A couple of hours ago, P left the apartment (she's staying with friends in Paris for a week prior to heading off to the US to spend a month with her family). Which means I'm really on my own now! Holy merde!
I'm actually feeling pretty comfortable about it at the moment. Today I got up early because I had a date to go all the way across town to take a look at this other apartment I've been interested in renting, starting in January. This was my first attempt at taking the Métro since I got pickpocketed five years ago on my last visit, so it was kind of a momentous occasion because I had to map out my course ahead of time and discovered that no matter what I did I'd have to change trains twice to get where I needed to be.
So, I set out at about 10am, figuring I'd need about an hour. But I should have left more time because I didn't take into account walking time -- and despite taking the trains there was still a LOT of walking (see, Mom? I'm getting my exercise, Parisian-style!) Five-ten minutes from the apartment to the RER station, then when I got to the first place I had to change trains, there were all kinds of stairs and corridors to hike through to get to the next line. Then I hit the Montparnasse station which is a major train hub in France and there was a lot of walking there (but I did get to try out their new super-fast people-mover which is a little wierd getting on and off but otherwise totally cool. I couldn't help wondering how many people fall on it, though.)
Then, off at my stop in the 15th, and a short (by Paris standards) walk for a few blocks until I found the street I needed. Very nice neighborhood and very livable. But I was 10 minutes late which teaches me a good lesson about leaving a lot of extra time to get around the city whenever I'm going somewhere and time is of the essence.
Still, I was proud of myself because getting there (and back again) I didn't get lost and had no problems getting around. On the return trip, I even made a tourist detour, too -- getting off at St. Germain-des-Près, the area I've stayed in on prior visits to Paris. I just love it; trendy and chic (not to mention expensive) it also is part of the original city of Paris and it still has that slightly medieval feel to it in some sections.
By that time it was after 1pm (13:00 -- gotta get used to that 24-hour clock) and I decided to stop for some lunch and ambiance, so I treated myself to a cup of coffee and an onion soup gratinée at Cafe Flore, one of the famous Left Bank cafes. I even scored a table outdoors and communicated only in French with the waiter. And the food, if overpriced, was delicious, and just the thing for a cool November Sunday!
After that, more strolling through the quarter, over to the Seine to check out my favorite view: the view of Paris from the Pont des Arts! The Pont Neuf (which means "New Bridge" but which is the oldest bridge in Paris) looks like new having been recently scrubbed clean (again). And everything looked just as beautiful as I remembered.
It was then that I felt it: I'm really, REALLY in Paris now! On my own, and totally happy about it.
Tonight I'm laying low... finishing some unpacking, planning to try and work the kinks out of the technology (I'm typing this from P's computer having not yet resolved the connectivity issues with my own computer or my own Vonage phone service), cooking myself some dinner (don't get too excited, I picked up some French frozen food for a couple of meals) and then relaxing, maybe watch a movie or something.
This is the difference between "just visiting" and actually living somewhere. There's no pressure to pack in all the local sights (I walked right by Notre Dame because I wanted to see it but felt no urge to go in and fight the Sunday crowds) and no guilt about staying in to do totally normal things that I'd be doing at home anyway. (I even rinsed out some socks - how mundane!)
And perhaps the best part of today, even better than seeing some of my favorite Paris landmarks and discovering the other apartment and its owners are delightful, was having two French people tell me my French accent is excellent!
It's been a very good day.
