Tonight, most of France will be drinking Beaujolais Nouveau. Aficionados of the vintage have been waiting with 'baited breath' for a taste of the fresh young wine. In honor of this special occasion, our sights are focused on the wine and the region where the grapes are grown, harvested and fermented, creating one of France's biggest marketing successes!

Paris stairwells also take spotlight in today's issue of FPI, thanks to my 17th-century staircase undergoing massive renovation after more than 20 years of neglect (my guess). Elevator-less buildings are of a major concern to both apartment-dwellers, owners and vacation apartment-renters...as you might not want to live too high without at least one elevator or too low for lack of light and security. Learn more about Paris stairs and how to maneuver your way up, down and around them when it comes to choosing a property to purchase.

Remember, there will be no issue of FPI next week on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th, so that we can all enjoy a grand meal with our families and friends. Then, we'll be back the following week and throughout the rest of the year.

There's lots of great information and fun articles to read today...so pour yourself a glass of Beaujolais Nouveau and dream about your future home in France, where pleasures abound.

From Homes Overseas http://www.homesoverseas.co.uk

Stepping Up to the Paris "Palier"
By Adrian Leeds

There are 70 steps up to my Marais apartment. I counted them the first time climbing them when visiting the apartment in the summer of 1997 before becoming its inhabitant. The stairs date back to the 17th- century and have a particular formation that tells tales of its former life.

The building was once a "hôtel particulier" (or townhouse), where the wealthy, aristocratic French lived when visiting Paris from their châteaux in the countryside. The women had wide skirts, so the stairs are wide to accommodate them, and the rise of the stair is short, so the climb is easier. Still, with each level, the turn of the stairwell is different.

From ground level "0" ("Rez-de-Chausée") off the courtyard where the horses and carriages were kept, the stairs turn at right angles twice to arrive at Level "1" ("Premier Étage"). This level housed the reception rooms and from this point, the stairs circle up two-thirds of the way, then turn a sharp right to the "palier" (landing) of Level "2" ("Deuxième Étage") where the bedrooms ("chambres") existed. From this point, the stairs narrow sharply and take again two sharp turns, leading to Level "3" ("Troisième Étage") where the servants lived. This is where my apartment is -- once made up of many little rooms, now 70 square meters, all overlooking the street, with smaller windows than the two levels below me.

The American lifestyle I was used to consisted of one flight of stairs in our two-story Los Angeles home, and previously in our apartment, like most, had elevators. So many stairs were not part of my every day life, with the exception of attending "Step Reebok" classes that were invented to simulate the healthy advantages of using steps!

For all the years of living up 70 stairs, I've had a love-hate relationship with them. People visiting the apartment have often remarked about why we haven't added an elevator, which many buildings have done, in spite of the big expense.

The configuration of the steps don't allow for an elevator, plus their 17th-century character is not something any of us would want to destroy. Plus, the stairs have always offered clear advantages and disadvantages, which I've come to see now as "blessings in disguise." Thanks to the stairs, I've developed nice muscles in my arms and legs, better shaped 'buns' and I get a good natural cardiovascular work-out. I've never been healthier, and I have the 70 stairs to thank.

When looking to purchase an apartment in Paris, stairs are a big concern. If you
purchase an apartment beyond the third floor without an elevator, renters may not be very willing to climb them. If the apartment is too low, it may lack light, particularly if the windows overlook a narrow street or courtyard. If the apartment is on a high level with an elevator, and the elevator is malfunctioning, everyone may suffer, including your rental returns! If it appears the homeowners association is willing to install an elevator, expect a big assessment and a battle from the owners on the lower levels who don't want to pay for an asset they don't think they will use or need! (Foolish on their part -- as it ALWAYS increases the value of the property!) Either way, consideration of the stairways are an important aspect when making an important property purchase decision, particularly in Paris in older buildings that lack elevators.

The condition of the stairwell has been abominable all the years I've lived in the building. As a result of climbing them many times a day disgusted by the dirt and peeling paint, I spearheaded a movement to have them renovated. As it turned out, the owners in the other three buildings on the courtyard were in agreement for their own dilapidated stairwells and by a vote, it was decided to proceed to renovate them.

It was an expensive endeavor and the assessment was painful to bear, but the improvement to the property well worth it. There is no question that its condition adds value to the property -- any appraiser will agree with this.

For the last two months, the workers have been repairing the cracks, wallpapering with a special cloth, preparing to repaint and then refinish the ancient wood stairs. Climbing and descending has become an obstacle course, but never mind -- the finished product is sure to please us all.

