Renting a flat

If there is somebody breaking a record in length of property lookout, I believe I would stand a chance of being in among leaders. I set off to search unhurriedly in late 2015, in 2016 I was giving it up on a few times, while considering moving to another European capital as part of secondment and buying a flat after I return, or moving to Wrocław (this involved a promotion I was doomed not to get). There was a time when my housing needs were met by hotels or time of absolute indifference and little hope for the future when I still hunted, but with not much zeal, nor pressure to buy.

Though I have not bought a flat, it does not mean I have not found any which I had been keen to purchase. After my “relationship status” changed for the better, the search accelerated and after somewhat loosening the criteria I have found four flats I was intent to buy. As it turns out, it takes two to tango, which means if a vendor puts up an advertisement, they do not necessarily aim to finalise the deal.

Without going into details, reasons why I am not a flat-owner are as follows:

Flat #1, the sellers wanted to sell their flat, but expected a buyer to let rent it from the new owner until June 2018, when they would be able to move in to their brand-new flat, currently under construction. Since such transaction would not help my housing needs be met, I gave it a rest.

Flat #2, the one which took my fancy the most. I kept a diary of negotiations… I found the ad directly from the owner (actually son-in-law of owners handling the whole stuff) on 18 July and immediately called him. After three calls I saw the flat on 7 August 2017, then once again with my parents on 12 August, then met the owners on 18 August to discuss details of the deal. Since asking price was quite attractive, there was no room for haggling and potential buyers were expected to place bids and the winning bidder would buy the flat. On 25 August the sellers called me to inform they would keep on letting the flat, instead of getting rid of it and maybe they would return to the market in a year.

Flat #3, quite OK rather than dreamt-up, but attractively priced. I was the first one to visit the flat and place a bid. The process kicked off immediately, but while I asked for a set of documents required by a notary to draw up a notarial deed, they turned out to had been missing, since 2001 when there was some mess with the housing co-operative which went bankrupt upon the completion of that estate…

Flat #4, also good enough and well-priced, with little additional outlays required. I carried on with negotiations, arranging a crew of dab hands to turn the bathroom (which needed a thorough refurbrishment) upside down, finally cheerful and putting faith everything was on track, I did not notice the seller was hanging back on arranging a date with a notary. Soon she called me to notify she had sold the flat to someone else.

I picked up that last call on the last week of November. Sadly, I must notice the number of flats put up for sale has dwindled recently and I blame high rent yields (according to the recent NBP report residential rent produces five times higher earnings than an average bank deposit) which induce several property-owners to let their flats instead of selling them. NBP figures which show number of transactions on secondary residential property market diminished from nearly 2,100 in 3Q2016 to 1,100 in 3Q2017 might support my presumptions.

In 2018 I have not a single flat I would wish to visit and the number of new advertisements is close to zero (this could be put down to winter holidays as well).

In the meantime my girlfriend, who rented a room in a flat, despite several attempts had not had her rent contract, which expired on 31 December 2017, renewed. The flat-owner, who lives somewhere in Poland, was too lazy to come to Warsaw and sign the papers, so from the beginning of this month she lived there without an agreement. On top, just before we headed for Norway, her flatmate told she would move out at the end of the month.

We discussed all pros and cons and arrived at the decision we would rent a small flat together and reside there until I buy something reasonable. After returning to Poland two weeks ago we entered a race against time. We knew the rent market in Warsaw is red-hot and any attractively-priced flat draws in a queue of potential tenants. We knew once we found something which would meet our needs, we would need to make a decision swiftly. In the first two flats we visited we made a mistake by being too sincere and declaring we would not promise to rent for at least a year. The prospect of looking for new tenants in a few months has probably put off landlords and our bids were immediately were turned down. There was a story of a cheap flat to be rented for a short period, until a 104-year grandma, who is formally entitled to reside until death there but reside in a nursing home, deceases, but I don’t feel like recounting it. In the fourth flat we lied we would want to rent for at least a year, but insisted on a just-in-case 1-month notice termination option. Out there, we signed the contract within one day and fended off the threat of my girlfriend becoming homeless.

