Have Some Decorum: cat

Ahhh, the coveted balcony. Le Balcon. Your own personal yard is basically obsolete in Paris. We are apartment dwellers here in Paris. Even if you live on the bottom floor and have a little garden, it will be the size of a postage stamp. So, these balconies, these terraces, these little gardens are golden. They are your connection to the outside world. The connection to your sanity. I have noticed three different types. First, there is the basic wrought-iron railing. Basically all you can do with this is hang a planter filled with flowers. Geraniums seem to be the flower of choice for that. Secondly, there is the little Juliet balcony. Big enough for potted plants, potted trees and topiaries, but not big enough for a table or chair. Thirdly, the terrace. With a terrace, you have enough room for a little bistro table and maybe two chairs. Lastly, the “I’m rich garden.” If you have a little garden in Paris, congratulate yourself.

incredible photo of Frances courtesy of Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic

My little kitten, Frances, loves, loves, loves to sit all day on my balcony and watch the world go by. I like to go past her and say, “You’re Welcome.” She then likes to look at me and say, “F*ck you.”

So, we’ve come to the end of my Parisian apartment tutorial. There will be a quiz. I thought I would wrap it up tomorrow by showing you some of my favorite Parisian apartments and maybe a few glimpses of my apartment.

Parisians love their pets. In Paris, it is not usual to see pets at cafés with their owners being treated like humans. You never see signs that say, “Sorry, no pets.” Even if there were such a sign, Parisians would ignore it. In my neighborhood in the first arrondissement, the pets are plentiful. There is your typical chic gay couple with their impeccably groomed Afghan hounds. There is the seemingly lonely older Frenchwoman with her doppelgänger poodle who has the same violet tinted hair as her own. Another gay couple, super edgy with tattoos and piercings with their darling Italian Greyhound. Every fashionista around here has a French bulldog. And of course your typical bourgeois French family with their terrier. Parisians love their pets so much and have such regard for them that in the Paris suburb of Asnieres–sur–Seine there is the world’s oldest pet cemetery named Le Cimetiere des Chiens et Animaux Domestiques. Built in 1899, the cemetery is a quirky place with every type of animal from dogs, cats, monkeys, a lion named Tiger, a racehorse, bunnies, a sheep and a hen. A Romanian Princess has her beloved dog , aptly named Drac, buried here as well. This posting is dedicated to my friend Tom, who is the greatest animal lover of all time...He hates it when I “buy” dogs and give Kitty cats milk.