Looks good to me. Very clean and appears renovated. That fruit might be a little uncomfortable to sleep on . Is on the ground floor but since it looks onto the courtyard should not be a prob. I wouldnt expect alot of sunlight. I love the entrance! Have a great trip!

Morgan - you don't sleep on fruit??? Picky, picky, picky. What did you expect a fromage plate? We laughed about the same thing.

It is in the back with what looks like only one window in the veranda room. The owner assured me that it was very light, although I have to be there to figure that out, and very quiet. The bathroom looks lovely and I am already dreaming of soaking in that large tub shortly after we land at 7:30AM.
Try to stay awake all day ...RIGHT. Jet lag, 4:00AM snacks, here I come. I much prefer to leave here late afternoon or evening and land mid-day in Paris, but United just wouldn't cooperate. What the hey, I"M GOING TO PARIS ....

The apartment is small, but looks up to date and charming. We have the exact same new murphy bed in our guest room/office. It is very comfortable and folds up in a second. I love that the apartment has a washer and dryer - an absolute necessity for a months stay.

Thanks guys, I am happy tonight.

Nina

We stayed in the La Cigale apartment which is around the corner from where you will be and loved the area and we are die hard 7th arrondisement fans. I have not seen the small apartment on their website but we did love the area and had easy traveling on the metro and buses from there. If you get a chance go to a concert at Val de Grace.

Laidback, how was the La Cigale apartment? I have been eyeing the website and all three apartments since Randall Smith started talking about them about five years ago. Both of the larger apartments were booked during our time period, but the Hargrove apartment was available.

I stayed about 1-2 blocks away in an apartment on rue de Mirbel. That apt. is just on the part of ave des Gobelins that is in the 5th. It's almost as close to the Censier metro as Gobelins, actually, but they are the same line, anyway. There is a good bus that goes down rue MOnge, though. That apt. is across the street from a Monoprix supermarket, but it's not one of their better ones--very small, old, and doesn't have groceries. However, you can easily pick up toiletries, cosmetics, things like that if you need them. They have a very small housewares department and some clothes, also. There is a good luggage store right about next to that, also, if you need to pick up a totebag or day pack, etc.

There are lots of good boutique food stores, bakeries, wine stores, etc. on the streets just NW of there -- rue de Bazeilles, etc., and a fresh flower shop on that corner, also. That's in addition to the roving market people who come to the southern bottom of rue Mouffetard (fresh produce, etc), as well as all the shops on Mouffetard itself. In short, you won't need a regular big grocery store (I think you can get toilet paper etc at that Monoprix; if not, there is a small old Franprix a few blocks north of there on rue Monge, above the Censier metro stop).

The big cafe at the corner of bd Port Royal and ave des Gobelins (Canon des Gobelins) is actually pretty decent for a basic prix fixe dinner and they have an attractive seating area on the street for people watching, but it's nice because it's elevated a bit. It's nice at night when it's all lit up.

Thanks Christina. Your post contained all of the general information that I needed.

As I mentioned above, we like Monoprix for basic apartment supplies, TP, laundry soap, etc. The owner did tell us that it was right across the street, didn't know about the nearby Franprix.

I can sniff out stores, any kind, a mile away - I love to shop, even for bare basics. DH is cringing right now!

Nina

Are you sure the Monoprix didnt have groceries? That would be very odd. Their first function is that of a grocery store. I have never seen one that doesnt have food. They are often multi-level. Perhaps the food was up or downstairs and you didnt notice?

I am positive it didn't have groceries--at least not last year--I shopped there several times. I don't think that is the first function of Monoprix, I think it started out as a general sundries store and some clothing, and the groceries were added later. In fact, if you read the history of Monoprix on their website, they say that (groceries weren't added until a few years later, but self-service groceries weren't common in stores at that time anywhere)). They also bought out Prisunic, and I think maybe those stores didn't have groceries. I do remember a few Prisunics in Paris.

