Due to the lack of cupboards in the kitchen and closets in the house we were on a mission to get all this squared away. The military gives us a 1000 euro move in allowance, which we will be using most of. Our kitchen came with one wall of cupboards, which is not enough space at all. The bathrooms each came with a vanity and one small cupboard in one of the two bathrooms. Besides that the military supplies us with one closet per child and two per adult. I am so thankful for all the plastic storage containers we already had.
On Friday the 10th we decided to check out what Mercatone Uno had for storage. They are a store sort of like a Walmart with all the furniture you need for your house. After arriving there 15 minutes before they closed we found a counter top that we could purchase and by putting two of them together back to back we could make an island. We didn't purchase it as it was closing time.
On Saturday the 11th we headed out on our adventure to IKEA. We found out quickly that it is very expensive to travel on the autostrada (highway). We had just under an hour drive to get there and were charged 5.30 euro (which is about $6.80) for one way. It was easy to find and our experience there was great up until the end when it was time to check out. The credit card I had planned to use was declined and I was using it since that particular card doesn't charge international fees. I ended up just using our USAA debit card and found out later that international fees for using the card are only 1% of your total, so it wasn't so bad after all! We came out of there with rugs for the kids rooms, lamps, a bathroom cabinet and more!
Sunday the 12th we headed back to Mercatone Uno to purchase our countertops that we had found on Friday, to find out that they were discontinued...the language barrier is very frustrating when you are trying to ask a question. I was almost in tears. We ended up just buying a pantry closet for the kitchen.
Monday came along and we decided to check out the local SELF store (like a Lowe's or Home Depot). We were able to get lots of things that Bill needed for fixing up the house. With no counter top luck there we headed over to SME (a department store with anything you need along with a huge furniture section). As we were about to leave we came across some kitchen cabinets! One was available that day and the other would be in on the 16th! Finally we had success with the kitchen cabinets for our island! Now just waiting to see if it actually comes in tomorrow...
The house is slowly, but surely coming together! Hanging up pictures is a job in itself as all our walls are made out of cement. I am patiently waiting for the 10 foot pole to arrive for my cobweb brush, so we can get rid of the cobwebs around the outside of the house. Once everything is done I will for sure post some pictures! So far so good, life is good!!!! Ciao
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