Decisions, Decisions

I can't believe how fast this week went by. Of course, I spent half of it sleeping, as I still haven't kicked the six hour time difference since we left the States...a week ago already. I must be getting old.

We have spent most of our waking hours this week either looking for a new place or talking about it. Right now it's down to two contenders, each one offering very different lifestyles:

Option 1: An apartment in Conflans Saint-Honorine. We weren't planning on looking at apartments, but we were shown a tempting prospect: a brand new (open for only a few weeks) building with a nice two-bedroom place on the third floor with a big balcony. Walking distance from shops and markets, a below-ground parking spot, 200 meters from the train station. From the station it's only a 20 minute ride to the heart of Paris, which meant we would still be in proximity of everything we loved about the city. Not only that, Dave can take the train to work, it's only a 14 minute ride.

Pros:

1. Brand new - living in a 100 year-old building loses its charm when the water problems start.
2. Paris is easy to access
3. David can get to work by train
4. Balcony

Cons:

1. The kitchen is tiny. I start to hyperventilate when I think about where we're going to put all of our plates, wine glasses, and pantry staples. Let alone our (albeit small) stash of American food, German chocolate, and other treats.
2. In fact, the whole place is small. Not unlivable, but smaller than our current place, and with 2 bedrooms. We're lucky because the apartment we have now came with a lot of storage space. The apartment has almost none. After you add the Ikea cabinets and wardobes, will there still be room for us?
3. The espace vert - green space - that we'd been longing for in Levallois is still missing. There is a park within walking distance (on a nice day), but the balcony really just overlooks the street and a parking garage.

Option 2: A little house in L'Isle Adam. L'Isle Adam is a chic village about 40 minutes from Paris. The house is in a small "residential park" (suburb) not too far from the heart of the village. It has two bedrooms and charming loft, which can be used for another bedroom. But our favorite part about it is that is has a little yard in the back, and the property backs up onto the forest of L'Isle Adam. Plus, the residential park has tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool for the residents. You can see photos of it here. Just try to imagine it without the old furniture.

Pros:

1. Bigger - more space - and more closets
2. A yard and access to a forest
3. It's closer to my work
   

Cons:

1. It's about 30% more expensive than the apartment
2. The local train line is not the right one for David's work, so we'd have to get another car. More added cost.
3. Further from Paris, which means we'll rarely visit
4. The village center is walkable, but the market, bakery, and grocery stores will require a drive.
   
5. L'Isle Adam is the home to a lot of the management from my work. Which means I'm going to bump into them. Horrors upon horrors.
   

Ok, that last one is not a legitmate con. But the thought did cross my mind.

So, literally every few hours we change our minds. David is concerned about the cost of the house and the added hassle of buying another car and selling it again when we leave France. But he knows he'd be so much happier with an espace vert. For me, it comes down to: do I want space or do I want access to Paris?

Stay tuned for the result.