Last April my partner and I spent two weeks in Paris, staying at Tracy and Francois Cabanis’s cozy one-bedroom apartment in the
twelfth arrondissement. The flat couldn’t be more convenient. Centrally located, it’s far enough away from the major tourist areas to offer a bit
of peace and quiet, but a quick Metro ride to anywhere you want to go. Avenue de Daumesnil is a charming, bustling, typically Parisian boulevard lined
with bistros, patisseries, grocery shops, salons, and small fruit and vegetable markets. The fabulous Bois de Vincennes park is a five minute walk
east, and is a great place to run, stroll, people-watch, or picnic.
The one-bedroom apartment is very charming, perfect for a couple (there’s also a pull-out couch in the living room). It consists of a small
but well-equipped kitchen (think salad spinner and garlic press), a nice bright living room, a comfortable bedroom with queen-sized bed, a bathroom with tub,
and a separate toilet. The apartment faces onto Daumesnil, so you can see and hear the city noise when the large windows are open, but as the bedroom is at
the back of the building it’s very quiet for sleeping. In April the climate was perfect, and the large windows kept things cool and breezy, very comfortable.
Paris can be quite hot in summer, though.
Because food in the city is so expensive, we cooked nearly every night. There is a Monoprix grocery store directly across the street from the apartment,
and a cheaper supermarket just near the Daumesnil Metro stop. Incidentally, the best croissants I’ve ever had are at the St. Preux Boulangerie, cattycorner
from the Metro entrance. Yum. Fabulous rhubarb tarts, too. In the same area there’s a nice open-air market with local produce and eggs, dried fruits, meat,
cheeses—everything you need, at good prices, every Tuesday and Friday. We made picnics to eat on the Seine when we were sightseeing, and spent Sunday mornings
leisurely sipping coffee and eating croissants with the windows open.
You will never suffer for things to do in Paris. Besides the fun of just walking around the different neighborhoods, the museum scene is incredible.
You can purchase one-, three-, or five-day museum and monument passes, which allow you free entry to something like thirty different museums and sights within
that time period, including Le Louvre, Le Centre Pompidou, Le Museé d’Orsay, the Rodin museum, Notre Dame, and many others. After you’ve spent an exhausting
few days cramming in as many museums as possible, there are endless possibilities to relax by strolling in the parks, window shopping, or sitting in cafés.
A great break from the pace of the city is the Bois de Vincennes, and from the apartment it’s very accessible. In the far eastern part of the park is the
Chateau de Vincennes, beautiful but chronically being renovated, and the lovely Parc Floral de Paris, with rhododendrons, bulbs, bonsais, roses, and various
exhibits of plants from other climates. Of course, there’s also the Jardin de Plantes, and if you want to see Monet’s garden you can catch a train out to
Giverny. It would take a lifetime to explore everything Paris has to offer, but two weeks gave us a good taste; staying in the apartment meant that we
could really relax at the end of each lovely day.
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