A Romantic Apartment in Parisby Judy Babcock Wylie
Less than three weeks later we were in Paris, peering out the window of our snug 11’x 18’ studio apartment through formal drapes, down past the tiny terrace, to narrow Rue de Rivoli. On the building opposite, a discreet plaque announced that Racine had died there in 1699. A young man hurried by carrying a long baguette fresh from the baker, an elegant older woman walked her big black, raffish dog, and a window cleaner pedaled by on his bike, his squeegee propped at a rakish angle. Looking down to the end of the street we saw a young couple kissing while waiting to cross. A Special SeasonWe discovered Paris is wonderful in the winter, even if it is cold, hovering between 35 and 45 degrees most days. It seems for every degree the temperature goes down, Parisians’ attitude toward visitors goes up. We discovered there are no rude waiters in Paris from November through March. No longer under siege by Nike-wearing tourists who can’t pronounce croissant properly, they’re relaxed, even affable. One morning at breakfast our waiter at a neighborhood caf� introduced us to one of his regulars, a chocolate brown Laborador named Mousse, who was eyeing my plate of eggs and baguette with soulful interest as his owner sipped her caf� au lait. At tea in a bistro on the Boulevard Saint Germain on our first day in town, when we suddenly realized our map didn’t show our street and we had no idea how to get back to our new digs, the waiter went to get a better city map, and carefully showed us how to get back. Staying a week in a city allows you to see famous places on a normal day. One Tuesday, we stepped into Notre Dame just as a priest hurried by carrying a white electric coffee pot. Parishioners lit candles and knelt to pray, ladies refreshed the flowers, and in two of the side chapels, priests heard confession in glass and chrome confessionals that made it look as matter- of- fact as a person taking out a bank loan. Notre Dame was what it has always been: a working church, not primarily a tourist attraction. At museums such as the Louvre, because crowds were light and we had a whole week, we didn’t feel we had to see it all in two hours on one visit. Even Mona Lisa had breathing room.
These early morning runs also revealed a more intimate side to the city. I opened the front door to step out one day and almost bumped into Davy Crockett on his way to school, holding his mother’s hand. He was followed by a 6 year old “Chinese man” in a red robe and hat with a pigtail, led by his mom. When I asked the clerk behind the counter at the boulangerie why all the kids were in costume today, she smiled and said “C’est Mardi Gras!” I’d forgotten it was a French holiday before it hit the Big Easy. Exploring the NeighborhoodWe began to collect our favorite places: “our” caf� with the best view, “our” boulangerie with the best wheat baguettes, “our” cheese store with the best brie coated with black pepper. We found a grocery store with great dijon mustard vinagrette salad dressing, deep green, tiny-leaved lettuce and pretty flowered toilet paper and bought some of each. We started each transaction in our broken French and shop people helped us along with good humor if we needed a word or fractured a pronunciation. Most could speak some English if necessary. The neighborhood was dotted with posh art galleries and home decor shops full of items such as stuffed camels, African fertility masks and extravagantly tasseled pillows. Each evening we passed a jewelry shop so small that we finally measured the front at 49 inches. In the pie- shaped space a pleasant white-haired woman sat each evening, displaying old jewelry such as gold hearts, delicate jet necklaces and filigreed drop earrings. We eventually broke down and bought a silver charm in the shape of a book for less than $20. The Literary Life
We also strolled along the Seine, stopping at the booksellers’ open stalls, looking through old copies of Gide and Sartre, and admiring old prints of French court life or the countryside. The prints weren't expensive. A 5”x 8” print from the 1800s depicting an elephant was only 7 Francs, or about $12.25 U.S. There were also more contemporary items such as Batman comics and lurid comics depicting aliens, which were doing a brisk business. For further literary inspiration we dropped in at famous cafes such as Deux Maggots and the Caf� Lipp, both known as haunts of Hemmingway and Sartre. What to Wear and How to Stay WarmParis in the colder season requires warm clothes. If you want to look like a Parisian, bring a black three-quarter length or ankle-length coat in leather or wool.. Women favor slim black pants. Bring gloves. A wool scarf is a must, wrapped several times around the neck for a proper chic look. Mink coats are in, so if you have one, bring it. When it rained or the wind took too big a bite, we dipped down and traveled by Metro, ducked into a museum, or took a boat cruise on the Seine in an enclosed vedette. We also learned strategies such as taking the Metro to the Palais Louve stop so we could walk directly into the museum by an underground passage, avoiding a tedious (and frigid) 45- minute wait to get into the I.M. Pei entry pyramid. Dining.We’d read that most visitors to Paris spend $100 per day per couple over and above lodging costs, but we averaged less, from $65-$70 a day. Although we never used our apartment’s stove or toaster oven, we ate a few meals in, making lunch or dinner of pate, cheese, crusty bread, salad and fruit, all bought nearby for well under $8. When we ate dinner out, we were able to stick to a budget of under $15 per person, thanks to the three-course specials every restaurant listed on menus outside. At Le Boomerang on the Rue Gregoire de Tours, we feasted on mussels for the first course, cod in mustard sauce or steak au poivre for the main course and creme caramel for dessert, all for 69 Francs per person, or about $12.
