Saturday, July 4, 2009

House hunting

We went down to the area of Nafplio this past Tuesday and stayed until yesterday. In case you didn't know, searching for a new place to live with two small children accompanying you is NOT a piece of cake. Even though FZ, my oldest, understands and is very excited about the move, it is still very boring sitting in the car going from location to location inspecting houses.

The area that we were really interested in didn't have anything available or within or budget. We discovered that there are a wide range of buildings being built around the area but that not many of them were very functional for a modern family. For example, there were three or four bedroom houses which only had one bathroom. It's all very well having lots of balconies but what if both your kids need to go to the toilet at the same time? I can see that they might be good as a holiday home but not so good as a permanent residence.

In the end we looked at one or two close to our relatives who have just moved there. We think we may have found something suitable but we haven't signed anything yet. It's sort of a relief to think we probably don't have to do any more searching but, on the other hand, the house we are interested in isn't quite finished so that's a bit of a concern!

I am now going to turn my attention to sorting through our things here and maybe packing some things that we don't use on an everyday basis.

When we get settled in, we have to start the search for premises for our cupcake tea-shop or café. I am still thinking about whether to give it the title "tea-shop" or "café". I really believe the key to success for cupcake sales will be finding the right location. Nafplio has lots of shops so we will have to find the right place in the heart of the town.

It's both exciting and tiring thinking about it!

Liz

4 comments:

  1. location is everything
    house hunting is really quite difficult in greece - everything has been designed to get the most rental out of a property, or according to the owner's interests
    in the summer, two bathrooms are indispensable - you're in and out of the house in a very hot environment, not to mention sandy beaches - everyone needs the bathroom at the oddest hours!

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  2. I totally know what you mean. last year we spent several months looking for an ideal spot that fits our needs. really not so easy...

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  3. Liz, I know what you mean. Hope you find the most suitable one soon. About the naming the place, Greeks are not very fond of tea but they LOOOOOOVE coffee, so I think naming it cafe would be more attractive for your Greek customers.

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  4. Yes,I agree with Ivy, cafe may be better, though it would be rather cute to call it tea rooms.Good luck with your venture.I hope you become a regular visitor to my blog.I'd love to open a art cafe here but am not sure who would support it in my village.

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