We arrived in Paris in the evening on Sunday. Originally we were going to hop on the metro to get over to Montmarte, but the station entrances we looked in weren't selling tickets and I couldn't find a tobacco shop. We ended up getting an Uber across town which ended up being a better choice as the heat was pretty intense (especially while carrying heavy backpacks), so sitting in an air conditioned car was a welcome relief.

With roads being closed all over, we were forced to hike our way up a series of hilly roads to get to our flat near the Sacre Couer. Finding some comfort in discovering our buildings front door, we were then greeted with the challenge of scaling 3 flights of narrow stairs to get to our flat for the next two weeks.  

The flat itself is small like any other Parisian apartment, but nice. There is a small bedroom that is separated from the kitchen by a wall, but it's pretty much a studio apartment. There's a small shower in the bedroom, but the toilet is actually in a separate closet near the front door. At first this caused much confusion as we looked through the entire apartment looking for a toilet (even checking a closet in the stairwell) before we were able to locate it.

There's no air conditioning or fans, so we leave all of the windows open to at least try to get fresh air. Unfortunately because the buildings are 4 or 5 stories you don't really get a breeze, so the only escape from the heat is to take a cold shower.  

Heat aside, there isn't much to report yet. We were exhausted for the first two days, so we've mostly been laying about the apartment relaxing. The first night we ordered in some fine Parisian cuisine: Pizza Hut. This was an endeavor in of itself. First, figuring out how to order online... Figuring out the address system... But then also how to meet the driver as the building we are in has 2 separate security doors with different passcodes. After a bit of waiting outside our front door, and much hanging out the windows every time we heard a moped, we finally got to eat much later in the evening.

Now, we were able to stretch that pizza into Tuesday... But then we were forced to leave the apartment for a food run. We shimmied down a series of steep streets down to the main avenue, and over to the local grocery store. It should be mentioned that all of this is near pigalle... Where the famous moulin rouge is located (oooh very romantic), but also a series of strip clubs, sex shops, drunk people, as well as a fair few prostitutes walking around once it gets a bit dark. In the daytime it's mostly fine however...

How to describe the grocery store... Hmm... It's not just a grocery store for one. The end of the building looked to be clothes, the middle section was a Hodge poge of things, and the actual groceries were down a nondescript stairwell to the basement. I'm assuming it's the businesses trying to fit themselves into existing structures, and it helps make even inane tasks like grocery shopping a bit of an adventure. Keep in mind, while I usually like to go out a buy a week's worth of food... Knowing we had to hike it all back up the hills (as well as up 3 stories) definitely plays a large part in my decision of exactly how much food to buy. Even with just two days food, I received a good bit of exercise from that one trip.

As usual, I'm writing this post while on a bus. Today is Wednesday and we are on our way to Mont Saint-Michel. It's a welcome relief from the heat as the bus is air-conditioned. We saw the Eiffel tower from afar on our way to the tour start as well as the Arc De Triomphe and Champs -Elysees on our way out of the city. I'm sure I will write about our day on the way back, so more to come.