Day 3

Renting an Apartment Saturday September 29, 2012

So I get up kind of late, after waking up briefly to determine I don’t have to be to the apartment until 6pm, but I learn to regret this. About 1:30pm rolls around, and I gather up a few things I need to get photocopied and head out to get a bus pass, some photocopies and cash to pay for my apartment. I also make a mental note to visit the grocery store before 8pm. So, downtown I head, and it is busy. I figure out where the bus depot is for the SETRAM (local buses) and find out that when they say you need a photo d’identité that it is actually a thing. Not just a description of a photo with my face in it. So I head to a local camera joint, and get one done. Which turns out to be 4, since they don’t do smaller amounts. Then I head back to the bus depot to get my bus pass. When they say they need the photo, though, unfortunately, they don’t use it. So I get returned my 1 of 4 photos, and now have 4 sitting in my briefcase. Remind me if you ever need one of mine! 

So I get that taken care of then head around downtown looking for anywhere with a photocopier. Hardest thing in the world to find. Two blocks from my house, I find about 7 shoe stores, 4 perfume shops, 8 clothing stores (including H&M YAY!), 2 used book stores, 2 manga stores, 2 video game stores, a bunch of general used item stores, a few sporting good places (new and used) and a whole bunch of bars. That serve beer. For 3€. Not bad. So I wander until I eventually bite the bullet about 5 doors from my soon to be apartment, and ask the cashier at a book store. She directs me, kindly, back the way I just came from. Ugh. So I wander BACK up the hill, down a side street I assumed was dead, and find another photograph shop. Perhaps my French led me astray? So I ask inside if they know where I can get my photocopies done. They say there isn’t anywhere open on a Saturday and out I head. Luckily, I figure second cashier is an idiot, so I continue in the direction I had been pointed, and sure enough, next block, boom, stationary and document store! Guy does all my photocopies, and I am out of tasks till 6pm. Check my phone, it is 4pm. And no magical plan has appeared to give me service. So I head to one of the cell phone shops I saw to get details on plans. Turns out that everyone here likes to watch TV on their phones, so it is part of all their plans. So I shop a bit, find some of the best prices and some of the not so good, and out the door I go! 

Now I am getting hungry, so I wander past a couple of the pubs till I find one that sounds good. Sit down. Waiter arrives. They don’t serve food till 7pm. I think that is how all the French people are thin. They aren’t ALLOWED to eat until it is late, and probably not all that much even then.  So I find a bakery and I have a crepe with sugar, which sounded better than it was. Just hunks of sugar inside a crepe. But good coffee! So from there, I linger over two coffees to kill about 1.5 hours and head off to the apartment. I arrive early, so decide to check out the laundry facilities to find prices. It is a block down, and to this second, I have no idea the price. Once I figure out how it works, maybe I can tell you guys. Probably have about a week’s worth of clothes. So I meet the landlord again, and his wife and son (who is totally androgynous and thank god I know the word for son and daughter) and we get to work. They chat away in French, I nod at the pauses and I think I rented an apartment! YAY! At least, I signed a contract saying I am responsible for any illicit or illegal activities I do on the Internet, and I get the keys to the place. Since I have no blankets or pillows, and it is 6pm, I spend the night at the hotel, where I feed myself baguettes, soft cheese with herbs and garlic, premade salad with chicken in it (vegetable AND protein!) and a bottle of wine (I still say it prevents scurvy). 

Another day done, this one freeing up some stress. Although I did get an email saying I misremembered the address for the other apartment. You know, the one I double-checked the address against the email. In both spots it was written. So I asked for my money back again, and said that I would of course reimburse them for some of their time holding the apartment for me. We will see if that works.