Home Sweet Home

So this is how it works. Many apartment complexes here are owned by pension funds which are managed by real estate management companies. The company that manages the little row house in Herning also manages a number of properties around Denmark. They have a website (findbolig.nu) where all their available properties are listed and, if you are interested in one, you contact them to set up a viewing. If after viewing the property you want to lease the property, you apply for a contract. If you are approved, you sign the contract, make your deposit, and get your keys. During this process we discovered that they managed several properties in Vejle - properties I hadn't seen - and one property look very VERY interesting. So before committing to the house in Herning, I made an appointment for the very next day and The Babe and I were off again to Vejle.

There were two identical apartments available. I saw immediately that the complex had roomy elevators and huge entryways where strollers were easily parked. The first apartment we saw was north facing on the ground floor with not much in the way of a view but with good light. The second was a south facing (European) 2nd floor space with great light and views over a vacant lot, but beyond that the fjord and Vejle.  It was an easy choice. I told the building manager we'd take the 2nd floor apartment. I went home that afternoon to get the ball rolling on our lease only to discover that our new apartment had been leased to someone else that very day. Disappointed, but still in love with the location and the town, The Boy and I decided to take the ground floor apartment. We got the keys last Friday and will be moving this weekend! 

We are especially excited since this is our very first unfurnished apartment. In Mongolia, Singapore,  and London we were living with other people's things. Now we finally get to fill a space with things that we love. It's heady stuff I tell ya! And we have so many ideas...

Here are some pics of our new casa in its untouched state:

I can't wait to share our house to home journey with you!

Vejle

Vejle. It's pronounced, as near as I can tell,  like Viola a la SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. I was smitten with this ancient little burg by the sea the very first time we visited way back in November. It has a lot of things we're looking for (like a big Catholic community for me and an aikido dojo for The Boy),  things Herning doesn't really have. It's two hours away from Copenhagen by train and one hour from Germany by car. It's closer to the Billund airport. The one thing it isn't is closer to The Boy's office. Moving to Vejle would mean extra time on the road for The Boy and that's something he simply wasn't interested in doing. But after two weeks of house hunting that turned up only one serious housing contender ( a little row house The Boy was less than excited by) and with time tick tick ticking away, The Boy and I decided to expand our search beyond Herning and see what Vejle had to offer.  So I made the requisite appointments with estate agents, bundled up The Babe, and hopped on a train to see what there was to see. 

The first apartment we looked at was awesome. It was fantastically located just off the big pedestrian shopping street. It had four bedrooms, one bath,  a big living space, great light, hardwood floors, and the price was so right I was giddy.  It was perfect.

The Babe checks out the digs.

Living room. 

 

The Babe gives the view (of cars on the street) high marks.

The only issue? It was on the top floor of a 3 story walk up. The very thought of trudging up and down stairs with a baby and groceries was a deal breaker for me. Plus there was no place to store Big Red the stroller on the ground floor.  **sigh** Next.

This was my second favorite apartment: a two story second floor apartment with a beautiful staircase and, my favorite feature, a working wood stove. It was beyond adorable, which means it was small.  It was also about a 30 minute walk from downtown, which didn't really bother me until The Boy pointed out that I would be doing a lot of walking up and down a big hill in rainy/icy/snowy weather. And it required hauling The Babe (and groceries) up stairs. And there was no place for the stroller. 

We even got to take a look at The Wave by Danish architect Henning Larsen, which was a real treat. The apartments were all unique and well designed with spectacular views across the fjord. Sadly they were for sale, not lease.

In all we saw about 10 apartments in Vejle, all of which were nice, but none that worked for our family. We decided to take the little row house and, by putting those wheels in motion, discovered our new home.

just asking

 the babe is in a super cuddly snuggly place today. ok. ok. he's downright clingy.

so to all you moms out there - how do you get anything done when your kiddo simply refuses to be put down?????

Water and Light

Sorry it's been a while. There are big haps here, which I will share with you all as soon as everything is an absolute go. I don't want to jinx anything by telling you too soon. Instead I will share with you some pictures. 

My fascination with water and sunlight began last spring. London weather can be quite unpredictable, sunny one moment, torrential rain the next. It blows in out of nowhere sometimes and is gone just as quickly, especially in the spring. I had taken the Babe out for our daily afternoon walk and was caught in quite the tempest about two blocks from home. I'm talking thunder, lightening, wind, hail - the whole shebang. It was actually pretty frightening. Of course, by the time I arrived home, the storm had passed, the sun was shining and I was able to capture this picture of our rain splattered backdoor and the forsythia bush in bloom. 

 

Last October The Boy and I were having a wander around Natchez and eventually ended up behind Saint Mary Basilica in Memorial Park. It was one of those perfect late autumn Mississippi afternoons. The air was cool. The sky was blue. The sunlight was golden.  I was inspired.

Hope you have a fantastic week!

What a difference a year makes!

 Here are The Boy and The Babe in front of our home in Greenwich 

before a New Year's Day 2010 amble to find a pub and dinner.

And here they are this New Year's Day snuggled up watching

THE SIMPSONS here in Denmark. I think it was the 

episode where Bart takes them all to London. 

I hope your new year will be full of snuggles and laughter!