J'taime France: Architecture

In Paris, the sheer number of enormous beautiful things is overwhelming...

Notre Dame

..and each have been photographed zillions of times.  We know most all of them by sight.  From the surprising back of the Easter Island statue in the British Museum we have learned to look at things from the back, or perhaps from underneath.

The Eiffel Tower from below.  A mother ship docking station, perhaps?

The Pompidou at night.  The habi-trail reflects the trajectory of the consumer price index?

Viewing the glass pyramid from inside the Louve, one gets a hint at what I. M. Pei might have been thinking.

Another alien feeling.
Flawless photo by EW.

We saw Paris not from a hotel but from an apartment rented for 3 days through Airbnb, an on-line flat-sharing site. My goal was bed-space for each of us in Paris without bugs or someone rifling through our luggage for under $200 a night.  We found a perfect flat in the Châtelet-Les-Halles / Hôtel de Ville area in the 4th arrondissement which, according to Wikipedia, is known for its little streets, cafés, and shops but is regarded as expensive and congested. It is desirable for those insisting on old buildings and multi-cultural exposure.  Oh, that is us I guess. 


The flat was a third floor walk-up.  The stairs were very worn, as in old. 

The entry to the building was off the street in a stone passageway behind a heavy steel door. 

The building had a glass door and the passageway was open to the outside (not so easy to tell above, see below).

Inside the flat was very quiet and at night, very dark, protecting us from the busy street life right outside.

Nor did we hear the fanatic French Rugby fans singing on their way on Saturday morning to the large TV screen 2 blocks away at city hall to watch the finals game against the New Zealand All Blacks.....

...or the zombie meet-up on Sunday afternoon...

The flat was a gem, perfect for us. One of the most surprising architectural challenges came from an unlikely source: our room at the In de Wulf hotel.  

The room was under the eves, soothing grey and white, bed with a fantastic view, classic simplicity.

However,  

the bathroom has no door.

Onwards!