Joy

The door to the 6th floor, two bedroomed apartment opened with a welcoming yawn. First impressions informed me that I had just transported myself back into 1970s Paris. The exquisite view from the balcony doors reminded me that I was in Nice. I had to button my lips to stop myself squealing with delight. The anticipation and then the relief of snavelling a wonderful accommodation and a gorgeous hostess reduced me to child-like joy.

I was immediately introduced to my sweet little bedroom. Drawers, shelves and cupboards had been cleared. The exercycle remained. Quality clean towels and a warm ambience welcomed me with a smile. The little divan was then extended to show off its flexibility. I was then left to gather my wits and relax for a bit. ( I found out later, that I. wanted to watch the rest of the documentary she was watching.)

I took the opportunity to snap a picture of the view from my balcony. Notice I didn't risk anything by leaning over too far. The large french windows were enclosed with traditional shutters that reluctantly squeaked shut at night. (One night I experimented by leaving them open. I deeply regretted it due to noise and light. )

The apartment was charming, small and adorable. I. was a singer with a band in the 60s, she had owned her own beauty salon and now she is retired. I. had walked straight out of a book that I had read before coming to France: Madame Chic. Her kind, brusque, matter-of-fact manner made her instantly likeable. She had prepared a fabulous fresh salad Nicoise for me, despite the information forwarded to me that meals were not provided. I felt instantly bonded with I. (She kept saying that she liked my hair.) I. wouldn't let me take a photo of her!

The picture below is a bit of an interesting phenomenon. As soon as I saw the corner of this room, I recognised it from a reoccurring dream that I had, kind of déjà vu. The dream involved my grandmother. There is no real point to the dream, but I definitely remember a secret doorway exactly where the sliding mirror doors are placed. My eyes widened with surprise when I found out that a studio apartment was connected to this one. Then to end the story, when I took this photo, the camera seemed to register a very different kind of "eerie" light .... very different to the other photos of the same room.