Lisa arrived at her French class this morning pretty tired and puzzled: she was woken up too early this morning by noises and asked us: is it normal that Paris is so noisy in the morning? The answer is yes.
If you happen to live in an apartment at the first floor of an ‘Haussmannien’ building – built in the 19th century by the Baron Haussmann who redefined the architecture of Paris – you expose yourself to a few Parisian ‘soundscape’:
Expect to hear very intimate aspects of the life of your neighbors: because of the evacuation running down the building and crossing each apartment, you share their morning routine. From the vibration of their phone alarm to them taking a shower or slamming their door as they are running late for work.
Lisa would have heard the concierge taking the garbage out at 6 am to be picked at 7.30 by les éboueurs (garbage collectors) in their vibrant green truck. Before 9 am, the concierge or any other employee in charge would have made them disappear. In Paris, garbage bins can only be on the street between 6 and 9 am. Here more information about garbage collection, as they differ depending on the arrondissement.
8 am is rush hour: children going to school with their parents running behind them while carrying their cartable (satchel) coloré on their shoulder, followed by the parents’ conversation and the clinking coffee cups at the next door café.
So yes, Lisa, we understand if you arrive a little yawny at your lesson in the morning, craving for the peacefulness of our classrooms! We love when you tell us about your Parisian adventures!
French as You Like It is in the heart of the historical part of Paris.
In Our boutique-like French language school, our admin team and teachers get to see the Parisian world going by… and we absolutely love listening to our students over a cup of coffee at the institute about their Parisian experience, as part of their personal French learning program.