I've Gone Medieval! - Wednesday, 20 April

Many of you know that I’ve dreamt of having an apartment in Paris for decades and that I bought a “fractional ownership” share of an apartment last summer - an arrangement in which I owned 1/13 of the apartment, which allowed me to use it for two 2-week blocks a year.  But I was too optimistic about my ability to handle the stairs in the no-elevator building, so I sold my share last fall.  (For more info, see this blog post:   https://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2021/09/locked-in-staircase-eek-tuesday-21.html )

Well, as it happens, this February, the owners of one share of a different apartment decided to sell their share so that they could buy a share in a larger apartment.  The one they were selling is a studio in a 14th century building with an elevator.  Yup, you guessed it - I jumped at the chance to buy it.  You can read about the apartment and see photos here:   https://adrianleeds.com/explore-properties-for-sale/fractional-ownership/shared-property/ma-maison-miron/  

I also found an article about the building in a little book I picked up this trip, Paris - a Short History of Architecture.  It says, "In 1967, a meticulous restoration campaign restored [the building] to [its] original appearance.  The picturesque décor of the houses is reasonably representative of medieval civil architecture."  "After the great fire of London in 1666, the construction of half-timber houses was forbidden to prevent a similar disaster, while existing timber-framed houses were covered with plaster and lime."

My first usage period begins at the end of September this year, but I decided to contact the share owners who are occupying the apartment this week to see if they might be willing to let me in and show me around.  They most graciously agreed to meet up!  So I spent a couple of delightful hours hanging out with Kevin and Todd in the apartment this afternoon, talking about the property, the neighborhood, spending time in France, careers & interests, etc.  They live in Atlanta and are both IT guys and, of course, are big Paris fans.  They just acquired a property in Nice and are heading down there this Saturday.  They offered to let me use the Paris apartment next week since they won’t be here, but I’ll be back in Minneapolis by then.  What a beautiful gesture, though!

(Here I am, "fake cooking" in the kitchen - I just couldn't pass up the photo opp!  But I do plan to actually hit the markets and cook there in just a few months!)

The 13 owners of Ma Maison Miron have a private Facebook page where they share info, questions, offers, etc., and they also meet yearly via Zoom as an owners’ association.  From what I’ve seen so far, they’re a lively and interesting group.  Even if we’ve all gone medieval!