New Apartment in the Latin Quarter

Up early; we ate breakfast, packed and cleaned the apartment by 10:00 am.  Everything was set in preparation for the taxi cab that we’d ordered over the Internet last night.  Our apartment manager had given us the information as there are no taxi stands nearby.

Off we went to explore our neighborhood for the last time.  First we headed over to UNESCO that has its world headquarters about two blocks from our apartment.  We looked through the fence to see the Nagasaki Angel; a fragment found intact in the ruins of a church after the atom bomb was dropped on the city at the end of WW II.  All over the grounds are gifts from various countries that symbolize the need for world peace.   Many of them are visible from the street through the fence.   Tours are free but must be pre-arranged.

Nearby we saw a weekly street market; off we went to enjoy the flowers, fruits, cheeses, olives, fish and clothes that were featured in booths that stretched for blocks.  We emerged with many photos and our wallets unopened; hard to do with so many wonderful opportunities.   We continued walking and passed the French Military School on our way to visit the Peace Monument in the Champs de Mars, the large green parade grounds that stretch from the Military School to the Eiffel Tower.

We continued walking to find the restaurants that we’d visited in the rain on the night we toured the Eiffel Tower; and then walked further to the shopping street of Rue Cler.

There we enjoyed a late lunch of crepes and hot coffee at Ulysee; had to rush the ending as we had a taxi scheduled for 2:30 pm and it was after 2:00 pm when we left the restaurant.  Home by Metro, we rushed in the door; packed the things from the refrigerator and took the bags downstairs just as the taxi man arrived!   The service was Taxi Bleu 3609 and he was wonderful.  Made for an easy transfer to our new apartment.

We had only a few minutes to wait for Laura, our new apartment manager to arrive.  After the arduous task of carrying all of our baggage up four flights of circular wooden stairs, we gazed in awe at our new apartment complete with skylights and views of the courtyard below through the treetops!

This apartment is much larger than our last one.  There is a loft bedroom and an extra half bath downstairs.  And we are now a block from Luxembourg Gardens and a block in the other direction you will find the Pantheon and that magic little corner when the old car appeared each night in the movie “Midnight in Paris”.   Yes, a bit more expensive but what fun we’ll have for the next week.

Our first trip out was to explore a bit of the gardens and then walk to the Monoplex for food.  Dinner was wine, cheese, olives and pizza.  After dark Jane and I caught the bus down to Notre Dame for some night lights before the raindrops began to lightly fall.  Hopefully we’re going to be having some beautiful weather for the next few days.

Hope you enjoy the slideshow: