Settling into the Cité Internationale des Arts, at last!

My Cité Studio under the Academie de Architecture--trees, Seine, and busy freeway out the windows

Yes, that's Notre Dame Cathedral outside
my window!!

June 3, I finally checked into the Cité des Arts--a facility for artists to stay in an amazing location on the Seine in small work/studio apartments.  Yes, I can see Notre Dame out my window (where I sit and sip my mint tea) as well as the dome from Soufflot's Pantheon out another.  If I stand in the middle of the room, I see both!

I've been someting of a nomad for my first 3 weeks in France.  I started with a stay in an airbnb apartment near the Luxembourg gardens when I first arrived, then I rented a car and stayed with Helen (the mayor of Nanteau-sur-Essonne and dear friend of my dear friend Beanne), where I finally adjusted to the time change in rural France south of Paris, then to Versailles where I stayed literally across the street from the château entry for 4 nights (met the architects and landscape architects at Versailles, who were great and extremely helpful), then back to Paris to stay with family (sister-in-law Peg, neice Elyse, and Nephew Max) in another airbnb apartment on Boulevard Saint Michel at Saint Germain, and now here, finally, I can settle in and get to work at the Cité.

Don't get too jealous about the location--my windows are shut because between me and the Seine is a freeway, and yes, it's rather loud.  I can also hear some artist grinding metal upstairs, and it's shaking my apartment. But I'm getting used to it thanks to streaming KUOW on my computer and a new electric fan I bought. 

I bought some plants and also bought a cheap scanner/printer--so look for finally posting more sketches from the past weeks, plus a NEW sketch every day!  

I'm so excited--here we go...