After The Flood

I spent the first ten days of the month in Paris, photographically documented fairly well on Instagram and therefore Facebook. I saw as many sites as I could. I used the Paris Museum Pass to see as many places of interest as I could. I ate numerous amazing foods. Then, the ceiling collapsed in my Airbnb just before I was about to leave home-base in Paris and venture into Germany and Belgium. I wanted to write more, but it has been a whirlwind. It would be incredibly long, and likely boring, to go into every detail. Just know that I am still grateful for this amazing adventure, even through the problems, maybe more-so because of the problems.

Since the flood in my first Paris Airbnb, which was over ten days ago, so much has been experienced in such a short time. First, I packed all of my stuff and I booked a hotel by Gare de l’Est (train station). I had planned to leave most of my belongings behind and travel lightly via train, but I had to move on and there was no time to book a new place that I wasn’t even going to be in for a week. So, I lugged all my stuff from city to city, which was a pain, but probably good for physical fitness. The next day, I took a train to Stuttgart, where I saw sights and visited some wonderful people who showed me around and with whom I had wonderful food, drinks and conversation. Two days later, my train out of Stuttgart was cancelled but I eventually hopped on a train to Mannheim so I could connect to Heidelberg. In Heidelberg, I explored the old part of town with more wonderful people who showed me around before spending an evening with great food, beers, and more great conversation. The next morning was a train to Frankfurt. Why Frankfurt? I don’t know, it was on the train route so I checked it out. After a day in Frankfurt, it was on to Brussels. Brussels was great and I hope to go back. Waffles, chocolate, beer, and so many things to see. The next day, I was on another train, this time to Bruges. Bruges is cute, filled with beautiful canals and buildings. Beyond that, there are fancy shops and restaurants everywhere and not a whole lot more. I got up the next day, hopped a train to Brussels, then another train back to Paris, and got to my new Airbnb in time to meet up with an old friend from Michigan to explore new parts of Paris together. We ate, we saw art, we walked and talked in the pouring rain and had a great time. In all, it was eight days, eight regional trains, eight different lodging locations, and all sorts of sights and foods. Exhausting.

So now, I am back in Paris. My new Airbnb is a very unique artist studio in a two bedroom townhouse tucked way back in a gated villa on the fancy side of Paris. The place has its issues, but I have settled in for a few days and have basically been living like a local. One night, I walked down the street, past the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs Élysées, and walked into a movie theater to relax for a while by checking out a new flick. It was surreal to do such a normal thing in such an iconic and historic location. I am in the midst of my three days between my hectic week of train travel and before guests arriving form the States. I plan to kick it back into tourist mode once people arrive, but for now, it is casual strolls down beautiful streets and in picturesque parks, stops into book stores, enjoying amazing foods at a leisurely pace, grocery shopping in local markets, taking time to read, enjoying rest and relaxation in this wonderful city.

In addition to all of the wonderful things I have enjoyed since being back in Paris over the past few days, I visited the woman who was supposed to be my Airbnb host for the entire month of August. She flew back into town to address her damaged home on the same day I booked my hotel and began my week away from France. Although I received a full refund for the remaining nights after the ceiling collapse, and I received a partial refund for the previous problematic days, she still felt she needed to compensate me for some cleanup and coordinating with repairmen while she was away. This was agreed upon before the ceiling collapse that terminated the stay. She also wanted to meet as we had maintained consistent positive communication through all of the problems we experienced together. I ended up sitting with her fin her home or two hours on Sunday afternoon. She is an informed and intelligent seventy-something who moved to Paris for her first job over fifty years ago. Leaving her home in London, never to return. We discussed issued of politics, race, gender, religion, family, and so on. She shared her observations and perspective of growing up in post-war Britain, living in Paris, and how she has watched things slowly change in Western Europe since the eighties. Her observations and perspective from her lived experience were interesting, if not fascinating. We both agreed and disagreed, our experiences are vastly different, but we both hope for a similar future and the dialogue was entirely positive. As cheesy at it sounds, I felt bad taking payment from her at the end of the conversation, but we had a deal, and I deserved to be compensated for the labor I performed and the assistance I provided to her while I was supposed to be a customer of hers. She gave me a big hug when I left and I felt like I made a connection that will stay with me. If nothing else, her sharing her story and perspective will help shape my perspective and help inform me as I move forward. In an odd way, I feel I have to be grateful for the flood and ceiling collapse of my initial accommodations because it provided for this connection to happen.

Now there is one last solo day in Paris, then it is on to companionship with guests, tourism, and whatnot. There are eleven days left of this lengthy adventure. Although it feels like the end is nearing, the time remaining is longer than all but one vacation I have ever taken. I still have so much that I will experience. What an amazing privilege this adventure has been. I can’t wait to see what happens next.