house hunters international: no more

Well, we have a home!  A small one bedroom flat in the heart of the city.  We scoured the city quickly, trying to figure out what our best options would be.  The university here just went back into session, so apartments were filling up quickly.  Deals were scarce, but we feel more than satisfied with our bargain.  

In Cyprus, apartments are qualified in three ways: furnished, partially furnished, unfurnished.  Furnished means what you think.  A bed, sofas, maybe a table.  Pretty good deal.  Unfurnished means there are no appliances.*  Partially furnished indicates appliances, namely a fridge, cooktop, and oven.  Sometimes a washing machine.  

While our search was short, we looked at several options, ranging from studios to two bedroom units, but all within the heart of the city.  With a lack of public transportation and Mr. F taking whatever car we will eventually have, we wanted to be "downtown" so I could walk to markets and be close to things.  In my mind, it came down to a crazy huge two bedroom unit on a quiet street and a fully renovated one bedroom  in an older building.  Both were fully furnished and came with landlords that did the heart good.  We weighed out the need for parking places, storage units, utility costs, and rent prices.  

Today (Friday) we were handed the keys to the one bedroom in the older building and we couldn't be more thrilled!  We will be the first people to live in it since the renovation and I am just itching to get my fingers on it and make it into our home!

Some nice features include a washer/dryer, television (which we weren't planning on having at all in Cyprus!),  and massive storage space in the kitchen.  What blew us away was the bedroom.  It is the full length of the living space, just as wide, and has a walk-in closet!  If you know Europe at all you will know that walk-in closets don't happen.  We plan on turning the space in front of the wall to wall windows in the bedroom into an office of sorts, with a desk directly in front of the windows.

While it is one bedroom we are quite confident that we can get a guest or two inside to stay with us.  There is more than enough space in the "office" for a sofa or even an air bed.  Sure, it's not the Ritz, but the views are incredible!

How can you go wrong with a view like that?

*In Germany you supply your entire kitchen, so a few appliances doesn't seem as bad, but still a hefty investment.