Flatspotting

On Friday morning, we had to vacate our room at K-Road City Travellers by 11am, which also happened to be the time that C's university orientation began. We miraculously managed to pack up all of our belongings, which seemed to have increased in number since arriving one week ago. After this no small feat, we legged it down the road to the next hostel (BK Hostel) with our bags in tow. C had to go to uni by this time, so G took care of checking in and out.

G had a leisurely morning, reading in Western Park until it was time for the first viewing of the day at 12:30. This apartment on Ophir Street was quite spacious and pleasant, however there was the same old issue with the beds, and the balcony overlooked a motorway. The estate agent was a lovely, grand-motherly figure, who wished G “Doll” well in her mission of finding a place to live after G declined the apartment.

In the meantime, C was down the hill at her university orientation. The lecture theatre was cosy, and there were at most 50 people in the room. The heads of department spoke briefly, and then the entire faculty staff (it seemed) were introduced: the technical aides, the financial advisers, the career advisers, and even the kitchen sink was rolled out to be introduced. The affair was lovely, and it was really nice to see that everyone felt at home there, and kept insisting that we ask questions any time. Afterwards, we went upstairs for pizza (or in C's case, orange juice), and C had a chance to meet some of her fellow students. Everything was over within an hour and a half, but it was a very good briefing for what to look forward to over the next couple of years.

Outside the uni, C received a call from G, and they rendez-vous'ed in an Alice-in-Wonderland-themed cafe for an avocado sandwich, with freshly-picked basil from the garden, and soft, luscious chips with sweet tomato ketchup. We raced down the road, dropped off our bags at the hostel, and carried on racing to the next viewing at the marine end of Queen Street. The flat was a mess, it looked like C's room as a teenager, and had a strong aroma of mouldy rubbish or gone-off milk. Having said that, the ceilings were incredibly high, which gave the rather small space an aura of grandeur. It would just-about manage to fit four people, so we will go back next week to view the place when it's not such a tip.

The next viewing was in the same area, but not for a few hours, so we hung around the docks and watched the sea and read our Kobo's for a bit, and then went to the final viewing of the day. G and C walked in, looked each other, and went “YES”. Homely, spacious, 4 burners, fan, 2 double bedrooms, gorgeous decoration, and basically everything on our check-list had a big mark in the box. We expressed interest to the estate agent, and she said she'll email our application forms on Monday.

We met N at the bus station (he had been unable to make the viewings for the day) and gave him a round-up of what had happened, and showed pictures of the spotted flat. He seemed keen, and so we went home buzzing. On the way home, we were given apples by the Krishna-consciousness dance that was happening on Queen Street. G grabbed a subway, C a falafal wrap, and we headed back to the hostel, to fall into bed and sleep.