My Petite Parisian Apartment

Tucked into a winding cobblestone rue somewhere between the river Seine and Luxembourg Gardens, at the top of a centuries-old building, is a tiny apartment in which I spent my first year in Paris.

With French windows as high as the ceiling and almost as low as the floor, I could lean out to see the ancient church of Saint Sulpice to the right, and the towers of the abbey of Saint Germain to my left.

I was the luckiest girl in the world!

No matter that it was located on the fifth storey of a building sans ascenseur (no elevator, so I had to climb many stiletto-clad steps in freezing winters and sweltering summers). 

And no matter that there wasn’t a bedroom, just a fold-out sofa on which to sleep.  It was a dinky 20 square metres in total, located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and I was in heaven!

WHERE IS SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS ?

Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements (neighbourhoods) that swirl clockwise around and across the river Seine. On the left bank in the 6th arrondissement lies the charming village of St-Germain-des-Prés. Known for the multitudes of writers, artists and thinkers that flocked there in the 19th and 20th centuries, it’s full of historic cafés and restaurants where these characters gathered.

FROM BYRON BAY TO THE CITY OF LIGHT

Having come from my three bedroom, two bathroom, double-lock-up-garage home on a 700 square metre block in Byron Bay, the sheer tininess of my new Parisian haven was actually bliss.

• No more lawns to mow, which in summertime was every single week.
• No big house to maintain and clean anymore.
• No more car expenses (I had sold my little French convertible Peugot).
• No need to drive to a grocery store to do the shopping.

I had only to swish a mop over the floorboards, give the bathroom five minutes of my time and walk 50 metres to the rather posh Marks + Spencer supermarché for baguette, camembert and wine whenever I felt like it.

The rest of my time was then free to be spent …

• enjoying an early morning run through nearby Luxembourg Gardens.
• attending French classes at Alliance Française, just around the corner in my arrondissement.
• meeting new friends for wine and cheese in nearby bistros.
• meeting an occasional Parisian gentleman for a date …
• and exploring and eating my way through beautiful Paris!

My sweet little apartment had been redecorated in a very simple, minimal style by the owners – an English woman and her French husband.  There was just enough room in the tiny wardrobe to stuff my very limited clothing.  On the back of the front door I taped a huge map of Paris, so that every time I left the apartment I could get my bearings.

Every morning I had to fold up my “bed” (the fold-out sofa) and put the linen in nearby drawers.  I was lucky to have an oven (which is not all that common in Parisian apartments) in which to bake clafoutis - my favourite French dessert.  There was a dinky little wobbly table large enough on which to do my French homework, but too unstable for a glass of wine.

In my tiny fridge in I stored :

• my favourite French fromages – Cantal entre deux, bleu d’Auvergne and Compté.
• French rosé wine – Minuty M in particular.
• fruit - like cherries for my clafoutis, and pêches plates (a donut-shaped peach more delectable than common peaches).
• Belle Maman confiture (French jam) to eat with fromage frais.
• blinis (tiny pancakes) - ready to be topped with crème fraîche, smoked salmon and dill. The perfect dinner.

RUE FÉROU : LIVING ART

Between my little apartment and Luxembourg Gardens is rue Férou, the ancient walls of which are adorned with hand painted lines of poetry by the renown French poet, Arthur Rimbaud.  Every single day that I ran past this incredibly beautiful wall, I would feel joy at being able to witness such history.

My apartment was within easy walking distance of some of the most beautiful and famous eateries, gathering points and gardens of Paris :

• the exquisite Luxembourg Gardens, where I enjoyed photographing some of the most beautiful flowers of Paris.
• Shakespeare + Co English bookstore, where I bought books and sat to read them in the adjacent café overlooking Notre Dame cathedral.
• Les Deux Magots (I called it Two Maggots, but don’t do that) and Café de Flore, two of the most iconic cafés in Paris for their rich cultural history as well as their wicked hot chocolate.
• the famous Boulevard Saint Germain - more than 3 kilometres of colourful boutiques, luxury stores and cafés in which to sip wine and gawk at passersby.
• Le Bon Marché - an exquisite department store with fine food and wine, high end fashion and homewares.