that was then

good morning dear friends! i have to apologize for going mia for the past week or so but it’s been a whirlwind as usual once we touched down in paris. after provence we all took the tgv to the city and arrived at the glorious apartment my sister in law chose for our family. since we were traveling with their family of five and my parents it was important to have lots of room and this place really delivered! it had more bedrooms than i could count and was in the most magnificent neighborhood (the 8e) with all original details and fantastic state of the art modern conveniences.

as the kids ran around we looked at all the details that were still intact like the stain glass windows, wood floors and original hardware. this apartment must have been like this for a century with all the mouldings and trims you’d dream about in a paris apartment.

it may be the one of the prettiest apartments i’ve ever had the good fortune to stay in and we enjoyed every minute of it wondering who had been here before us and what life had been like when this was built with such love and attention to detail. it’s kind of amazing to think that the gorgeousness of the ceilings and walls and floors and doors were so important in a time when there was probably no electricity, plumbing or heating. funny how priorities change over time…

the french are mixing the old and new in fresh ways and it was a perfect example of how yesterday and today can merge so well.

i thought you may enjoy a tour of the place and if you’re interested in staying or have a large group or family it’s a dream come true for a stint in the city.

the halls were bigger than most places i’ve ever stayed!

anyway that was sadly last week and my family has come and gone, and so has this wonderful dream but the memories will last forever. claudia ii is now in town and we have moved into our new place on the isle st. louis. we’re in a small but cozy duplex and are running around, tired but happy.

this is our new little abode that has now become headquarters for preparing the next leg of the trip. we’ve got clients coming in, the maison objet, the markets, photographing and editing for the book and a trip this weekend to lille for the festival in the streets a couple hours outside paris. i’ve finally caught up as of today and hope to make it here a bit more often with news and shots of what’s going on. till then, we’re off to find some comfy walking shoes and get our gear together for the weekend. more soon, this time i really mean it! i hope all is well in your world and that you have a tres bon jour!

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