Norbert is an excellent host - thoughtful, generous, expert and discreet.

The location of his apartment was perfect for us. It's in a quiet district and at one end of the street is a Metro station that gets you into the centre within minutes. Close to the other end of the street is an RER station from which trains go direct to CDG.

Yves Klein, the nouveau realisme painter lived in the building and, for fans of the French New Wave cinema, in Jean Luc Godard's film Au Bout de Souffle, Jean Paul Belmondo, having been shot, died in the street outside the apartment.

Opposite the apartment building are several neighbourhood restaurants, one of which - Bistrot T - is highly rated in Parisian restaurant guides. We had an excellent lunch there.