Cecilia carried my heavy suitcase to the third floor flat, which I really appreciated, and she made me feel at home right away.
The purple chair was gone, however.. (I had joked with my friends saying that the chair was the reason that "I fell for this listing"!
In the long run, the comfortable sofa was, of course, more important
(my Minnesota daughter slept well on it for a few nights).
The flat was perfect for me. I liked the narrow, quiet street, tucked in
between two-three through-fares. Metro, boulangeries, shops, take-out food, kiosk (for newspaper) - all just around the corner. Le Marais
feels like a very authentic part of Paris.
Cecilia's flat felt somehow like an 'oasis' to come home to after many
busy hours every day sightseeing in the fabulously beautiful and interesting city of Paris.
Important to me: the bed was very comfortable and the little adjacent
bathroom/shower very nice and efficient. I really liked the fact that
the bedroom faced the interior 'yard', very quiet.
On a 'Paris Walk' tour I met a couple looking for an airbnb stay, and I
gave them the 53 rue au Maire address.
I suggested to Cecilia that she get rid of the moving walls in front of the kitchenette, they were a nuisance with regard to the oven, you
had to move the walls to use the oven. My preference would be: no
walls! (But, again, a relatively small matter in the big picture).
Except for the rather miserable weather during much of the four weeks
(including the historic flooding of the Seine) - I was very pleased with
my four weeks 'getting to know Paris'(speaking fair French helps).
It was really great to open the door to the cozy flat, get out of may
walking shoes, pour a glass of - usually Bordeaux - wine and relax and
reflect on my day, sit down at the round glass table with my laptop,
communicate 'with the world' and write my 'journal'.
I will gladly recommend Cecilia's flat to anyone who is looking for this
kind of space in Paris.