Apple tree alley, Part 1

Our first home

It was maybe the year 1999 or 2000. No, now I remember, it must have been the year 2001. The winter when there was a doping scandal - approximately at that time I visited the place for the first time. There was a funny friend of mine living there, who put his pants on his head, when we went to the balcony for a cigarette, because it was so cold. I told him to put dirty pants, that way it might be even warmer. He did not, maybe he was not as crazy as I am.

Have not heard about him afterwards. Do not remember his real name either. But he had an eye, which made a peculiar noise. I mean, when he pushed his eye gently with his hand, there was a clear sound. An extraordinary fellow. Anyway, that was when I visited the place for the first time. Apple tree alley 22. Already at that time I sensed something special about the place.

Everybody seemed to know each other. On the ground floor there was an artistic couple with a pretty teenage daughter. And an elderly man, whose wife had died couple of years earlier. The man was quite lonely and liked to invite others for a drink. On the second floor there was this funny friend of mine. And a bitter old Bulgarian witch, who was terrorizing the whole neighborhood. Always angry like she would kill someone. Who lived on the third and on the fourth floor, I can not recall. I do not even know, if I ever saw them.

Everyone had to move away sometime between 2003 and 2005. The house was totally renovated. Apartments were made smaller, so that there are now three apartments and a laundry room and a sauna on the ground floor. On the other floors there are five apartments on each.

My good friend Aura lives on the second floor. She told me there is now an apartment available on the top floor. Mary and I have been looking for a flat for some time. Aura asked us to come to see the apartment on the top floor of her house.

When we went to see the place, it was a sunny day. About eleven o´clock on Wednesday the 7th of May. Birds were singing beautifully as we walked along the Apple tree alley. Cool wind from the sea made the day not too hot, but there was a clear feeling of coming summer.

Almost something magical about the atmosphere. I don't know if it has something to do with the nearby cemetery, but the feeling you get, when you arrive to the Apple tree alley, is so peaceful. There is a gentle balance between man and nature there. Squirrels and wild bunnies playing right in front of the house.

The house, Appletree alley 22, is a yellow-white-coloured Art Nouveau style building and the apartment on the top floor has a small kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room with a view to the sea. About fifteen minutes walk from the city centre and ten minutes walk from where I got a new job. Mary works in a neighboring city. There are really good connections by subway and by bus.

It is a perfect place for a couple like us. Mary loves the place too. Apple trees on both sides of the street and a large garden on the backyard. A peaceful area almost in the heart of the city centre. Quite expensive but worth every penny. Even a pool table in the cellar.

There was no need for many questions. We took the apartment immediately. Our first home.