Getting Settled

After spending a night in a very minimal hotel in the 20e, I have signed an agreement for an apartment in the 15e. Moving in was a breeze; we got the electricity, gas, internet, and cable all set up in no time. Now I need to go find some groceries, of which there are several stores within walking distance.

A few quick observations about Paris: the city smells something like a wet leaf with a hint of clove and something sweet, all obscured by the smelly guy walking ahead of you, smoking a cigarette. This morning alone, I noticed a remarkable number of people wearing sunglasses far below the surface of the earth in the depths of the metro (subway). Compared to Versailles, the 15e has very few little old ladies being walked by their dogs.

(If you're wondering what these numbers with "e" after them are: Paris organizes its geography into regions called arrondisements, each numbered. Generally, the higher the number, the further from the city center it is. You can think of these as big neighborhoods.)

And a quick view from our apartment's balcony: