Our Neighborhood Called Passy

View From the Dining Room

Paris has so many beautiful neighborhoods and districts, it would have been impossible to choose one just out of a hat. Instead, we went the logical way, and picked the same district as the girls' school.

Because of that, we live in the leafy 16th arrondissement in a neighborhood called Passy. It's an easy walking commute to the girls' schools, instead of a daily metro ride. Not that the metro isn't convenient, it's just crowded. And the girls, Leah in particular, could be more independent with just a walk.

We stuck to the outskirts of the district, too, so that Dave would be closer to the highway and didn't have to deal with in-city driving.

So, all in all, we're in just the right place for the daily life we were aiming for. Sure, we could have settled in the Paris suburbs, had a larger home, small garden and two cars ... but then what would have been the point of the move? We wanted that urban experience, and that's what we're getting.

Our Apartment Building

We looked at 20+ apartments in a span of two months, which I've detailed in earlier posts. I feel lucky we ended up with our current flat because it's super-close to Alice's school, overlooks a large park and, as was a surprise to us all, has Eiffel Tower views. (I swear, it wasn't mentioned in the listing.)

That's the fun part about this district ... it's just up the hill from the Eiffel Tower, and it follows us around most of the day. I can usually spot the Tower peaking through buildings, or just around the corner, as I'm doing errands. It's delightful.

We're also a block from a world-renowned Monet museum. (WHAT?!) So ... I may never leave.

We have direct access to the largest of the city parks, called the Bois de Boulogne. It's basically the Central Park of Paris, but instead of being smack-dab in the middle of the city, it's off to the west of it. We're so lucky we can run (or bike) there from our apartment. Not many Paris residents have access to such a large green space -- which, as I've read, is a really lacking here.

Passy is a residential village, far off the usual tourist path. This is excellent, as we're experiencing a some-what authentic French daily life. Though, sometimes it proves difficult, especially on Sundays when everything closes after lunch. We're not used to that yet. In more touristy areas, this isn't the case.

A Market Street in Passy

This neighborhood also has a reputation of being a little higher class. It's full of national embassies, and some have taken over beautiful chateaus and kept them up. On our street alone there’s the Pakistan and the Republic of Goban (Africa) embassies. And I've seen embassies for Italy, German, India and Bangladesh. So, there's a big international population here, or visiting here to gather paperwork.

We've also got a pretty good mix of bistros, markets, and shopping. We're still eating through all the supermarkets to see what we like. And testing all the neighboring boulangeries to pick our favorite baguette and croissant bakers. I'll share the winners here.

I've started looking at the history of Passy and have uncovered some cool stuff. But more on that later ...



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