The light here in the summer is amazing. It is light by about 5:15 am and stays light until 10 pm. And with the city being extremely well-lit, it never really feels dark here. Around 5-6 pm, it’s actually blinding. Without my sunglasses on, it’s like staring at an eclipse. Never seen stronger light anywhere. Great for painting; not so great for sleeping. But who wants to sleep here? Yet, eventually, if you’re here for a long time, like me, then you have to. Need to.
If you want to sleep with the windows open – and you’ll want to, since few places have air conditioning – then bring a good set of earplugs with you. On a noisy street, they’re essential. And even on a quiet one, the noise of a random motorcycle or ambulance will wake you. The motorcycles here are really loud! Be sure to close the curtains or the sun will wake you by 5:30 am.
Also, if you happen to have allergies, just know they’re going to bother you in Paris. I’m allergic to dust and mold. It’s super humid here, so every morning I feel like I got run over by a truck. And maybe it’s a bit of air pollution, too, hard to say. I thought at first it was because of jet lag and that I was staying up so crazy late. Ummm, no. Without my friend Amy here, I try to get back to the apartment at a decent hour now. And I still feel awful in the morning, despite my nice comfy bed. Thank god for good, strong French coffee.
Seriously Paris 
‘Mould’ – M-O-U-L-D 🙂
Ummm, no, actually. Mold is spelled correctly spelled in this post by American standards. But I hear you on grammar and spelling in general; an issue for me as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold
Apologies! I’m Australian and it just looks like sloppy spelling to us. I stand corrected because clearly it is OK in American English.
Enjoying your blog. I spent a month in Paris myself earlier this year when the weather was less than agreeable. I still had a great time. Stayed in the 5ème in a hotel, 5th floor, balcony, excellent service – not interested in apartment living by myself.
Apologies accepted! I hate bad spelling, too, particularly as I make a living as a writer. Thanks for the kind words. I’m mostly having a great time, too. Where is the 5eme? (I don’t have accent marks available to me on keyboard, btw, unless you now how to get them. I’m staying in the 10th on the border of the 9th, near Gare du Nord. I do have a balcony also. But I wouldn’t recommend the location. Not much around here worth seeing. And too far from places where I spend a lot of time … 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th. Plus loud, lots of traffic and a little dicey at night.