This marks a new stage in the relationship, but still is perceived by me as a temporary solution, a quick fix before my own flat is found. Until this happens, may we dwell the rented one uneventfully.

Since next weekend we head south so that I meet my girlfriend’s parents and in two weeks we head north to get some well-deserved relax, the last before my girlfriend’s exam in mid-May and the subsequent holidays, the next posting will be due around 18 February.

Tromso, Norway

The trip 300 kilometres north of the polar circle was not taken off my own bat, this had been the idea of my girlfriend to which I had acceded, knowing otherwise she would not be keen to go to some warmer places next late autumn or winter. The execution was facilitated by a new direct flight connection launched recently by a pink-violet cheap airline between Gdańsk and Tromso, the biggest city beyond the polar circle in the civilised word (Murmansk and Norilsk in Russia are more populous, yet would not rank among my agreeable destinations).

Getting to Tromso is now much cheaper from Warsaw. Previously you could take a cheap flight from Poland’s capital to Oslo or Bergen and then board a plane of a local airplane, a few times more expensive than a flight from Poland. Today the cost of a return plane ticket from Gdańsk to Tromso and Pendolino train to get to Gdańsk from Warsaw might be as low as 300 PLN if you are lucky to hunt cheap flights and buy train tickets in advance. The only drawback are late hours of the return flight, meaning the plane touches down in Gdansk at 1 a.m. and we had to wait five hours at the airport for the morning trains home.

We have not taken checked-in luggage for four full days of stay, but travelled light in terms of clothing and filled our hand luggage (suitcase and rucksack) with stocks of food purchased in a supermarket in Gdańsk. Food in Norway is somewhat four to five times more expensive than in Poland, so as our Airbnb (again) lodgings was with access to a kitchen so we made substantial savings on the trip (total cost per person of mere 1,100 PLN).

Now time for some impressions.

The main purpose of the trip was to see the northern lights. Not a single time during five evenings have we spotted it, as most of the time chances of seeing the aurora are below 20%. Sky should be cloud-free and solar activity are you should stray far from external lights (difficult, unless to take an organised chase which costs nearly 1,000 PLN, can be called off without money refund and does not guarantee you see the lights). All those conditions have not been met and we ended up roaming around in the evenings and not spotting any aurora on the sky.

The climate in Tromso, despite its sub-arctic location is quite mild in winters, thanks to warming-up impact of the Gulf Stream. Temperatures during our stay fluctuated between -1C and -5C. Though average temperature of January is 2 Celsius degrees lower than in Warsaw, thaws are frequent. Thermal long-johns and vest proved useful, same as snow boots and trekking socks, but the second pair of gloves, foot and palm warmers were rendered useless.

Polar nights are also over-rated in terms of darkness (to the right how light it is on a typical not-cloudy day). Sun is not seen, but sunlight make hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. visibly lighter. It also needs to be noted our stay fell just before the first sunrise which in Tromso is celebrated on 15 January.

The biggest challenge in moving around town is ice, particularly treacherous during thaws. When heaps of snow melt or rain falls on a frozen ground, water freezes immediately, but the top layer is watery and therefore hazardously slippery. Gravel is put down on most paths; main roads and pavements in the centre of the town are mechanically cleared of snow. Locals have gotten accustomed to the ice (we saw locals jogging in sneakers and riding bikes on ice), many have ice spikes attached to soles of their footwear, vehicles are fitted with snow tyres with spikes thanks to which they hold the icy road well (no skids).

Spikes in tyres are the only way they prepare their cars for winter. Despite cold climate many car-owners keep their vehicles in the open air and parking facilities lack sockets for engine block heaters which are common in Scandinavian countries and Canada (in Siberia where petrol is cheap cars kept outside heated garages, their engines are not turned off at all).

Electricity in Norway is dirt-cheap and light in the winter is treated as a common good, therefore lights are on outside every inhabited dwelling and on in all rooms except for bedrooms when dwellers are asleep. Oddly enough, curtains or rollers in windows are not common, so actually you can see from a street what is going on inside a house.

