Monday, October 6, 2008

Moving Day



If you happen to see anything like this while wandering about Paris, there's only one explanation: it's moving day for somebody. When I saw this lift last week, I realized I hadn't blogged about the technology of a Paris move because our own move took place before I started this blog. And so it happened that one year ago this week, a semi came down our street laden with all our household goods shipped from Washington. After quite a few weeks living with just some borrowed basics (4 forks, 4 spoons, 4 plates, you get the picture), it was quite a thrill to finally have the things that make a house a home: kitchen gadgets, linens, artwork, books, and our very own beds. The amazing thing about the whole process (well other than having someone else do all the packing and heavy lifting, a first for us) was watching the crew unload the boxes out of the truck and onto a lift like the one pictured here, sending it up four flights and handing it in through the window. While I couldn't bring myself to look when they put our piano on the lift, I find myself riveted whenever I wander by someone else's move in progress. I've heard some horror stories, including one in which an impatient driver got so annoyed at the equipment blocking the street that he barreled his car straight through the street, hitting the lift and sending its load flying. Fair warning.

7 comments:

Polly-Vous Francais said...

My first week in Paris I got to watch Grospiron move contents into an apartment on place dela Madeleine. In those days I was in a 7th floor perch and spent the entire morning with nose pressed against the window watching the technological choreography. It still never ceases to fascinate me, even watching from the sidewalk. I'm essentially such a suburbanite, I guess!

Arjan Tupan said...

You should try to visit Amsterdam once when somebody is doing a moving themselves. I have seen the use of nets and ropes suspended from a pulley, moved by manpower. Once even, when I was in one such move, we got stopped by an American tourist, with the net bangling in the air, because she wanted to take a picture. TOugh guys as we were, we posed. Unfortunately, she never sent the picture as she promised...

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com said...

That is really something!!!!!

How cool. I am linking to this

Starman said...

You didn't mention anything about how much it might cost for such a move. I would be interested.

Anne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anne said...

Wow...this one really struck a chord. Keep those comments coming.

Starman: No clue how much it cost. My husband's employer paid for the packing, shipping, and unloading.

DogAteMyFinances said...

Wow, great post.

Funny thing is, the pulleys and ropes in Amsterdam did not phase me, but this seems crazy.

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