Saturday, October 10, 2009

Hello from No 10 Rue de Presbourg

I used to call this plave Moulin Rouge on account of the red carpeting, red bedspread, towels etc, but really, No 10 Rue de Presbourg is SO much more alluring and grand-sounding. The building is old - it used to be a house ( I like to think some Comte owned it and then fell on hard times and was forced to let it out for rent) and it has retained pretty much all its old-timeyness. The staircase is winding, the hallways are long and silent. Best of all are the doorbells....those round, ornamental, brass ones with a knob in the centre that you have to press.

The apartment itself is tiny, perfect for one messy person to live in. Luckily, Dad and I are alike enough as to BE one person, so we're ok.
The bathroom...is weird. There is a large mirror over the basin and a full-length one behind the door. The thing is...the full-length one is what you see if you sit on the pot and turn your head to the side. Seriously, who wants to see themselves while sitting on the pot?! If that is the French sense of humour, they're better off leaving it to the Brits.
I'm sleeping on a red(of course) sofa. It isn't long enough...my feet stick out at the end. It's nice knowing there's something I'm too tall for :)
It's autumn in Paris and there are maple leaves and heavy rain. There has been much potatoes, cheese and meat happening, and I have already found 5 pairs of shoes I covet!
Yesterday. I arrived without getting into too much trouble. Arrived home to find I had misplaced my comb and that my father does not believe in clothes irons. He has one, but has no idea how to use it. So...my first outing in Paris on this trip was sans ironed clothes and with hair straight off a 10 hour flight. Good thing I'm not concerned with glamour, I guess!
Today, I wandered my my way through the Arc de Triumph and all the way down Champs-Elysees. Everybody walks very fast there. There are cafes and restaurants all over, but I think they are frequented mostly by men who wish to avoid shopping with their partners. So they sit down and have coffee or a glass of wine while their lady shops happily, then comes and meets them.
My apologies for the rather scattered entry....I'm fearfully sleepy, and the laptop is almost out of battery. I'd put it to charge, but I already managed to blow up the hairdryer this morning, simply by plugging it in.
Au revoir,
T