City home, country home

I woke up at 4:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I have been on the computer for a bit. Decided I would go ahead and write the next post that I planned to write. Before I end this story, I wanted to share the places I stayed. I really thought they were both perfect for their locations.

The apartment that Candy and Chuck are renting for the year is so very nice. Small and compact with a lot of charm. The apartment is on the 6th floor, with an elevator!, and gives that wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower. I mean, really, what more could you want.

The kitchen is also very compact but there is room to prepare that cheese and bread meal so who needs more space. See the "grass" on the cabinet. There were a few more cute appliques on the wall on the other side. Lots of care went into this apartment.

Don't you love the clock! It reminds me of the one that is on the front of Musee d'Orsay. Just the right touch with the cabinet below.

My room, well, it was for 4 days. Views out the window remind you that you're in Paris! Just right.

And, this was the door to the apartment, right as you got off the elevator. Wouldn't you feel like you were entering book lovers heaven through this door? And yes, there were a lot of books in the apartment. Just a lovely place.

Then on to Provence, where Elaine has created a lovely Provencal home. This is the front of the house, notice the tiled roof and the shutters at the window. These are charming and a security feature. It seems that insurance companies require the shutters, which latch inside, or bars at the windows. You can just barely see the bars at the kitchen window and the window to the powder room on the right.

This is the home of the one of the neighbors where you can see what the shutters look like closed. You see this on really old buildings too. I love the way these new houses mimic the architecture of Provence. I want these on my windows!

Here is a view into the dining area. Not sure my pictures can capture the charm of the house but I'll try. Loved this big clock too.

This is another view in the living room. The kitchen is to the right. The door leads to the stairs and front door. Charming, right?

This is another side of the living room. I took this picture the morning I was leaving and it was very early. No sunlight to light the room.

In the kitchen, this is the refrigerator!

The other side of the kitchen. Hard to take pictures of that.

And this is the guest room, or, I like to think of as my room while I was there. Isn't it charming? The bedding, etc. is much like mine at home. So serene.

I must say thank you again to Candy, Chuck and Elaine for opening their doors to me and giving me these homes away from home during my stay. And then being amazing tour guides for my trip.

Bye for now. Bits and pieces to be shared later.