I
t’s interesting how quickly we
acclimate to new surroundings.
What was once foreign soon
becomes our new normal. With the
apartment window open, I could
hear the rise and fall of my building’s
small, green dumpsters. Chimes from
the nearby clock tower rang out
from dawn to dusk with precision
timing. On Sunday mornings, the
silence was deafening. These sounds,
along with the buzz of Vespas and
squeaking of metro brakes, became
the soundtrack of my September in
Paris. It was a spectacular song that
rivaled any by Serge Gainsbourg.
“I guess it goes to show that you
just never know where life will take
you. You search for answers. You
wonder what it all means. You
stumble, and you soar. And, if you’re
lucky, you make it to Paris for a
while.” – Amy Thomas
I was a little late to the Paris party,
but coveted living in the city ever
since I first visited in 2012. I’ve
returned to the French capital
numerous times since that first trip,
and each time I found myself more
enamored than I ever believed
possible. I traveled to the City of
Light six times in 2014, and with each
solemn taxi ride to Charles de Gaulle,
I felt gutted. I n July, I decided that
my next trip needed to be an extended
one. A few days or even a week
wouldn’t do. I doubted a month would
be sufficient, but it was a start.
My previous experiences in Paris
were for work, which included
sleeping in super-luxurious, fivestar hotels, and decadent dining
in internationally acclaimed
restaurants. Luggage rarely touched
my hands and black cars with dark
tinted windows chauffeured me to
my next destination. I suppose it’s
technically my reality since I’m
actually experiencing it. However,
that is not my real life, nor is it
for most Parisians.
I’ve proclaimed Paris to be my
favorite city in the world, but had
I put the city on a pedestal simply
because of the royal treatment I’d
previously received? I felt like a
month in an apartment would give me
a small taste of what it’s like to live
in the world’s #1 tourist destination.
Although it’s not nearly as glamorous
as a luxury hotel, I crazily yearned for
this sort of experience.
For my September to remember,
I looked to Paris Attitude, an
apartment rental company
specializing in the City of Light.
I wanted to experience Paris as
12
Paris
Attitude
By Leah Walker