Spain Dad, a baby blog

We found an apartment. We thought we might be looking for a place for a couple weeks, maybe even a month, because we were being very selective about which neighborhood we wanted to live in. Then we ended up taking the first place we looked at.

All of the apartments in this neighborhood were out of our price range, so when we went to see the apartment, we were hoping to get the landlords to lower the rent by 200€. When we arrived, the landlords said they had advertised the apartment as fully-furnished, but actually wanted to take some things, so as a compromise, they would lower the rent by (you guessed it) 200€.

Here’s a few things we like about this particular apartment:

Public Transportation
We are close to five metro lines, and we are only a ten to fifteen minute walk from Sol, which is the center of the city.

Market
I love buying my fresh fruits and veggies from the market. The market is more personal, the vendors select the best produce for you and even tell you how to prepare it (if you ask), and I look forward to what’s in season (strawberries should be showing up soon).

Intergenerational
Old people with carts walk to and from the market for their daily groceries. Moms with strollers window shop. Young professionals crowd the metro at lunch time as they scurry to meet friends for a meal. Youngsters fill the cafes and night clubs when it gets later.

Playgrounds
Three playgrounds are within a five minute walk (big park a twenty minute walk away). We stopped by the playground our landlords recommended, and it’s in an old town square and was full of kids.

Multicultural
Speaking of the playground, there were kids of every color. Alleke might just fit in, even with her blonde hair and blue eyes.

Top Floor
The apartment is an attic, which means it’s quiet. We’re high enough that we won’t hear street noise. We have an elevator, so thankfully we won’t be carrying our groceries up flights of stairs.

Lots of Light
Because the apartment is an attic, all the windows (but two) are in slanted ceilings. We won’t have a view of the city (only the blue Madrid sky), but at least we can keep the apartment sunny.

Air Conditioning
Most people I’ve met in Madrid do not like air conditioning. They think it makes the air too dry. However, if you’re not used to the summer heat, it can be unbearable. I’m thankful we have air conditioning for our visitors.

Dishwasher
Definitely not necessary, but oh so nice.

April says Alleke is the one who got the apartment for us since she smiled and giggled the entire time we were looking at it. The landlords have two little girls, and the dad thought Alleke looked a lot like his youngest daughter, so that helped.

Anyway, we haven’t signed the contract yet, but it seems like everything will go fine. The apartment is being cleaned and painted, so we will move in at the beginning of April.