Where's Mandy and Nate: Our New Finnish Digs

Now the moment I KNOW you have all been waiting for - the unveiling of our new 400 sq ft apartment:)! Sorry this took a while to post but I had to get it all clean and straightened up! I made a video so you guys could get the true experience. I have included a link to the pictures at the bottom just in case you can't get the video. (Just click on the "picture" below to start it.)

This apartment is about 200 sq feet smaller than our one in Zurich - basically we are missing the spare bedroom. I laugh because I told my friend Miriam on the phone yesterday that it was pretty spacious - my how our perspectives change!:) I think I even said the kitchen was big! Makes me laugh but does go to show that we don't really need a big house (but I learned that after we moved out of Apex!) The simpler life for sure.

Things I love:
1. The TV speaks to us in English! Yeah! I guess it is b/c such a small population of people speak Finnish (and it seems to me that 80% of that population speaks English) that they don't waste the money to dub it - they just use subtitles. Point for Finland.
2. We live on the 3rd floor and there is no elevator. I guess this could go in either the love or hate category - but I am going to choose to "love it" because it will be part of my work out each day (okay yes I know it is only 3 flights but I have been doing it several times a day!)
3. Our freezer is huge! (Again perspective) More room for ice cream! (See number 2 - hopefully these two things will even each other out:)).
4. We have a nice sized storage closet. The bummer part is that most of it had already been taken up by stuff that was left here (not sure by previous owners or by corporate apartment people so I didn't want to throw it away).
5. We don't have a closet/wardrobe in our bedroom. Again this could be love or hate - but chosing to "love it" because now when Nathan gets ready in the morning he does it in the hallway and doesn't wake me up!:)
6. It is really quite at night - no Hookah Bar blasting music all night long!
7. The shower, sink and washing machine all use the same faucet. I don't know why I love it - it just cracks me up! Good efficient engineering I guess!
8. There is a bike storage on the bottom floor. We didn't have this in Switzerland (we had to keep our bikes on our balcony) which kind of sucked because it was hard to carry my bike up and down the stairs by myself (especially with groceries). This is even more awesome since Nathan is biking to work (it cuts 20 minutes off his commute daily) and I have to bike to the Wine Store (it would take forever to walk it - although you know I would if I had to!)

Yep - that's my man - biking home from work. And before you ask - yes - the grey "Grease Preventing Biking Legwarmers" were his invention (I named them though:)). They are the zip off part off hiking pants held up with rubber bands at the top and bottom. Thank goodness he has a Georgia Tech education or he might not have been able to engineer these himself:)

Things I don't love as much:
1. We don't have a dishwasher (well technically we do...me) or toaster, but we do have a microwave. We didn't have a microwave for the last year and I didn't really miss it at all, but I do eat a piece of toast every morning. I have been using the oven to toast the bread but that seems like a lot of effort... (oh and before you say go buy one - I tried that already - but remember who I am married to - no frivously spending - but seriously isn't that the best kind of spending?)
2. No bedroom door. This is a big bummer because I came up with the ingenious idea to use one of the bed covers as a curtain to help block the light, but so much additional light comes in from the kitchen that it is almost pointless.
3. Three twin beds in the bedroom. The first night Nathan tried to snuggle with me and the beds ended up coming apart in the middle of the night and he ended up on the floor - actually pretty funny:). Well maybe I should but this in the "love it" category - it has taught him to stay on his side of the bed!:)
4. Our suburb/village is kind of remote - not a lot of shopping places or things to occupy my time when I'm trying to avoid working.:)

"Downtown" view of the metropolis that we live in. Sorry - there is another grocery store and hair salon that I couldn't get in the picture - the area was just TOO big!:) But hey- at least we have a grocery store within walking distance!

Well I guess the "Love its" win 2 to 1 - woo hoo! Now that I've settled in (and quit whining) - I'm expecting another great European Summer!