Not Paris

We didn't put in an offer on the Vincennes apartment. I'm still kind of bummed about it. I had already mentally installed all of my furniture and imagined hefting groceries up the 5 flights of stairs.

After looking at the diagnostics (asbestos, lead, termites, electrical installations...), Copain felt like something was just a little "off". While we knew what we'd be getting into regarding the apartment, we had no idea what we were getting into regarding the attic - which was right above the apartment. If the roof was in bad shape, it would all flood into OUR apartment.

It also seemed strange to him that the apartment had been on the market for awhile and no one had purchased it yet. He just had a bad feeling.

In any case, all of his explanations made sense, but I think there is one very simple reason behind his hesitation...

The apartment is not in Paris.

Copain wants a Parisian address. He wants letters sent to Paris, and the city at his feet when he walks out the door. He wants the bustle, the culture, the simultaneous charm and grit of Paris. 

I get it - I want all those things too, and I almost feel like buying in the banlieue is somehow a failure, since I've always dreamt of Paris.  But I also want space, and cleanliness, and a place where maybe one day I would feel comfortable raising a family. Vincennes ticks all the boxes - and you can BIKE to Paris in 15 minutes or take a metro and get there in 5. 

I tell myself that it will all work out no matter where we buy an apartment, and that I have friends who live in both places and are just fine.  But I was already getting attached to that funky place with the mini-tub and green checkered-kitchen...

We visited another apartment yesterday - same general area as the first visit, 1900's building, 4th floor walk up, 57 meters squared, but it was "en enfilade" meaning that you walk through each room of the house to get to the next room and then finally, the bathroom.  It required A LOT of imagination and 50K to see how that problem could be fixed. Next!

The search continues! 

Vincennes Apartment

The apartment hunt continues in the Cannes Cannes household. Yesterday we had a rendezvous in Vincennes, just outside the limits of Paris on the line 1 metro. When you pop out at the exit Chateau de Vincennes (oh yeah, there is a chateau there), all of a sudden you are in Baby-town, France. Strollers a-go-go. Tricycles, scooters, snacks and... more strollers.

After about a 15 minute walk, we stopped in front of the 1930's, 5th floor walk-up we were about to visit. You heard me right - 5th floor walk up. That's actually 6th floor for all you Amuuuricaines out there; the French start with the rez-de-chaussée (ground floor) and then count from there, so what we call the second floor, they call the first. 

Our peppy agent immobilier took us through 2 security doors (a good thing) showed us the trash area in the hallway, pointed out the cave (basement), and then we all hiked up to the 5th floor. There was one door on each landing, and each landing had either A. plants, B. ladders or C. strollers.

Once we'd made it to the top, we walked inside and started our visit.  The apartment has parquet (wood floors), a living room with a prussienne chimney,  a large bedroom, a small bedroom with a regular chimney, a teeny bathroom with a funky tub, probably from the 30's, a separate WC and a normal-sized kitchen. All of the windows are double-paned except for those in the kitchen and WC. The ceilings are high, and it is en étoile - star-shaped - meaning that all of the rooms are fashioned around the main hallway. There is no wasted space (a bonus when you have barely any space to begin with!). In total, it measures about 53 meters squared.

Best not to forget anything on your way out the door...

Bedroom A

Living room

View from living room into the kitchen and hallway

Bedroom A, closet

Kitchen - no room for a dishwasher, unless you get creative

Teeny tub, teeny bathroom

We're not 100% sure we can afford it, but we kind of both had a coup de coeur - we just knew we loved it. It's about a 7-minute walk to the very center of town and the neighborhood is well-kept, as is the inside of the building. The added bonus for this apartment - whoever owns it can eventually purchase the attic and make a duplex! You know, like when we have an extra 200K lying around. 

There are lots of things that are a bummer - no parking, no balcony, no elevator, no bike storage (except for in the cave), but it feel so nice and homey inside. And as I've come to almost accept, we can only maybe afford this apartment because of these "point noir" as the French would say - these negative points. In short, we're going to have to make concessions.

As we got a tour of the town from our Vincennois friends and their two little boys - one in a stroller of course, I started brainstorming - could we RENT the first-floor neighbor's landing and park our bikes? How about our non-exisitent-but-maybe-one-day stroller? (we'll obviously be needing one in order to fit in here) Could I invent a stroller backpack? Some sort of pulley system?  

Then I got positive - I could have groceries delivered! I would always have toned buns and thighs! We would share walls with absolutely NO ONE! La rêve...

I can't stop thinking about this apartment, even if it's crazy-expensive. I mean, I started mentally moving in and placing furniture. But - we're waiting for the diagnostics before we really think about anything. For example, are the pipes made of lead? Is the electricity aux normes? Are there termites? How about the roof - any leaks? 

We did notice that the current owner had installed a fire alarm which happens uh, never in France. I'm certain it was a sign since I'm the queen of safety and fire alarms (I almost considered getting them for my neighbors for the holidays). The agent immobilier called the current owner a "maniac" - I call him smart. Don't you think this apartment was made for us????

We timed the metro ride back into Paris - only 5 minutes to Nation, about 8 to Bastille. Not bad, eh? Oh la la....I'll be keeping you posted mes amies.

Gaufres, Chocolat Chaud et.... MARSHMALLOWS!

It was cold and cloudy yesterday, so when my good friends in Vincennes, AKA: Babyland, invited me  over to make and then eat, gaufres (waffles), I was like, YES PLEASE!

I arrived just in time for the gouter at around 4pm and was greeted in the petit bois (the little woods), by 2-year-old M on his trotinette (scooter). We scooted over to the apartment where my friends' other little boy (only 5 months!) had just gone down for a nap.  We got the waffle machine heated up and then on to waffle making!

I wasn't quite sure what to bring to a Gaufre-Making Extravaganza in France - whipped cream? speculoos spread? Nutella? So I went in another direction and decided to impart my American culture on them, whether they liked it or not.  What's the best part about a cold day? Hot chocolate! What's the best part about hot chocolate when you're a kid? MARSHMALLOWS!!! Also, adding sugar to your friends' kid's diet is always greatly appreciated, especially when they are in the throws of potty training! Good times!

My Vincennes Friends humored me by giving me the extra-large American mug, just so that I could have extra marshmallows :-)

Our semi-sweet hot chocolate, made just right with pure-sugar marshmallows - or chamallows if you are of the French persuasion.

Home made gaufres with melted dark chocolate on top - oh the wonderfulness...

I highly recommend hopping up on sugar and then going into a food coma and/or playing with monster trucks and toy trains and then jumping on the trotinette and zipping around the living room until it's time to ahhhh run to the potty because, wow, this potty training stuff is hard and then, Maman, can I have another gaufre???!!!