This is going to be my home for the next little while.
A tiny second floor walk-up in Le Marais, a lively district in Paris.
The stairs to the apartment are spiral and dark like in those old foreign language movies.

The apartment is small; basically a room with a kitchenette and bathroom.
It’s efficient, well laid out and I’m used to small spaces.
It’s on a pedestrian-only narrow cobblestone street, with similar apartment buildings close to each other lining the streets.

Below the buildings, on the ground floor, are scores of stores, cafés, restaurants, etc.
I can see my neighbours from the two huge windows facing the other buildings, from the window across, a neighbour walks to his window, waves and says “Bonsoir”, I’m surprised and amused.

Last night after we’d unpacked and settled in, I sat by one of the windows with a glass of wine and watched the going-ons in the street.
One window overlook two small restaurants, people sit outside, eating their meals, chatting.
People walk up and down the street, the restaurants and bars are busy, and there’s the occasional sound of a siren in the distance. Sometimes the old chapel bell chimes.
I leaned back into my chair, smiled and thought to myself; this is Paris!