Dalibor had just stepped out onto the sidewalk as I walked up to the door with my suitcase in tow. He had timed my arrival by public transportation just right. He carried my suitcase up four flights of stairs, and carried it back down again when I left for home.
I stayed six weeks with his mother, Jozefina, who quickly became my friend. I cannot praise her naturally generous personality enough. She walked me to a concert the first night I was there to make sure I got there. She took me to a special ticket window to get my Navigo card without paying to have my ID picture taken. She introduced me to her hairdresser, who gave me the best cut of my life. She is a great cook and often invited me to share a meal. On my last full day, she got up in the morning and made a chocolate cake from scratch! She is always cleaning the apartment, and it is spotless. She likes it when guests keep all their stuff in their rooms because she likes to keep the common rooms neat in case she has company, and also because she is a very organized person.
I rented the smaller of two rooms available. It did not look exactly like the current pictures because the furniture had changed. Gone was the dresser and armchair. In its place was a nice glass-top desk and stool, a good desk lamp, and a wardrobe with plenty of hangers, four spacious shelves, and four drawers. She changed the sheets every ten days and always made sure I had several white bath towels on hand.
The apartment is on a residential street. It's an historical building that Napoleon III once used to stable his cavalry horses, Jozefina said. Bedrooms are very quiet because they are on the back of the building. It was quieter than my room in rural Vermont where I hear woodpeckers, owls and coyotes; I heard nothing in my Paris bedroom.
Big PLUS is the location. Next to the Marais, a ten minute walk to the Canal St. Martin, and near Place de la Republique, which is a great hangout and transportation hub. The apartment was ten minutes by metro to Notre Dame and Hotel de Ville. It is on the Metro Ligne 11, very handy. The metro station is just 30 seconds from the front door. The apartment is also served by three bus lines: the 75 which goes to the Pantheon , the Pompidou Center, Parc Butte-Chaumont and the Paris Philharmonic; the 20 which goes to l'Opera and beyond; and, the 46 which goes from the Gare du Nord to the Chateau de Vincennes.
The door mat outside Jozefina's apartment says "Lucky house" and that was true for me; I felt lucky to have chosen this Air BnB. It was a great time. Enjoy!