Sunday, June 12, 2011

a little more normal

wild strawberries

every day
feels
a little more
normal...
a little more
like a routine...

from walking
to work
each
morning
down
the
many
flights
of stairs
a l o n g
the train tracks
across the bridge
to
the university,

to
catching
the bus back
up the hill to
the botanical garden
where grub &
my house
mate,
pip,
are
chatting
over
beers in
the kitchen,

to waking up
on saturday,
having a
cup of tea,
and walking
down the hill
with our shopping
bags to the weekend market.

market radishes

each day
i understand
and speak
a little more french.
every week
it feels
a little more
like i really live here.

red currants

. . .

we signed
a apartment contract
and went
through
the apartment inspection
this week...
it's much more
of a formal affair
in switzerland.
we heard you
have to be
very careful
because
you are responsible
for every little hole
and scratch
when you move out.

on my way out
of the apartment
i snapped
a quick photo
of the view from
the living room.

view from our new livingroom
{that green screen has got to go}

we move in
next week
and are trying
to think of
creative ways
to decorate
and furnish
the apartment
because furniture
is very expensive.

i joke that
grub will have
the minimalist
apartment that
he always
wanted:



we have been
quite obsessed
with decorating-
collecting
our ideas
to share with
each other
here (grub)
and
here (me).

i am obsessed
with trying
to make things
with found/
recycled
crates & pallets
(although where
does one find
wood crates & pallets
around here?)...






on the other hand
grub
has focused
his attention
on lighting...
probably because
he thinks spaces
are poorly
lit here...




i know these
ideas are
always harder
to pull off
than they seem...
especially
when a place
like home depot
doesn't seem
to exist
around here
(or we can't find it).

it will be
interesting
to document
the process
as we slowly
make
this apartment
our home
for the next
2 years.

i look
forward
to sharing
this transition
with you.

bon week-end.
xo

10 comments:

Emily M. said...

do you know about anibis.ch? http://www.anibis.ch/en/Default.aspx

i believe it is a bit like the craigslist of switzerland. i never bought anything off of it, but have a friend who is really into interior design & bargains, and speaks extremely minimal french, and she has gotten a ton of vintage furniture from it. might want to check it out!

we resorted to ikea... :)

as for home depot, is there a hornbach near you? http://www.hornbach.com/index/index.php
very similar to home depot.

good luck!!!

Anne said...

congrats on the appartment! great view!

Beth said...

I'm loving all these posts! It's annoying to have to acknowledge the potential gap between design dreams and the reality of finding what you seek.

chilled margarita said...

I love the posts and the photos! I miss Switzerland! :)

lisa solomon said...

ha ! i love the minimalist apt. [which we will NEVER have.] that will be good for the wee one too :)

if you can find a home depot i bet you can find some palettes :)

Tracykins said...

Doing something similar for part of my internship. Found this pallet planter you might enjoy:
http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-turn-a-pallet-into-a-garden/

The Rotary said...

the apartment looks like it's going to be amazing. looking forward to seeing how you decorate! and that view?!

and congrats on wee grub ;)

alexandria said...

What an exciting adventure you both are on. I'm glad you got the apartment.

I love the strawberries photo.

p.s. I received your postcard today. I love a great surprise like this...thank you, gwen!

Erin Lang Norris said...

Gwen-

I was so excited to see that you had come back to this space a few weeks ago. You are on such a wonderful journey right now!

I'm glad it's all feeling more normal. You are truly an inspiration...I don't know if I'd ever be brave enough to do what you are doing. I really admire it all.

Take care and good luck with finding a Home Depot. :)

Lizette said...

love your posts. don't know anyone in neuchatel though. perhaps you can ask the farmers in the market for their crates:) for furniture making, or the university might have some surplus old furniture...