Staying like a native in Paris

Bonjour tout le monde!
I was given the wonderful opportunity to visit Paris and to stay in an apartment.  The last time I was in Paris and lived "like a native", I was 20 and a junior at Stanford.  Then, I lived in a boarding house in the 7th arrondissement with some of my Stanford classmates.  We had a great time, and I felt like a Parisienne.
This time, our apartment was in the Auteuil village area of Paris, in the 16th arrondissement.  My husband and I had the opportunity to stay in this apartment for a special birthday week in Paris, because I did some work for the owner.  She lives there part time, and does indeed rent it out.  It is a spacious place, beautifully and thoughtfully furnished, with living room, a small study with a desk, a wonderfully huge bedroom with lots of storage and a queen sized bed.   The kitchen is big and has all that you need to make dinner if you don’t want to eat out.  We might not have used the stove often, but it was lovely to relax every morning with coffee and baguette in our own space.  There is also a washing machine, separate dryer, and dishwasher, just in case you need them!

Speaking of need, there is all that you need to live just like a native.  If you want to go food shopping, there is a rolling shopping cart that will make you feel oh so Parisian when you venture out to one of the two grocery stores that are close by.  Having that shopping cart made it much easier to transport the big bottles of water and all the provisions that we got! You will also need it to check out the local open air market that occurs twice a week.

One of the coolest things about the apartment is that it is so close to transportation, both the Metro and the bus.  A quick 5 minute walk gets you to either stop or station, and it was easy to get into the center of Paris!  If you need anything to help you navigate public transportation, you can find it in the apartment – maps, tourist guides, wifi for downloading the Paris Metro map onto your smartphone before leaving. Valerie has provided all that you need to have a wonderful experience in Paris, whether this is your first time, or you’re a veteran Parisian visitor.

What my husband and I really loved was that the apartment felt homey and cozy, but that there is enough room that keeps you from feeling crowded.  The Auteuil neighborhood feels just like the village that it used to be; when you stay here, please take the time to explore that area, too!

 We loved this place and hope to make it our “home away from home” next time we visit.  You should check it out, also.

http://www.greatfrenchrentals.com/

If you are visiting the south of France, she also has a place right in the middle of Aix-en-Provence!

Watching the Super Bowl - in the apartment!

Le Super Bowl - French Style

Bonjour tout le monde!
There are many things that we American sports fans take for granted.  Baseball, basketball, football on television, with the commentator teams that we know and love.  So, what happens when we watch an American sport outside the US?
I had the pleasure of watching Super Bowl XLIX on French television.  The first thing is that the game came on at midnight in most of Europe, thanks to a six hour time difference.  The commentator crew were French, so included in all the usual commentary, these guys also explained the game of American football in between plays.  Things like "There are 52 or 53 players on each team, although only 11 are on the field at the same time."  They had to talk about how the game was played, and the different positions the players had.  About the only position that didn't have to be explained was the quarterback, or perhaps I wasn't paying attention.  The fun was when the play was bad.  The commentary was usually started with "Oh la la la la la..." (it isn't what most Americans think of, this one is expressed with a tone of disapproval; it's great).
Missng the US feed also meant that we missed the commercials that were shown in the States.  But of course now we can get those online, so it was good.  We did get the half time extravaganza, and we wondered about those sharks dancing with Katy Perry just like many of you did back here.
By the time the game was over, it was 4 am, and naturally we were pretty bowled over by the last play.  The commentators were also flummoxed by that last Seattle play and plenty of "oh la la la la's" were said by the guys.  However, we were very very, very tired, so went to bed.
Quel Super Bowl...

The snacks were a bit different, too.  I tried to record the commentary, but didn' t do a very good job.  Just think of French guys talking about our American sport...