Day Two: Transitioning to Comfortable

Hi there,
(written this morning:)

It’s was sunny day in Paris and I woke up feeling a lot less nervous. When I woke and made my coffee, I looked out the apartment window and saw Paris rooftops. I always told everyone who got to know me that my dream was to wake up in a place I call home, have my morning coffee while watching sun hit Paris rooftops. This is now my reality. It’s slowly kicking in.

Silly me for not realizing this earlier, but I’m in Marais and, as such, I’m a five minute walk from Parisians’ favourite department store – BHV! I decided to make my way over as soon as it opened and it was a strange feeling walking quiet streets before people run their errands on a Saturday morning.

I decided while I was there and taking my time walking each floor, browsing the goods, that since I’m in my apartment for as long as I am, I want to make it feel like my home. I’m here for 103 remaining days and while it’s a fully furnished apartment, even my staff from my Canadian Martyrs days know I don’t really like using things that numerous other people have used, even if they’re washed.

Now, I don’t plan to buy a lot of homegoods because, simply put, everything was freaking expensive (ridiculously so – even things that would cost like $10.00 in Canada were 40Euros in BHV) but I decided to get a few essentials to make it feel like my own:

I got a throw blanket for the couch which I will also use as a blanket for the bed. The bed has a comforter but who knows how often that’s been washed… I also got myself two pillows and I’ve packed all the throw pillows that were already in the apartment into a bag that hopefully the landlord can pick up today because they’re taking up space and I have no desire to use them.
I got a set of cutlery that is so extra! They’re this heavy metal, gold coloured, and simply gorgeous. It will also encourage me to actually wash my stuff as soon as I’m done using them…
I got a new mug. A just-for-me mug. A Parisian living mug. It’s rustic looking and lovely and it’s my morning chalice.
I got a little bamboo container for the bathroom to hold my toothbrush and such, as it was missing one. These were also ridiculously expensive so I grabbed the only one under 6EUROS that I could find. It works perfect, though.

One thing other thing I was considering getting is a window-sill drying rack like I see in the apartment above me. It’s good when washing small things by hand. Though it is already quite cool in Paris and it will only get cooler from here on, so perhaps not… And now as I wash my new items, I also realize I’ve forgotten a drying rack/pad. But it’s honestly such a short walk that I have more than enough time to buy what I need.

And, another thing that I bought that really makes me feel like a Parisian commuter – a grocery cart! So, of course, that’s how I lugged everything back to my apartment. It was way too convenient and it will be great for grocery runs and laundromat trips.

(written this evening:)

As I was walking around this evening further into the centre of Paris, exploring “ye old stomping grounds” like Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, crossing to the Isle, etc, and the sun was setting on the Seine, I thought to myself: Wow. This is the city I live in. This is the city I am currently calling home. And it is beyond spectacular, and beyond inspiring, and I’m glad to be alive and living this, and breathing this, and doing my “dream thang” like I always said I would.

Besides the aforementioned errands, I also went and got myself a French SIM for my phone, and I got myself a tattoo (!!!?). Yesterday, I walked into a parlor down the street by my apartment and told him my idea: I want an image that incorporates crystals, and it’s going to be an image that represents the manifestation of my dreams into reality. He told me to come back tomorrow for a consultation and otherwise they’re booked pretty solid until September.

I returned today for my consultation and he showed me his design which I adored and was beyond what I thought of in my own mind. Then he said “Okay, so the room will be set up to tattoo you in about 30 minutes so do what you need to do before that…” WHAT?! Okay! Here I am, getting a tattoo on my second day in Paris! The tattoo happens to “embrace” my nonna’s name on my arm, which was unintentional in the initial design but truly fitting, because my nonna always told me I could do anything I set my mind to and to follow those dreams! The tattoo is so damn spectacular and you can see the image of it below.

After that, I got lost on Parisian streets and stumbled down some familiar blocks and shops in the process. I know these pictures are much like my photos of my last visit, but when you go back home, it just makes sense to visit the places that hold a lot of memories.

I plan to do some more strolling tomorrow, perhaps head into a few of the more “touristy” destinations, maybe visit my darling Napoleon (don’t laugh), or go to the Gustav Klimt museum, or hunt down some book shops, or maybe wander down some covered passages (I found one today, by accident — always a beautiful thing to stumble upon), at some point I have to check out a nearby hotel and give the lowdown for my parents… Who knows what tomorrow has in store! I’ll just wake up and feel out the day 🙂 I have 102 days left to enjoy this fabulous city. This fabulous city that I call home. Insanity!

Cool things of the day:
– Getting a tattoo when I didn’t expect one! I LOVE IT!
– Making my apartment feel like home
– Wandering and ending up in all my favourite places
– Having an organic grocery store steps away from my place makes grocery runs so fun – I like wandering in and deciding what I’m going to eat/make that moment and then walking home with it. Small runs means I waste less food, and having an organic supermarket means I’m eating healthier stuff at a similar cost to regular grocery stores (I went and compared). My meal tonight consists of Emmental Ravioli (which has about three servings – I made too much by throwing in half the box), a jar of pre-made pasta sauce from Italy (I would say there are about 6-10 single servings in the jar), and Parmesan cheese (also from Italy) for 7EUROS.

The not so cool things:
– I had these yummers pan fried vegetarian dumplings and I dropped one in the soy sauce sending it ALL over me; it’s all I smell anymore. I think it’s in my hair.
– It’s really packed in the city, right now. It’s tourist season, along with the return of the Parisians from holidays, so it’s crazy busy nearly everywhere.

I’m going to wind down for the evening.. Enjoy the pictures below – remember to click to enlarge them or scroll over to see if there’s a caption. As usual, I took far more, but these are my favourites. Which one do you like the best? Anything in Paris you’d like me to do a little “review” on, or capture a photo of?? Share in the comments!