I’ve been asked by several folks to please provide an update on our house-hunting progress, so here it is: WE FOUND THE PERFECT PLACE!

After three weeks of incessant searching and a not-so-small amount of stress and worry, we have finally procured long-term accommodations.  The apartment meets all of our requirements (see “Sunday Thoughts“) and is a happy compromise between the lavish and amazing and the “Oh My. Yikes” rentals we have visited.  We have added a few things here and there to our semi-furnished abode and we have plans to implement more decorative evolution once our shipment arrives from the port of L.A.  

We have a lovely patio – albeit a little cosy – and we have installed window boxes.  I am so excited about this tiny accomplishment.  I have always wanted window boxes.  Always.  Now I have them.  I would purr if I could express my satisfaction in such a manner without seeming utterly ridiculous.  

We have a colorful and cheery living room with plenty of light from the wall of glass doors.  This room also includes the dining area which is very spacious and suits us quite well.  

We have an office area that also includes a seating space for taking shoes off and on.  Everything is along a main hall that spreads from the front door, past the kitchen and living room and eventually ends at the master bedroom.  It’s a fairly common floor plan for Barcelona, from what we have observed.  

The kitchen is a good size with sufficient space for a table and two chairs – although we re-allocated one chair to the patio almost immediately.  When I’m there, I’m almost always doing something that does not involve sitting so I do not require a chair.  There is a small laundry room (or water room) located off the kitchen.  It opens into the “hole” as Mom calls it (ventilation shaft).  

Each of us has our own room.  I got the master bedroom.  Mom has a double room herself.  She and I share the same bathroom and we both have access to the patio from our rooms.  Allita has a twin room and her own bathroom.  Her room has a window that opens to the “hole” but she keeps it shut and the blinds drawn.  We are all very happy with our room arrangements as they allow us our own private space with or without windows as we each prefer.    

Every bedroom has a built-in wardrobe with plenty of storage space.  There are no closets in European houses – generally speaking – so we were prepared for living with wardrobes.  I actually prefer them to closets as they are easier to keep clean and organized and the cat doesn’t hide in them as often.   One experience of being shut inside the wardrobe for a while before someone “missed” him was enough for Toby.

The location of our new abode is ideal. We are near the hospital so there are lots of various shops, many bus stops and a taxi stand nearby. We are close to the Avinguda Diagonal so we have access to all forms of metro, trolley and trains and can easily reach any point in the city. Also, we are very close to a lovely park containing multiple playgrounds, including table tennis equipment, an enchanting pond and a tasty outdoor cafe surrounded by plenty of trees, grass and walking paths. We are only 2-3 blocks from the Royal Palace of Pedrables with its lovely gardens and architecture, and interestingly, a little known but fascinating gate, Portal Miralles, designed by Antoni Gaudi is just down the street.

So, we are done with the incessant searching and now, we are nesting. It’s a nice change of pace. With the exception of the “wardrobe incident”, everyone, including Toby, fell in love with our new residence immediately and settled in nicely. Now we only need our shipment to deliver so we can have all the trappings we need to make this house our home sweet home.