Another Temporary Home

One full month down! Where does the time go?!

I spent most of the last week panicking about where we are going to live after our one month stay ended in our apartment. And I think Taylor spent most of the last week worrying about me worrying. Yea, we were a little bit of a mess.

We had to be out of our apartment on Friday, so we booked an AirBnB for 9 nights (to last us until we go back to the states for Taylor’s work trip.) We had our eye on two apartments that wouldn’t be available until August, so we figured we could just stay in random accommodations (AirBnBs, hotels, hostels, etc.) until we were able to get into one of the more permanent places. It’s a pretty expensive and inconvenient way to live, but it sure beats living under a bridge!

Then, Friday actually happened. As soon as we checked into our 3^rd temporary home, a really nice apartment in some young guy’s house, we found another option. Taylor’s co-worker, Martin, called and said he knew of a fully furnished apartment for €350/month that we could stay in until we found a more permanent place. Uh…what?! We were planning on moving around regularly and paying at least €1,000 for the month. This sounded too good to be true.

We went to see the apartment and meet the owners, Hans and Grete. They’re a sweet couple in their mid-sixties who own this big, 4 story house with a beautiful backyard in the middle of a rural neighborhood. The first floor has a garage, laundry room, and mostly storage space. The second floor is a full apartment where a little 88-year-old woman lives. The third floor is where Hans and Grete live. Then, at the very top, is a fully furnished apartment where their son used to live. Lucky for us, their son just moved out and they’re hoping to make a little extra cash off the apartment.

Within about two hours of checking into our AirBnB, we cancelled the remainder of our reservation and checked out. Luckily, we hadn’t even unpacked.

We moved into the attic apartment immediately and then Hans and Grete drove us around the neighborhood on a little tour. They took us grocery shopping, bought us coffee and pastries, pulled out old maps for us to use, explained the bus system, and made sure we had everything we could possibly need. They even bought a new coffee maker for us and are letting us use their old bikes while we’re here. I’d never heard about German hospitality before moving here, but dang!

The apartment has its fair share of quirks and issues. But at the end of the day, it’s a bed to sleep on and a roof over our heads. We can leave a few things here while we travel back to the US for a week and we can stay here until something more permanent is available. We couldn’t be more thankful for this incredible couple and Taylor’s co-workers who are always looking out for us. It’s a true testament to God’s grace.