6 October: Apartment for Rent

Frau Dörr came by yesterday afternoon (after I got back from seeing Beth at Deli, a very cool café in downtown Stuttgart) to tell me that she had listed our apartment this week and had immediately received not one, not two, but three inquiries from interested parties, all of whom want to come see our place this weekend! I knew the housing market in Stuttgart was pretty tight, but even Frau Dörr seemed surprised by the quick response. I was somewhat annoyed at the short notice because it is going to be a little awkward for us to be here with the dog when people come to see the apartment, and I would prefer that they come when we are not at home. But I couldn’t do anything about it, because Frau Dörr had already scheduled the appointments. Two couples are coming today and one on Sunday. At least tomorrow we will be gone, since we are planning to go with Jürgen for our last visit to the Nürburgring.

We were here when the first couple arrived – a middle-aged couple with a toddler. We showed them around the place and told them that all of our furniture was also for sale if they saw anything that interested them. They just smiled and said they already had their own things. They weren’t thrilled about the narrow spiral stairs, commenting (rightfully so) that it would be tough to get up and down them with a baby in tow. I have slipped on those stairs more than once, and I certainly wouldn’t want to tackle them while carrying a squirming baby! The second couple arrived just as we were conveniently leaving to take Cody for his afternoon walk, so we said hello and went on our way. They were out in the garden with the Dörrs when we returned so we slipped back upstairs without talking to them. Frau Dörr later said that she didn’t think the first couple was interested in the place but that the second couple might be.

I guess it really hit home today, now that we have strangers walking through our house, that we are leaving soon. In just over two months, we will have spread the contents of this apartment to the four winds and will be saying farewell to Stuttgart. Now, more than ever, I have to make each day count!