My New Home

Several years ago, I was coming up the escalator of the Vieux Port Metro station, and I caught an overwhelming whiff of the fish market. However, instead of turning my nose up at it, I took a deep breath, and thought, "Ah...it smells like home."

Then I stopped dead in my tracks. I'd never thought that before. Never, once, in my whole life, have I thought of a place as "home." I moved too much to develop that concept, and never latched on emotionally to a place. "Home" has never been equal to a place for me. It's usually wherever my family is, even if I've never lived there.

So where did that thought of "home" come from all of a sudden, and why was it attached to the smell of the fish market at the Vieux Port? I thought it through and realized that nearly everywhere I've ever lived has been near water, and there were fresh fish markets: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. South Korea. Alaska. Hawaii. Portugal. California. The UAE. Tunisia. Marseille.

Fresh fish is the only thing I've found so far that links all my homes. All bazillion of them. So now, every time I come up out of that metro and smell that smell, it warms my heart. I love coming up out of the Vieux Port Metro, and it's a good thing...because my new apartment is around the corner from it!

God is so good, He has blessed me with an apartment with a view of the Vieux Port! On the same street as the Starbucks! And a 10 minute walk from my work building. I simply couldn't ask for a better location! Below is the building. If you count three floors up from the non-business door in the middle, my apartment is the one with the shutters closed. The building is a Haussmann building, built in 1860. I love that.

Not only this building, but nearly all the buildings like it on the entire street are owned by a realty company who are working on beautifying Marseille. (Which means I don't have to deal with a particular proprietor, but directly with the agent assigned to me from this agency...and they all speak English there!) Anyway... They cleaned the outsides and restored the insides. They've been working on my apartment for the last six years! It's so amazing...they kept nearly all the old charm, but modernized what needed to be to bring it up to standards. So, when you walk in the locked front door on the street, there's a second locked door to come through, with video surveillance in the apartment to see who you're letting in the building!

And then! There's an elevator! (Alot of the old buildings in Marseille lack the beloved elevator.) This one is much like the canister elevator I wrote about in my last post, but it does at least fit two people (no more!)...or me and my grocery cart. That's all that matters to me!
The apartment has super high ceilings...and so even the front door is really high! Below you can see the pretty blue doors, with the realtor in front to give perspective of how high the ceilings are.
The apartment is really narrow and long. So when you walk in the front door, you see down the hallway the full length of the apartment. Along the hallway are closets, a bedroom, the toilet room, and the bathroom. You'll note the pretty hardwood floors.
What is supposed to be the spare bedroom is near the front door, and thus, in the back of the apartment...and VERY quiet. If I can get a queen bed in there, it'll be my bedroom. I may have to jump into the bed from the doorway, but I'm determined to have a grown up bed and that bed to be in that room. It's just so quiet, and since all I'll do in there is sleep, I want to save the bigger, prettier bedroom for office/quilting/guest room.
Next is the toilet room...with a sink in it! This was one of the things I really hoped for in an apartment. It's extremely rare. I'm so happy to have it!
Next is the bathroom. The shower is behind that wall...so there's no need for a shower curtain. The washer will go to the left of the sink, and I think I'll be able to fit the dryer in there too.
When you get to end of the hall, you hang a left and there is the kitchen. It's very modern looking compared to the rest of the place. The left hole will be where my oven/stove goes, and the right hole will be where the (eventual) dishwasher goes. You'll notice that there really is only counter space above the (eventual) dishwasher. And only three cabinets.
Thus, this other empty side of the kitchen is where the fridge and the counter/cabinets will need to go. And then I noticed the RADIATOR in the middle of the wall, right where I was hoping to put the fridge. That kitchen's going to be interesting, I tell you!
Then, oh then...the pretty. Are you ready for the pretty? Maybe you should sit down. This is the guest bedroom. So when you come to see me, this is where you will stay. Pretty old doors! Pretty fireplace! Pretty French windows! Pretty sunlight! And a (non-pictured) walk-in closet!
Not a great picture at all, but here is the living room. It has a second window. This picture does it no justice! It's so beautiful. I couldn't be happier with it! Oh wait. I could. Make the street out front pedestrian so there's no noise from all the vehicles. Then I'd fall over dead from pure joy. (And no, the fireplaces don't work.)
If you look up, you'll see the crown molding. Original. Oh my.
And last, but not least, the view from my living room window. Wowzah! Can you believe that? I'm still in shock. Happy shock.
Before I ever moved to France, I imagined French apartments would look like this. Then I got to France and never once saw one that looked like this and figured Hollywood must've created that image in my head. But here it is. And it's all mine.

I signed the lease today, pick up the keys tomorrow, do the walk-through on March 31st, and it's mine to move in on April 1st. Yippee! This truly is the "He is able to do more than we ask or imagine" home for me. For the first time in my life, I signed a lease for an apartment in my name. For the first time since Paris (I left in 2008), I'll be settling into a place to call my own. And at the age of 36, I am finally going to get to buy my own furniture and appliances. Praise the Good Lord! Thank Him with me, won't you!?