Saturday morning we took the TGV to Paris. Regis our "mason" (builder in French) friend wanted to see the apartment before he started the job.
During the three hour train ride we talked over the original blueprint. In my mind's eye the blueprint/measurements were crystal clear. I could read off door sizes, wall measurements, outlets, water evacuation, pipes… I felt so proud having memorized every detail.
French Husband and Regis looking up at the apartment. Taking notes from the outside, before going in.
From the TGV we took bus 91 it is direct from the Gare de Lyon to our apartment.
On the bus there was a man with the same type of hair as French Husband. Except his hair was wild. I poked French Husband, "Your brother?" I teased.
As usual my teases are not caught the first time around.
"You know I don't have a brother?" He looked at me oddly.
Sometimes I wonder if French Husband is just being ornery for fun, or if he really doesn't catch my humor.
I pointed to the man with the wild hair, and repeated, "Your brother?"
"He is not my brother," he grinned sideways, "And my hair doesn't look anything like that."
For sanity sake, Regis added, "Oh it does most of the time."
I love Regis.
But I love French Husband's bedhead more.
Two floors under our apartment there is a butcher. French Husband and Regis went in to say hi and to warn him of the construction that will be going on up above.
As you can see French Husband and Regis are twins:
The same 501s jeans,
The same belt,
The same sort of black long sleeve tee shirt,
The difference… the hair.
And wouldn't you agree that French Husband's hair looks like his brother's?
Paris has twenty arrondissements which are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral starting in the middle of the city, with the first on the Right Bank of the Seine River.
In French, notably on street signs, the number is often given in Roman numerals. For example, The Eiffel Tower is in the VIIe arrondissement while Gare de l'Est is in the Xe arrondissement.
When we went inside the apartment Regis had the same reaction as I had the first time I went in. Overwhelmed. Interesting, but nevertheless overwhelming.
He noted the same facts I noted, mainly the slope in the floor.
The building, as many in the 14 arrondissements, were built up quickly to host a slew of workers for the Haussmann Plan. The construction of such places, though good, wasn't top. The bones of these places were often built on older sites, which makes them strong and at the same time curious as what you will find when doing renovations.
Ours is of no exception.
Regis informed that taking down the wall that I had envisioned, would most likely bring the apartment to the ground. This wall isn't a main nor a supporting wall… it is a strategic wall. Hence if we want the wall down a support beam will need to be added.
Regarding my other ideas… well let's just say it is back to the drawing board.
Hence the starting date has been pushed to June.
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