Paris

First, and foremost, I am officially an Auntie for the 2nd time (5th if you count my beautiful god children) since Carrie-Lyn couldn't hold on until we got back home and had a little GIRL today!!!! Yay! We are so excited, and can't wait to get home to see her!

Paris, vous etes arriver! ...huh...

I said to Mom last night that I think we should have come to Paris first, so that we wouldn't be comparing it to Italy.

In Italy the food is better, the wine is better, the coffee is better and the price is half as much.

Mom suggested last night that we take the Brunello wine back home with us and cook (me) a nice Italian meal...we had been saving it for Paris. But, it's not a sipping wine, and we aren't likely to spend too much time in our studio apartment, you'll see why later.

Getting here and into the apartment was great until the directions ended at the last subway stop and we had no way to know which way to go. We found it, but walked in a big circle from 12 o'clock on a watch to about 9 o'clock, when we could have walked counter clockwise. Where in Italy, the blocks and streets on a map are deceivingly short, here each number is a large building with 5 or 6 storefronts in it...at one point we were both wondering if Rue Du Bac even had a 101 or if Mom had been scammed!
Finally we found it, found the lock box, found the door and got it open (which is a chore in itself because you have to twist the key to keep the lock disengaged and pull with all your might because the door has expanded in the humidity). Then a not particularly pleasant odor assaulted you as it wafted up the dark, dank stairway from the basement...but, as you reached the bottom ahead there was a lovely wooden door. I tried the key, tried again, said to Mom "which key are we supposed to use?". The big one, yeah, it doesn't fit. "I'm not having fun right now". This is the first not fun I've had all trip. "the key doesn't fit this door"...then I turn my head and see a short, steel, utility door with flaking faded paint to my left...unless THIS is the door (surely no). Yup...4 turns of the key to release the vault like deadbolts, again hold the key in position to keep it disengaged and we're in.

It's lovely! It smells. On closer inspection it hasn't been cleaned. We can't get the wifi to work because it doesn't show up...disaster.

Let's get out of here and have a drink. We go to the restaurant they recommended, sit down, review the menu, get up, leave, find a suitable restaurant...sit, eat, drink, compare to Italy and think...we should have come here first. We would have loved it!