All in a Day in Life in Paris

It’s rare to complain about the heat in Paris, so I shall refrain from “complaining” even though two fans are blowing directly on me, all the windows are open and I’m still sweating. Three baths or showers a day hardly make a difference and the laundry bin is getting full. At the moment is a whopping 86 degrees, but showers are predicted for the afternoon which may give us some reprieve…and I never thought I’d live to say these words — that I’d welcome the rain!

Those lucky enough to have air-conditioning in Paris are likely reveling in their good fortune. It’s not so easy to accomplish this — although there are ways to make it work with some ingenuity…and of course, money. Every year I vow to do something about it and then the summer rolls around. At that point it’s too late, the heat moves in for only a few weeks a year, the sweat pours down, the fans come out and the scenario starts all over again. Meanwhile I long to be in Nice where it’s hot, but my apartment there is air-conditioned, so it’s a haven of cool air.

For those who have a Haussmannian-style apartment, and as is the case with many other older buildings, there is often a “garde-manger” under the kitchen window. This is a cupboard built out from the exterior wall of the building with ventilation designed to keep all sorts of fresh foods cool and fresh…when the weather is cool outside of course, like a natural refrigerator. Because you cannot add a compressor to the exterior of a Paris building without permission of the copropriété (homeowners association) and often also the city of Paris, this is the perfect spot to hide one…and therefore air-condition your apartment.

The bottom line is that I could have done this once upon a time during renovation of my apartment years ago…but now it’s a bit too late. Ugh.

Paris Plage opens today and that’s one possible respite from the heat. Open until August 21st, the riverside beach provides an escape for a land-locked town…”complete with sandy beaches, deckchairs, ubiquitous ice cream sellers, and concerts for French and foreign guests.”

The first beach opened in 2002 from the Louvre to Pont de Sully for three kilometers of open-air attractions: rollerblading, tai-chi, wall climbing, boules, etc., along with refreshment areas, play areas and deckchairs. The newest beach is at the Bassin de la Villette which first opened in 2007 stretching “from Rotonde de Ledoux (nearest Jaurès Metro station) to the former Magasins Généraux (in Rue de Crimée) and features a proper water-sports complex (with rowing boats, kayaks, pedal boats and dinghies) alongside quaint quay-side restaurants and boules courts. All Paris Plages beaches are open non-stop from 9 a.m. to midnight.

You might notice that I have put quotes around certain phrases. This is to indicate that I have ‘borrowed this text’ from somewhere else — namely the official site as per the above link. Please also note that the photo of Melania Trump and Michelle Obama is ‘borrowed’ from as I cannot take credit where credit is not due…unlike someone else we all know (grin).

Yesterday the Huffington Post and a zillion other media outlets ran the story about Melania Trump seemingly plagiarizing Michelle Obama in her speech at the Republican National Convention, an almost carbon copy of what the First Lady said at the Democratic National Convention in 2008. One post about it on Facebook sent all my followers into orbit, mixed with both disgust and laughter, punctuated by excuses from supporters of the Republican candidate’s wife. The excuses are the funny part…my favorite being from Democrats Abroad France Chairman Joe Smallhoover: “You’ve got it wrong. Michelle Obama traveled into the future to steal her speech!”

Yesterday, too, I turned a perfectly good black skirt into a work of art without knowing it, but it’s a trick you might want to know about. While walking home from Monoprix with a sack of cleaning products including “La Croix Spray avec Javel” (with bleach), I felt something wet dripping down my legs.

Had I stepped into a puddle? Not with this sun and heat!

Had my water broken? Right…like a 63 year-old is pregnant? I don’t think so.

And so I looked down to see what was going on only to discover that the spray bottle wasn’t all that tightly closed and bleach was dripping down my skirt creating a pattern that couldn’t have been achieved if I had tried.

Here’s the dilemma: Should I…throw it away? Dye it black again? Spray more bleach on it? Leave it alone and wear it with pride? I’d love your opinions!

This morning I finally got a chance to watch my newest House Hunters International Show: “A Paris Shoebox For Six” with Liz Fear and her 18-year old daughter Charlotte. Thanks to the HGTV app, Unlocator.com, to fool it into thinking I was in the U.S. and someone else’s username and password from a U.S. based TV provider, my iPhone was a mini, but perfect screen. (Maybe I shouldn’t be admitting to all this?)

This show is our 22nd show with HGTV! The team at Leopard Films, the producers, do a great job of filming, editing and producing the shows. It’s a really fun show, if I must say so myself! The apartment Liz bought is featured on our site as one of our luxury vacation apartments known as the “Orient du Marais” so be sure to ask for it for your next stay in Paris.

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Adrian Leeds Group

(in her ‘new’ skirt…)

Respond to Adrian

P.S. It’s not too late to begin planning your holiday travel and a stay in one of our luxury apartments in Paris. Inquiries are already coming in and bookings are being made. Please review our roster of apartments and make your reservation request today!