Home Sweet Home (Away From Home)

I know you’ve all been dying to see our home away from home here in Germany (well maybe just our family…but we’re going to show you anyway!). We are quite impressed with our first European flat. It’s clean, quiet, organized, modern, comfortable, and just a short walk to downtown Wiesbaden. You know, where all of the cute cafés are. 😉

It’s always a gamble to sign a lease sight unseen – praying that the place actually looks like the photos. Being catfished by your new home is the worst kind of catfishing.

Luckily, Ryan’s friend did a little apartment hunting for us so we had some boots on the ground reconnaissance.

What were our must-haves for the new place?

• Good location
• Furnished
• Clean
• TV + internet included
• Standard appliances (who am I kidding, I don’t use them anyway)
• No elevator (yes, I’m bringing up elevators again…I have a very real fear of them, just ask anyone who’s been in one with me)

All kidding aside…

The day we landed in Germany, we took a taxi from the Frankfurt airport and arrived on a quiet street tucked in the hills of Wiesbaden. Our home for the next six months. Or, as my dad likes to say, just like a semester away at college.

After carrying our luggage up three flights of stairs, we opened the door and immediately started exploring our new flat…checking out every room, trying out the furniture, opening up cupboards, admiring the view, pretending we were on House Hunters International.

Small on paper at just 62 m², but a lot larger in person. And if you do the math like I do, we have 5.5 rooms – with a balcony!

Let me give you a tour…

The Mud Room

I’ve always wanted a mud room…you know the ones you see on Pinterest with the hooks for hanging up coats, neatly organized storage cubes, bench, and decorative rug. Well now I have one! It’s a cute entryway into our flat and a perfect place to store our coats and shoes. We won’t talk about the kitten photos on the wall.

The Foyer

Not really sure what else to call this room but foyer sounds fancy. From here you can access all of the rooms. It’s nicely decorated with a comfy chair and blanket duo, nesting tables, a full window, faux plants, larger than life clock and more storage. There’s even a sign that says “Enjoy the Little Things in Life…” Anyone that knows me knows how much I love quotes like this.

The Kitchen

What we call galley style back home, our kitchen has plenty of storage, natural lighting and space to cook. And it’s fully stocked with all of the appliances and cooking utensils you could need – including an espresso maker and mandolin (truth: I had no idea what this was until we registered for one).

The appliances were a little foreign at first but we told ourselves we would master them one at a time. Our first home-cooked meal consisted of boiling water – and luckily it was easier to figure out than the first time I ever boiled water…just ask Megan about that one. The stove is electric too, so no need to worry about open flames!

The Living Room

Technically it’s a dining and living room combined. There’s a kitchen table with seating for four and a cozy seating area with a coach that folds into a bed, chair, coffee table and all-white TV console/storage unit that looks like it was plucked from the floors of Ikea.

The blinds are electric – not like the kind in Las Vegas hotels – but still electric. There’s tasteful art on the walls, more greenery and a modern light fixture above the table.

The Bathroom

The tiniest room of the flat but still decent sized for a bathroom, it comes with your standard sink, mirror, toilet, shower – and a few things you wouldn’t see back home…like the washing machine. And no there isn’t a dryer. But as Ryan keeps saying, that shouldn’t be a problem since most of my clothes have to be hung to dry anyway.

I noticed something strange in the photos before we moved in but had no idea what it was. What’s that box above the toilet with a bunny on it? Ryan didn’t know what it was either.

During our tour of the flat the day we arrived, Ryan’s friend explained to us that it was the water heater. He turned the sink to hot and suddenly a huge gush of fire appeared in the box. WHAT?! I tried to act normal but was not okay seeing live flames in the apartment. I thought we were in the clear with an electric stove.

When we first FaceTimed our family to show them our new place, we turned on the hot water and showed them the flame above the toilet – like it was some cool (and terrifying) party trick. I guess we do have water heaters back home, but they’re usually hidden somewhere in a basement.

We’ve been here for two weeks now and I’m slowly getting used to it.

The Bedroom

Comfy, cozy with all of the basics including a bed, nightstands, bedside rugs and plenty of storage for our clothes. There’s also a chest full of blankets, a mirror and shelf – perfect for doing my makeup.

I don’t think they do king-sized beds here but that’s okay because we don’t exactly need the extra leg room.

Right near the door, there’s a sign that says, “Good vibes only.” Something I would have definitely bought at HomeGoods.

And take a look at our view…

The Balcony

Saving the best for last. We have a balcony with a lovely view of Wiesbaden where we can sit and watch the changing of the leaves, or the rising of the sun. It has two entrances…one from the bedroom and one from the living room. It’s not exactly summer weather here, but there’s something truly magical about sitting outside and watching the sun rise with a warm blanket and freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Thank you for visiting! We hope you enjoyed the tour.

xoxo,

The Reagles