All I Want For Christmas is a Place to Live

After we returned from England we were hoping to sign the lease on our new apartment.  But we were very worried that this one would fall through too because in the contract it said we had to sign a year lease - meaning we would have to pay rent until the end of November 2018.  We are in no position right now to commit ourselves to staying here that far into the future so we agreed that we would not take this apartment if they would not bend on this part of the contract. 

As we walked into the signing appointment Marty and I were talking about what were going to get the kids for Christmas and what were going to get each other and I whole heartedly said "All I really want for Christmas is just a secure place to live!" 

We sit down with property management guy and we tell him that we are willing to agree that we would give 3 months notice when we are ready to move out but that we just can't commit to one year.  He had to get up and make a phone call but barely even grumbled (any more so than his normal under the breath grumbling) at the proposed change. 

He changed the contract for us, we signed and the apartment was ours!!!  It seems so easy writing this now but after months of daily stress, hours and hours of searching and many sleepless nights, this truly was the best Christmas gift ever!! Merry Christmas to me.  Marty reminded me of my Christmas gift request and as we walked out of the building he said - Merry Christmas!!  Hope you don't me to wrap it ;-)

The new place is a "penthouse" and that term just kind of cracks me up.  I can't keep singing the theme song from the 70's show -The Jefferson's.  "We are movin' on up, to the top, to a deluxe apartment in the skyyyyy"  It actually isn't that far up.  It is the fourth floor but has a teeny tiny elevator which is lucky because the vast majority of apartment buildings here do not have elevators for even taller buildings.  It is one of the many ways the Germans stay fit with just their daily living. 

The apartment is super nice but not really our style.  Marty keeps calling it the Playboy Mansion as there is gold trim and pillars throughout.  There is also a sauna and a huge whirlpool tub right in our unit.  As well as two massive terraces.  And the best part is that it will be around 700 Euro less per month than we are paying now.