So two weeks ago, on November 1, I got the keys to my new apartment. So exciting! There were a bunch of keys, but my favorite is this one…

Fortunately it’s for my cave (my storage unit down in the basement) rather than for my apartment. That would be awkward to have to carry around all the time — it’s about six inches long!

So once I had the keys, I needed to actually buy all the stuff I’d been shopping around for. Kitchen stuff — cookware, kitchen utensils, plates, silverware, glasses — along with bedding, stuff for the living room, all the stuff!

Over the next few days, I felt like a bit of a pack animal, heading out on the Metro to stores, buying a bunch of stuff, loading it into my bags, and then toting it all to the new apartment on the Metro. And then hopping back on the Metro to a new set of stores to do it all over again.

And then once I got the stuff, there was the unpacking and figuring out where to stick stuff. And then finally, once I’d gotten all that stuff, bringing my two suitcases and my cat over from the Airbnb. A lot of work, and now that it’s mostly done, I’m feeling comfortable in the new home.

And Gertrude seems to be too…

In between all of that, there’s been art and castles and friends. And exploring the new neighborhood.

One of the fun discoveries has been that this area also has the little pocket produce markets like the neighborhood in the 11th did. They tend to focus on local or organic or “anti-waste” (“anti-gaspi”) produce and other goods. And they’re very cute, even if the carrots are still covered in dirt. Here are a couple…

And then of course there’s a bakery one block from the apartment. This one happens to be Alsatian, specializing in breads and pastries from the region of France right up against the German border. Which means they have things like pretzels and struessels and kugelhopfs, along with all sorts of other more typically French pastries.

And there’s always a line out the door, even in the rain…

This is the kugelhopf I just couldn’t resist a few days ago…

It turned out to be a bread like a brioche, studded with currants and almonds, soaked in syrup, and rolled in sugar. Heavenly!