I agree most of them do have nice grocery stores, but I think there are several old ones still that don't have groceries. That one is probably one of their smallest and oldest ones. It was the smallest Monoprix I'd ever seen and I rather doubt if they would invest in upgrading that store to add a supermarket; especially with the rue Mouffetard and the other good food shops nearby (there is also a Hediard right near there to the north a bit, you can't miss it). But, one never knows (there is actually a big full-service Monoprix down near the Tolbiac metro stop, I think that's the closest big one). They would have to take over a nearby store, probably, to do that.

well, nina can tell use if that Monoprix has groceries, but you wouldn't want to be shopping for them there with all the great shops nearby. I looked up some addresses:

Hediards is at 118 rue Monge (I used to buy some ice cream there, as that was one thing I missed from a supermarket)

There is a Franprix at 93 rue Monge (the one I was thinking of) and also one at 122 rue Mouffetard which is at the bottom near rue Daubenton and could be closer to your apartment.

Christina, I accept my assignment - to find out the food selling situation at Monoprix. Inquiring minds want to know! I will have a full report on the situation in mid-October. Stay tuned.

Nina

Christina thanks for the info on Monoprix! Didnt know all that . Very interesting. I am sure you are right about the food. I've never been in that Monoprix myself.

We loved the La Cigale apartment and will probably stay there again at some point. It was so roomy and comfortable with two full American bathrooms which is great if you have two couples staying together. The kitchen was very well equipped and there was plenty of seating in the living area. The washer and dryer worked great and came in handy for a long stay. There are many restaurants within walking distance and I don't think you will have a hard time keeping your diabetes under control as it seems that you have been working on it a while and have a handle on what you should and should not eat. Let us know how the Hargrove apartment is. It looks really nice on the website but I can understand your concern about the size. I hope you enjoy your stay and post when you return.

I'd be interested in how that apartment works out, also, as I really like that area. The Murphy bed kind of didn't appeal to me, as beds without box springs aren't usually that comfortable. It was really small, also.

I was going to say my favorite cafe for just a drink, people-watching etc in that area is Cafe Medard, right in front of St Medard church (I guess that's the corner of rue Pascal and Bazeilles). They do have a couple folks who come around that church and do French sing-alongs some morning, with accordion as I recall -- I think it is Sunday late morning, around 11 am. If you are there a month, you might want to stop by for that (they do pass out lyric sheets so you don't have to know the songs by heart, some are old French standards).

I know you don't want restaurants exactly, but if you are tired of cooking or French restaurants, there is an excellent Greek restaurant right around there for a change -- Aux Delices d'Aphrodite. This isn't like those cheap gyro places, they cater to Lafayette Gourmet and places like that. It's at 4, rue de Candolle. It is very popular in the neighborhood, and reservations are recommended (I reserved just by stopping by one afternoon when doing marketing, around 5 pm, for later that night).

Christina, I too thought that the bed looked small, but it is indeed a double, I think the French call it a 'mariage bed'.
We have the same exact bed in our guest bedroom/office and it is very very comfortable even though it has no box springs. We have a good mattress on it. We have received nothing but compliments from overnight guests, and have slept on it ourselves numerous times.

They aren't cheap. we paid over $4,000 for the entire unit about five years ago.

The doors next the apartment bed (like our's) are all one unit. They contain closet, draws and storage space. There are many choices for the storage space and I'm not sure which ones the owner chose. The bed itself easily goes up in 2 seconds. We searched and searched for a space saving bed and are very happy with our purchase.

I doubt that we will have a problem sleeping in the apartment bed, although of course we would have preferred a queen or king sized bed. Well perhaps one problem - which one of us gets to sleep on the fruit? We'll toss a banana to make that decision.

PLEASE remember ... nothing negative. It is already a done deal, no turning back. That is the only reason that I did not post the url until Laidback asked for it. I was hesitated to do to but I didn't want to appear selfish with my information.

Nina

My last sentence was a doozy. It should read, "I hesitated to do so ......" A case of fingers faster than brain.