La maison et le quartier Home, Town & Local Area

My name is Léa and I live in a terraced house in a small town called Pontoise, about thirty kilometres north of Paris. Our house has eight rooms: a kitchen, a living room, a dining room, a bathroom and four bedrooms. My bedroom is on the first floor, next to the bathroom. In front of my window there is a small garden, and behind the house there is a narrow lane. I love my room because it is quiet and has a big desk where I can study. My parents sleep in the room above the kitchen.

Pontoise is a medium-sized town with many amenities. There is a town hall, a market square, a library, a sports centre and several schools. Our local market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Vendors sell fruit, vegetables, cheese and bread. The high street has a pharmacy, a bakery, a post office and a few clothes shops. However, there is no cinema in Pontoise - the nearest one is in Cergy, fifteen minutes away by bus. I think the town is lively but not too crowded. It is a good place to grow up.

Living in Pontoise has advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, the town is safe, there is good public transport to Paris and the surroundings are green and peaceful. My school is only five minutes on foot, which is very practical. On the negative side, there is not much to do for young people in the evening - there is no bowling alley, no ice rink and only one small café that closes early. Some of my friends would prefer to live in Paris, but I like the calm of a smaller town. The air is cleaner and people are friendlier, in my opinion.

If I could choose, my ideal place to live would be a flat in a large city like Lyon or Bordeaux. I would like a flat on the fifth floor with a balcony overlooking a park. The flat would have a large living room, a modern kitchen and two bedrooms. Near the flat, there would be a cinema, a swimming pool and lots of restaurants. But most importantly, there would be a good transport link so I could travel easily to university. For now, I am happy in Pontoise, but one day I dream of city life.