Last preparations

So this is the last week in Stockholm and I still have to make a lot of preparations. It's going to be a busy week. Fortunately the most important things are already solved, such as an apartment. I've found my apartment some months ago through Paris Attitude which are supposedly one of the oldest and most respected lodging agencies in Paris. Apparently all Parisians use this agency when hiring out their apartments. I had the luck to have some euros to cash out but I do know that Le Cordon Bleu can also help you with finding housing and you can even stay with a host family.

Apartment

It's a tiny apartment, 23 sqm with a ridiculously large 17 sqm balcony (what were they thinking there?), at Rue Dombasle which is quite near the school. I believe that a 5 to 10 minute walk is how long it will take me to get to LCB. It isn't cheap but I do not believe there's cheap housing in Paris. It's definitely more expensive than Stockholm!!

Apartment Insurance

When you rent an apartment in Paris you need to have an apartment insurance, so I booked one some months ago via an agency called ADAR+.

Transport from the airport to the city

Unfortunately, it appears that the RER train is undergoing some construction precisely on the weekend that I arrive (the 12th of November). DOH! Still have to figure out the best way to travel to Paris from Charles de Gaulle. I believe Air France has some shuttle buses from the airport. We'll have to look into that.

Packing

Yeah, already started but lots of other things to pack and I will not bother you with my packing lists ;)

Books to take

Decided to take some books that hopefully will help me through school:

• Escoffier, Auguste Escoffier: Of course I had to have this one. It's the bible for all French chefs and probably most of the recipes produced during the course are reproduced in the book.
• The Essentials of Cooking, Michael Ruhlman: I really liked this book and I like the way it's organized. It will be useful to check some terms. Although I do believe that Le Cordon Bleu provides all students with a dictionary of terms (it's part of the written exam).
• On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee: I'll try to take McGee's and read it throughout the course. I know it's one of those bibles in the restaurant industry and if you want to understand what's happening on a chemical level while you're cooking or why you sauce didn't set, McGee's your reference.
• 2666, Roberto Bolaño: Not kitchen related but I guess it will help me relax in my freetime... and it's about time I try to finish reading it!

Now, time to work and try to leave all my work done before I leave to France!