Euro Home Odyssey

Stuttgart-bound?

2009-04-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

We've considered this as the next move, as there are easier employment options in the Stuttgart area which wouldn't require an EU work permit.

With modest-yet-comfortable places like this out there, this seems like a good option.

Stuttgart is closer to the Black Forest, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and other western points. Of course, Munich would be closer to Austria, the Czech Republic, and points east.

Either way, hopping a train to Paris, Venice, or Berlin is oh so tempting.

I just wanna be able to hop on the bike and ride somewhere interesting in no time flat without risk of being nailed by an idiot driver.

Charming timber home in Lindau

2009-02-25T02:05:00.000-08:00

This half-timbered charmer goes for a low-low price of 130k euros. Not at all bad for a ~1500 sqft. standalone house on the Bodensee. Or is there a typo somewhere in the listing? I'm left to wonder. Sounds too good to be true. Something that one could conceivably buy in the near future. That would give us a nice place to head in the summer to escape the Austin heat.

What better place than deep in the Alps. I imagine this would rent well during the winter ski season and any other time of the year as a getaway destination.

Private Cave

2009-02-25T01:52:00.000-08:00

Seems an odd thing to put on a real estate site, but okay. I'll bite. Hmm... gardening equipment, possible location for a restaurant. Maybe. But Immediately usable? Hard to pin down. And not enough light for a studio, unless I'm looking to develop rolls of film the old fashioned way.

This was all spurned on by finding my childhood home in Berlin on Google Maps. Made me wonder if the old military buildings are being used for anything, because if not, I could certainly make use of one as a warehouse studio. Searching for options in the location around Berlin-Dahlem turned up a few leads, but nothing like what I hoped to find. Then out of curiosity I tried a broader search.

Never expected to find this link to a for sale cave for $99k.

Anyone have ~$1.7M to loan me?

2009-02-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

Please? You could come visit anytime.

This place looks majestic, especially given its proximity to Munich, Innsbruck, and Salzburg.

I'd never heard of the town of Lenggries, but I'll have to add it to my list as a nice out-of-the-way-yet-still-close-to-lots option one day.

Yes, with this post, the search has be re-initiated. Now that I don't think I'll have to explain away the policies of the U.S. administration, I think we can re-consider this move sometime in the next year or two.

Now I just need ~$1.7M. Where's my bailout?

Out of a Bros. Grimm Fairy Tale?

2006-07-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! Check out this happy castle in Germany...for a mere 250k euros...sure it needs renovation, but what from the 18th century doesn't?

There is a preceding 5-stage terrace, the castle market garden building and the coachman's house. Parts of the field part are taken up by the castle park with extensive borders and retaining walls. The buildings is empty and the castle association takes care of the buildings and of the outside arrangements. (Castle park) Interior and utilities do not exist. The buildings are from stone and are very spacious.

Built from 1749 to 1753 by the Lord Samuel Frederick von Canitz, this place would make a nice place to sit back and take a breather from the rest of the world. I imagine I would write some nice poems and short stories from this vantage.

Or maybe not; maybe I'd just have to sit out in my own gothic-inspired gazebo! That, or sit inside and stare at the ceiling...

Hmm...maybe next year!

Homeric Proportions

2006-07-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

There's this site I occasionally poke about where European (and other international places) homes are advertised. I can't help but get sucked in, since I've often found castles in the Czech Republic for ~200k Euros. Beats the heck out of spending that on a McMansion...

So, out of amusement, I looked into homes in Greece...why not; I could spend a month or two a year here!

This one is on Crete...and looks really nice. Built in 2001/2002 by an architect, listing for ~350k Euros. Of course, I have nothing like that kind of money (yet!), so it's silly to browse these locations. Also, I wonder if this would make me feel more isolated or more included in the surrounding world. I bet I'd get less phone calls... Anyhoo, it's amusing to dream. So, there!