We finally found a house to call home in Groningen. That means that Brad will have a 3 minute bicycle commute through the city, instead of instead of biking 25 minutes through the country each morning. He could even walk if he wanted, but he really loves biking (unlike his wife, but that is fodder for another post).

The house is located just north of the downtown core near the big park that runs northwest of the city. In the summer, the park hosts various festivals for the arts - theater, music, fairs. We barely cross the street and are at the entrance to the park. There is also a square (actually it is a triangle) just around the corner with a regular grocery store, a discount grocery store, a bookstore, a florist, a pharmacy, a dollar store (sort of) and a deli. There is also a litte pub and a bakery on the corner, and lots more shops down the street.

Our home is similar to what N. Americans would call a townhouse.


It is a two level unit entered from the street in a row of houses that are connected. It is middle-aged according to European standards (approx. 120 years old) and made of brick - like almost all buildings here. And it looks really cool from the outside! Some of the houses in the row have painted their brick white, but ours is still red with white trim and a dark green door.

There is also a cellar, but the landlord says it often gets wet after heavy rain, so we probably won't be storing anything down there.

As you go through

the front door, the entrance is into a hallway where we will keep our bikes. There is a door off the hallway into the living room which has high ceilings and tall, large windows looking onto the street. There is a fireplace but the chimney has since been closed off; however, we can burn candles in it so it still feels gezellig (cozy).

The dining room is connected to the living room and it has a sliding glass door which leads onto a small enclosed patio which will be nice in the summer. The house is about twice a long as it is wide, so the living room and dining room are the length of the house.

From the dining room you go into the kitchen which is really narrow and long - kind of like a lean-to on the side of the house. The bathroom is off the kitchen and has been completely redone. The stairs are located in the kitchen and there are about 20 of them and they are really steep. One side is a wall, but the other is basically open to the kitchen below. Thankfully there is a railing for those late-night pee breaks!

The master bedroom and the guest room are upstairs. The master bedroom is quite large with a dormer looking out onto the street and a slanted ceiling (kinda like the loft). We have two chairs, a bed and two wardrobes. The bed is huge, but butted up against the slanted ceiling. We are still trying to figure out if we like that arrangement. The guest room has a new bed and mattress and is ready for visitors!

We are excited to move in and get settled. While the house is mostly furnished, there are a few things we will need right away - pillows, sheets, etc. I'm excited to check out the local stores and see what I can find to make our place more homey.

So IKEA, here I come.