We celebrated the 4th by treating ourselves to a burger (a rarity for us) and a beer (not at all a rarity for us). The weather held nicely in the 70’s, although that was to change later. This month we finally got approval (translate: money) from our apartment insurer regarding the repairs due to the flood which happened from the upstairs apartment into our place in March and a worker showed up to begin the work. As this place was built in 1920, there is interior architecture they need to be mindful of, as you can see in the before and after photos.
For almost 3 weeks, Raym worked on our hall, our W/C, our non-closing doors (due to the wood swell), our ceilings, walls. arches and lastly, the outside hall, ceiling and walls. Plastering, sanding, painting, he was an absolute pro who worked tirelessly 6 days a week. We developed a good relationship with him as we treated him and the project manager, Salem, to morning coffee/espresso and water to hydrate during the day. Salem even brought us pastries one morning to thank us for the kindness.
We took a quick trip to Paris for a doctor appointment and got a chance to go to Le Train Bleu, a historic restaurant in the Gare de Lyon train station. The temperatures in Paris were in the 90s and the waitstaff was handing out fans to go with the electric ones they’d placed throughout. We shared a meal of a wonderful tomato watermelon gaspacho, caesar salad, sliced lamb leg, garlic scalloped potatoes and ice cream pastry for dessert. There were reviews that said it was too expensive – yes it was expensive – and that the food was mediocre – which we absolutely disagree upon, it was the attentive waitstaff and beauty of this historic building that we enjoyed the most. The weather, not so much.
Back home, we had kept our balcony banners up until the 14th, La FĂ©te Nationale or Bastille day, which is when we got to see fireworks. And no, they don’t shoot them on the 4th here. The World Cup occurred and although we didn’t watch the Final, it was quite a well-matched game with tons of excitement from what we heard. We did watch the disappointing game between France and Spain. And we got to see more fireworks as well. Throwing in some last shots of getting our studio ready for visitors as Anya and her son, Kiran, came to spend the last week of July with us. I almost hung up a sign I saw, “Bed & Breakfast – You Make Both” but I decided it was a cute laugh but ultimately, too tacky. Of course during that week, we experienced a smaller heat dome for three days; 87, 90, 85 but fans and our A/C held discomfort at bay.
They were enamored with the freshness of the food, the walkability of the city, the close proximity to Paris, Brussels and London and even enjoyed a day on our bikes to the Cidtadelle de Lille for a picnic. At that, the month came to a close and we bid them farewell as they returned to the states.
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