My Paris Apartment

Versailles - Not My Apartment, Unfortunately!

There is a small round brass disc that is set into the pavers in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

They say if you stand on it you will always come back to Paris.

Every time I do this, I have a strange and wonderfully overwhelming feeling of emotion that sweeps over me and always brings tears to my eyes.

Finally I have my Paris Apartment, in the 11^th Arrondissement and I am returning to Paris.

Not quite what I was looking for or located where I wanted it to be, but at least I won’t be homeless.

In my efforts to find something cosy or quirky, I have ended up with something quite bland although it does have a couple of quirks, a spare ‘bedroom’ if you could call it that with a bed that looks like it was designed for a very short person.  Wedged between two walls, the other quirk is a piano.  Strange, yes a piano.  Just in case I want to have a chanson night!

So, after 19 days of late, sleepless nights, I have an apartment. 

All my reasoning of where I wanted to stay, which was in the 4^th arrondissement, I ended up in the 11^th.

Next to the 4^th, is the 11^th the area of Bastille.  Bastille is a word meaning castle or stronghold, or "bastion"; used with a definite article (la Bastille in French, the Bastille in English), it refers to the prison.

How apt, let it imprison me and not let me go home – maybe not in that particular apartment but in Paris or France at least.  Castle, well it isn’t a castle either but it does conjure up visions of home and that is what my Parisian apartment in the Bastille will be, complete with piano and mini bed.

I said I needed to go to Paris to breath and now I feel I can – all my muscles have just relaxed, I have found My Paris Apartment.

So Scotty was right, all of this would take my mind off ‘him’ and that it has – not completely – of course, but it certainly is a helping distraction. 

A month or two ago this could not have felt possible but it is now and the timing all seems right after so many anniversaries and Christmas looming –

I will be way too busy to get all upset about spending Christmas on my own.

I look forward to standing on Le Parvis in front of the Notre Dame once again.

Instead of tears of pain, hurt, betrayal and love, I will have tears I normally have when I stand on that spot and this time the tears will be full of hope and wonder of what my future will bring.