Mindy Carlson

When we left them, the Carlson family had to choose from between a row house in a hamlet outside of Basel that was close to school; a charming duplex in the city with lots of space and close to a wonderfully huge park; and a quirky apartment in the heart of Old Town.

And which apartment did our family choose???

.
.
.
.
.

They chose the Charming Duplex in the City!

This duplex had a kitchen the missus could really cook in, a park with loads of kids and an annual spring festival just a block away, and an great layout for comfortable living and exploration of the city.  Plus there is a great space for all the visitors they have lined up.

While it’s not in the heart of Old Town, it is on a quiet street that is just a short tram ride away from all the best shopping. And not only did the landlord sweeten the deal by offering a lower rent, Mr. Carlson has promised to take the kids to school on his way to work at least 3 days a week, lightening the commuting load for Mrs. Carlson.

*******************************************************************

The house in Munchenstein was a close second as it had heaps of space and a good commute, but it was too far away from the city life that we wanted to experience for this year and a half in Basel and we felt that taking care of another yard would take up some of the time we wanted to devote to traveling through Europe.

The quirky apartment by the Marktplatz had a great location, but the floorplan was too chopped up by stairs and Mark and I wouldn’t have been able to actually stand up in half of two of the rooms due to the slope of the ceiling.  Plus the apartment was surrounded by commercial offices and there was nary a park or another child to be found.

We are pretty thrilled to have found an actual apartment in the city of Basel. And come October we will start hosting visitors!  Woo!