Life in the 15th

The last day in any city tends to be a bittersweet experience.  I'm no stranger to saying good bye as I've lived in several different cities.  I lived in Forks until I was 14 years old, packed bags and moved to Portland, moved all around the city and then jet-setted at 23 to France.

Before Bri + I were a couple, we were just party-buddies in Portland

I was looking through photos and realized that in the 3 years Bri and I have been together we've visted a pretty decent list of place, always with a smile and a back-pack.

One of our backpacking trips

• 2009
• Roadtrip from Portland to New York
• New Orleans, LA
• Savannah, GA
• Washington DC
• Maryland
• New York
• Lyon (first time)
• 2010
• MOVE to Lyon
• Venice
• Paris
• Barcelona
• 2011
• MOVE to Paris

Today is our third year anniversary, and now we start a new life once again in a new city.  We're going to Le Lutin dans le Jardin, a restaurant that has a fabulous discount through 'La Fourchette' (21€ instead of 42€).

This is about 1 year after we got together

View from down our street

Our new life means a new apartment of course, and one that is about 35m2 (half that of the last apartment in Lyon) and 1100€ a month.  Ridiculously expensive. Our apartment is in the 15th in Paris, a quiet neighborhood outside of the bustle of life, towards the south end of the city..

Suprisingly, despite the 30 minute crowded metro rides, I feel suprisingly calm in this city.  It is very similar to life in Lyon, but much much larger.  I was warned before moving about the gens impolis but so far I've only came across kind and gentle people.

I was asked 3 times if I needed help dragging my giant suitcase up the metro steps (including a woman!), I was caught by a nice businessman when I was about to fall over trying to elbow out of my metro stop.

Actually so far, Parisiens are quite pleasant outside of rush-hour.  During rush-hours (9am-10am, 12pm-1pm and after 5pm) they tend to be pushy, but you kinda have to be in order to get INTO the metro.

In the area I live I am 5 minutes away from buses, a step away from a boulangerie, boucheries (3 of them), fruit stands, grocery stores, 2 métro lines... in fact I am even better situated than my first apartment in the center of Lyon.

The air feels much drier in Paris, and my contacts feel polluted after half a day wandering around.  I carry hand sanitizer for after my metro rides, and wash my face as soon as I get home.

There are differences, but they are differences that I can share with my blog, things to discover, things to report about.

So, I'm off for a "Gastronomique Expérience" and get ready for some experiences!

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