KEYS to the Swiss pad

We got the keys to our permanent apartment yesterday! We LOVE this place. Its definitely the nicest apartment we have ever lived in -- well....second to my stint in #337 in North Carolina perhaps :)  It is in an old building, but the landlord just finished renovating it last week, which means new everything (kitchen, bathroom, windows, etc.) while still having renovated old features (crown molding, tall ceilings, old-style closets and windows, wrought iron balcony/window features). The shipping company delivers all of our STUFF today at 8AM and we can't wait to sleep in our own bed. This weekend we will be doing some major shopping because our bed and a few wardrobes is the only furniture that we actually shipped!

A few random facts on renting Swiss apartment that we found interesting (or annoying at times):

• Before handing over keys in Switzerland, landlords need proof of: first month's rent, a security deposit of 3 MONTHS rent (my company loans expats the Swiss francs thankfully!), proof of household and liability insurance coverage, and of course a signed lease.
• All light fixtures are owned by tenants and not landlords in Switzerland. This means that whenever you go into an empty apartment, you will just see one lonely light bulb hanging from the ceiling. This should be interesting for us to figure out how to install light fixtures... or maybe we will just wait until Hut visits :)
• In rental buildings that have laundry facilities, you are assigned a 2 hour time slot during the week in which you can do your laundry - the time slot typically ends up being in the middle of a weekday, so a lot of people actually go home from work to do laundry. Can you imagine saying "sorry boss, gotta go home to switch the laundry!" We are actually going to purchase a washing machine and have it installed in the apartment (this is quite common here and you sell it to the next tenant).

Below is a video tour of the new apartment before all of our stuff gets delivered. Make sure you check out YOUR guest bedroom!! :)