Caution bancaire

n. – a year’s worth of rent, at least, that you need to lock on a bank account that you can’t touch just to reassure a landlord that you’re serious about your commitment to enter a lease agreement
Chiant
adj. – annoying

I think the second word and explanation pretty much sum up what I have to say about the first one. In any case, we have an apartment finally in the 16th arrondissement. It’s very spacious, on the interior courtyard so very quiet and on the fourth floor so high enough to have light. Five stories here is the norm among the older buildings just to put things in perspective. And in fact many of the fifth floor apartments are what used to be the “chambres de bonne” or maid’s quarters so they can be either quite small and quite cold in the winter or hot in the summer since they’re directly under the roof.

Our building has a beautiful entry and a lovely courtyard with plants and trees. The guardian couple lives just off the courtyard and they seem friendly and welcoming. Many of our neighbors seem to be families with children as evidenced by the multiple strollers located under the stairs. There is also an elevator, which is not always a given and in some cases not even large enough for more than two people at a time. Ours can hold about three.

The part that fascinated me the most was the “cave” or cellar/storage room. It is literally a cave in the truest sense of the word. Located in a sort of labyrinth within the basement, it’s a small room with no light inside and a floor of earth and dirt. It’s really for things you have absolutely no room for in the apartment, but even if I can think of something I care for so little that I would relegate it to a dank grave beneath the building, I was too traumatized by the visit to be willing to ever go back!

So you will find me up on the fourth floor enjoying the view of the garden below and the rooftops above – chez moi.