wifi (pronounced wee-fee in Paris!) and had lunch at the Rose Bakery, a quaint little cafe with a queue to the door and a 30 minute wait for a table. Well worth it though.
Lot’s of the stores are closed on Sundays, as are some of the streets, so its fun to be able to wander around without fear of getting hit by cars that go too fast (or because i am constantly looking the wrong way). We are halfway through our Paris Experience and while we do miss Melbourne, there is still so much to see and explore. Au Revoir!
