F Train to Paris

In which a Jewish family from Brooklyn moves to Paris, France for two years of work, school, and adventures.

 

Our apartment is in a charming neighborhood of small apartment buildings and private houses, including several magnificent mansions that we pass every day. After we’d been living here a few months, we figured out that a couple of these mansions were empty. Last summer, one became an ambassador’s residence, and just a couple of weeks ago we noticed in the International Herald Tribune that another was being sold at auction this month. Today, it was open to the public for a couple of hours, and I happened to walk past while the gates were open. What a treat!

The house’s ground floor is magnificent, although it has unfortunately been poorly maintained. The rooms all have high ceilings and beautiful detail. There’s a huge entry with a marble floor, opening into a parlor with a parquet floor, which leads to a garden. There are lots of large windows looking out onto the house’s own garden and the Jardins de Ranelagh, which it backs on.

Upstairs, the rooms are small and low-ceilinged, except for a large central area right the middle, which you can see in the photo (which I promise to add soon; I'm figuring out how to upload images to the blog). It has a glass ceiling and is equipped as a gym. The exercise equipment is all still there, although the house was otherwise empty of furniture (except curtains).

As I was walking out, I realized that I hadn’t seen a kitchen. It must be in the basement.

I always thought this house looked just right for a large, sprawling family, but having been inside, I can’t imagine a family living here. It’s perfect for entertaining—I envision a large cocktail party on a summer evening, with guests spilling out into the garden--but none of the rooms feel like bedrooms. The downstairs rooms are all too grand, the upstairs rooms too small.

posted by: pariskleinmans at 17:34 | link | comments (2) |

#1  22 March 2005 - 09:46

 

I like visiting other people in Paris because I love to look at their apartments.

Anonymous

#2  22 March 2005 - 09:47

 

That was me again. I always forget to leave my url.

Anonymous