Ooh La La...Paris is beautiful!

Paris 6 September 2010

We arrive in Beauvais Airport about 70 minutes out of Paris at about 930pm on Monday night, it was a late flight and then we had to get the baggage as well. Then we had to go and catch a bus to Paris (Porte Maillot) then find a taxi in the rain of all things with a whinging, crying, tired 7 year old. After waiting in the rain for 10 minutes a taxi finally stopped and we were on our way (easy with an English speaking taxi driver). We had stop at an ATM to get some money out for the owner of the apartment because we had forgot to at Pisa Airport.
When we arrived on our street it was a big surprise to see sex shop after sex shop, pole dancing places and girls girls girls signs everywhere. “Close your eyes boys!”. I was however trying not to giggle like a little girl for the whole drive. Suddenly we stopped right out front of a girlie show theatre and the taxi driver said “here it is”. Just 2 shops back was a dark blue door with the number 54 on it…cringe.
Oh well out we got and I sent a text message to the owner telling him we had arrived and to please come and open the door for us. Guillame met us at the door after we waited 5 minutes watching a lady try to entice men into the theatre, it is quite hilarious when the guys blush.
We went into the blue door and up a corridor to another door with another code, in that door and up 6 flights of stairs to the 3rd floor. To my surprise the apartment was very quiet thanks to the double glazed windows front and back. We got all the necessary information from Guillame for the metro, codes for doors and where the supermarket was. We went to bed to the quiet rumble of the metro every now and then.

Paris = fun + games!

In the begining of September we visited Paris for one week.
A great website to look for apartments in Paris is www.parisattitude.com. We got a small one bedroom apartment with sofa bed in the living/kitchen/dining area for less that 500euros a week in the Moulin Rouge area. They will send you an email letting you know if the apartment is available, then you will be required to get in contact with the owner and send them signed copies of the rental agreement and 100euros to half the cost of apartment for a deposit. Many of them accept Western Union (most expensive), Paypal (best) and Bank transfer (expensive). When you arrive you pay the owner the remaining amount + some will ask for the same amount again as a safety deposit that you will get back when you leave (this is to cover any damage that may occur). We have found that many look at our children and decide that they are old enough to not destroy anything and forgo asking us for this deposit.
The Moulin Rouge area is classed as "red light" so many of you are thinking - oh no I would never stay there with my children - Well trust me I thought the same thing when we arrived at the apartment and I could see all of the shops and "dance" halls lit up (we arrived at midnight). But the next morning I looked out of the window and it was like any other city, families out for walks, business people on the way to work, people walking their dogs and stores opening up for the day. The thing is when you are travelling with children you are not likely to go out a night except for dinner and normally with children that is quite early, so you don't really see anything that goes on at night. Also in Europe they quite often use double glazed windows for the apartments in built up areas, so when inside with the windows closed you don't hear a thing.
Back to our apartment, the owner met us at the door when we arrived and showed us in to a very secure apartment building. He showed us how to turn the key to enter and where all the household equipment was stored (extra blankets, iron etc...), how to use the washing machine and cooktop. He gave us a map of the city and showed us all the areas nearby that are "classic Parisien" and told us we must see this and that. He was very informative and extremely helpful.
If you are travelling with a pram/pushcar or buggy, please be aware that in Europe you will not find many apartments that have lifts, you will more than likely get an apartment that has between 3 to 7 flights of stairs to climb, so keep this in mind. Always ask if they are on the ground floor or 1st floor (you should be fine up to the 2nd floor).