Locals seem to be trustful. Fences do not separate private properties, people keep skis and bicycles unguarded in the open air. In terms of communication, they are very reserved. One can easily communicate in English, but should not reckon on a longer conversation, since nobody is keen to engage in it.

On top, some more photos. To the right, Prestvannet lake, frozen over and snow-covered. Looking towards the place on the horizon beyond which the sun shines, through a mist. Enchanting, yet harsh.

A close-up of southern part of Tromsoya island in winter daylight. Shot taken from an island to which one can get by a cable-car. Trip there was one of four main expenses made there (other than weekly bus tickets, entrance to the polar museum and one visit to a café for a cake and a coffee).

A view from Mount Something (not condemn me for not remembering the names which are enough difficult to pronounce), a peak whose name my girlfriend has found, Norgeskart application displays as Heastajalga - Google Maps proves here useless, which I climbed reluctantly, but sight from the above compensated for the hardship of ascent in knee-deep snow which is not my favourite form of leisure.

The Way of the Superior Man…

…A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire

The book by David Deida was one of my birthday gifts received in December. When I spotted it on my desk the morning after I turned thirty and upon leafing through the book and reading out some random sentences, I was pretty sure the gift had been handed by my workmate, who is… (unlike me) fond of spirituality and always intent to spill her fascination over everyone around.

I actually do not truly share her enchantment with spirituality and probably I am too self-constrained to make out elements of spirituality in processes such as ejaculation, therefore I treated reading the book with reserve, but with a dose of curiosity.

I am sceptical towards any guides how to live your life, because (watch out, cliché) every human is different, therefore there is no single recipe how to work on yourself to become a better man, as well as how to build relationships with fellow people, since each of them is unique. Giving credence to “how-to-live” guides means following somebody’s steps blindfold, while I believe one should rely on one’s wits, emotional intelligence and experience in handling relationships with other humans. Needless to say, it takes errors along the way, but lessons learnt from one’s mistakes are those most memorable.

Nevertheless, the book fleshes out some concepts which I believe are universal and pave the way to happiness and self-fulfilment of a male.

Firstly, be yourself and shape the world around. Trying to shape oneself, or at worst pretending to be someone else just to live up to your mates’ expectation is a bumpy road to nowhere. Only being yourself and knowing the rest of the world accepts the way you are can drive away the frustration. Beware though, this is not at odds with striving for perfection on every step you take. Besides, a wilful male impacts the world around him. You should not entirely accept what surrounds you, your power sets direction in which things drift.

Secondly, keep a healthy distance, towards life in general. There are matters you have no influence on and for the benefit or your mental health you should least worry about them. When it comes about things you have an effect on, do not get carried away by emotions, stay calm, comes hell or high water.

Thirdly, be decisive. There is nothing more infuriating than seeing a male who dithers or is afraid to take a decision. It does not matter much whether such sight is seen by a woman or by another man. Being decisive proves responsibility and maturity.

Fourthly, focus on spiritual aspect of your relationship. I would argue while the honeymoon is over and the daily grind becomes overwhelming, it is essential to remember about non-down-to-earth sphere of life to keep the flame burning. Dissecting the spiritual aspects of ejaculation is maybe not the essence of this, but my good friend skilfully put it into words. He said being together means putting up with your partner’s shortcomings which will not f**k you up only if you love your partner to bits.

Fifthly, discern and make us of your manly and womanly traits. This piece of advice dwells on the concept of gender and the fact no human has its profile in 100% consistent with their biological sex. While pairing up, two people ought to supplement one another, so that the sums of their womanhood and manhood in their relationship should add up to 100%. Relationships with surpass of womanhood or manhood end up with a clash and are less likely to last long happily.

Having read the post over and over again I see my own writing has become a preacher’s twaddle. To escape this philosophical mood, I am flying to Tromso, Norway, beyond the polar circle. Coverage of this trip to ensue in two weeks.