Over the years, I've learned how to maneuver the stairs so that they have become a pleasure rather than a burden. These can be taken as helpful hints to anyone who must climb more than one flight:

1. Never leave the apartment without checking to make sure you have everything
you need. If you get to the bottom of the stairs and realize you've forgotten your umbrella, you may not be so thrilled to climb them again and end up wet!

2. If you have a large mailbox on the ground level, you can use it to house a few items you've purchased or have been carrying so that you won't have to climb the stairs just to deposit them at home.

3. Simply roll heavy suitcases up (backward) and you can roll them down (forward), one step at a time. It takes time, but it's not a weighty burden. Just be sure you always have rolling bags!

4. Have your groceries delivered (most of the grocery stores will do this for a minimum spent or a small fee).

5. If you don't have them delivered, then never buy too many at a time. Instead
of bottled water, buy a filtered carafe and never carry those heavy bottles up again.

6. OR buy a good grocery cart -- the best has three wheels on either side that 'jump' the steps easily. The one I have has been a life- saver. (I first saw these in Venice where going up and down the bridges over the canals could have been a nightmare for shoppers, but wasn't!...made by Rolser, see http://www.rolser.co.uk for more information.)

7. Never run up or down your stairs. Never. That is unless you don't care about killing yourself. If your stairs are as highly polished as mine, then you could easily do exactly that if you take them too quickly.

8. Use the time you spend on the stairs to breath deeply and relax, think about pleasant things and reflect on your wonderful life in France. And don't forget to thank the stairs for keeping you slim, trim, and healthy.  
 

Elevator-Less in France
By Linda Mathieu

From her book "Frenchless in France"
 

Because Paris is such an ancient city, and because so many of the buildings here are ancient as well, most people walk up stairs to their apartments. I am one of those. We live on the 3rd floor (4th if you are an American as I am when huffing up those stairs) in a building erected probably around 200 years ago. There is no elevator, needless to say. One can be added if all of the owners of apartments in the building agree to pay for it. It would either be put in the middle of the stairs or going up outside where some rather charming stained glass windows now are. It would, by necessity, be very small holding two people at most. When I am carrying bags of groceries or heavy suitcases up the stairs I want one so badly. I get a little irritated when walking around the neighborhood with Maurice and he points out an apartment that he looked at before buying the one we live in. It always has a cute little balcony that I would kill for and, most importantly, an elevator. He didn’t make an offer quickly enough to get it. So near and yet so far.

I don’t have it as bad as the lady I see struggling up the stairs to the 6th floor above us holding a big baby in one arm with a diaper bag dangling from her fingers while she holds the hand of a toddler fighting her efforts to get him up the stairs. Or the young man, the owner of a big bull dog, on the fifth floor who has to walk his dog several times a day. (God bless my cat!) I have a friend who lives here in Paris who has to walk up 8 (!!!) floors to her place. She is 30 years younger than I am, but still.

It took me a while to figure out the numbering system for floors in France, as well as the rest of Europe. I vaguely remembered some mystery where a mistake was made by a detective when he, an American, thought a murder occurred on the 2 floor and didn’t realize the European system was being used. I realized, after using an elevator at a department store, that the 1st floor was not at street level, but one flight up. The initials RC are often on a button in the elevator which is some Latin phrase for ground level, (not RC Cola, if you are from Texas). I remember seeing an American man shaking his head on the elevator at Printemps once at the lack of logic in daring to have something different from the States. I try not to have that attitude. When I got to thinking about it, it made a lot of sense - sort of like deciding, as a country, to drive on the left side of the road instead of the right. It took me several weeks of seeing “eme” after numbers to realize that it was the same as “th” or “st” after a number in America. Little things like this make me realize what a different culture I have ended up in.

I had an American friend named Nancy come visit. We arrived from the airport with her well-filled luggage and started up the stairs. “You mean you have to go up these everyday? You must be getting into really good shape.” At the end of a long day of walking around Paris we would come back to our apartment and she would pause at the bottom and look up cursing, I’m sure, the chance she passed up to stay at a hotel with an elevator. Every time we would come to a metro stop and start on our way out, which always involves lots of stair climbing, I would say, “Look, Nancy! More stairs!”

Sometimes I will be on the stairs and I catch the aroma of a wonderful meal being cooked. It can be a roast, or some onions frying. When I smell something that probably is being cooked using red wine I have to fight an urge to knock on the door and ask for an invitation to lunch, if not the recipe. I love dishes, such as beef burgundy or coq au vin, that involve long hours of the meat simmering in wine. The best aromas usually occur on Sundays when many people go visiting relatives or friends. Flower shops stay open on Sundays and people can be seen walking down streets with freshly purchased flowers wrapped in cellophane as they head for a meal at someone’s house....

Editor's Note: To read the full chapter, please go to http://lindamathieu.com/2008/11/18/stairs.