I’m on the far left, on the ground floor, nicely tucked in behind a (magnolia?) tall tree with waxy leaves.  I love it!  My place is elegant and far enough off the boulevard it faces to be completely quiet.  Interesting trivia: the small courtyard behind my apartment is a favorite spot for birds to hang.  They chirp and cheep all day long.  I know now what it means to go to bed with the birds, because they hush up about 9 pm.  And are back at their chirping when the sun comes up.  I’ve been able to ignore their sound by turning up my fan.  In time, I won’t notice them.  Who knew I’d be living in an Italian aviary!

There’s no place like it!