Behaving like a ParisianBy the end of the week we were beginning to feel like real Parisians and wanted to act like them. There is no question that love and relationships are the number one priority here. When people talk they listen intently to each other. When in doubt, they kiss. We saw people kissing in elevators, on a funicular, shopping at a street market, and standing in front of a Monet at the Musee D’Orsay. We decided if we were to blend in as part of the neighborhood, we’d have to try it. We started in the privacy of our apartment, moved to the outside doorway, then got bold and kissed near the oyster stand at the open-air market as the owner smiled and went on shucking. Even the beggars understand this concept. When a raggedy beggar reached out his hand for a donation and a passing woman turned away, he shrugged and offered an alternative. ”Baissez?” Which roughly translates as “How about a kiss?” Details on Booking a Paris Apartment:
http://www.PSRyourhomeinPARIS.com Paris Sejour Reservation, Inc. PSR-USA |
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The offer on the Net was hard to believe: a week in an apartment in Paris, including round trip airfare on Air France, plus extras like champagne, a welcome dinner basket and a limousine pick- up for only $849 per person. Winter in Paris. It hardly had the ring of April in Paris, but we decided to take it at that price. Browsing the Paris Sejours Reservation web site, we studied of apartments in Saint Germain des Pres, our favorite part of the city, and found a charmer located within walking distance of the Seine and the Louvre. The showed beamed ceilings, a complete bath, and even a kitchen with dishwasher. 
Our apartment in the Saint Germain des Pres neighborhood was close to an open market on the Rue de Seine, and any morning we had the inclination we could get up early and go find freshly baked goodies such as pain au raisins, a buttery bun shaped like a coiled rope; or a square apple tart, a pastry fortress filled with thin slices of apple lined up with military precision. 
We chose the little book because it reminded us of the many bookstores in the neighborhood. Some specialized in French history, others in the natural sciences, others in serious fiction. Over on the Rue de Bucheries we found Shakespeare and Company, an English language bookstore where George, the frail, gray- haired proprietor, invited us to tea on Sunday, an invitation he extends to just about anyone who drops in to browse. 
Some of our best lunches were taken at museums or department stores. At the Musee D’Orsay, a former train station and now a transcendent art museum, the tea room is a gilt-encrusted, cupid-studded, frescoed room with a terrific hors d’oeuvres buffet for about $10. We also chose lunch instead of dinner at the more expensive places. Deux Maggots cost about $27 for a chicken curry salad, a bacon and chicken sandwich, and wine. Dinner would be at least twice as much. 
Paris Sejour Reservation, Inc. in collaboration with Air France, offers various special promotions during different months of the off -season. Even high -season rates are not really high, with studio apartments starting at $80 U.S. A recent promotion titled Discover the Museums and Monuments of Paris included 8 days and 7 night in a Paris apartment in the Champs Elysees district, round- trip airfare, and a three-day museum pass. The company expects to repeat this and other promotions in the winter months next year. The rental apartments offer weekly cleaning, and other concierge services such as theater tickets, on request. For a preview of PSR apartments click onto their Web site, which includes lists of apartments by neighborhood, plus and floor plans.