...and so forth

So this week we went to see two apartments, and both that we actually loved! The first one was an old building from the outside but newly renovated on the inside. It was beautiful, I mean if you really want the feel of living in Europe, this apartment will make you feel like that every single day. It had an ensuite but also a guest toilet, but no balcony which could be a problem when we want to dry the washing, the kitchen is rented (which means, ontop of our rent, there is an additional charge to use the kitchen - which I don't like) as well as we found that the washing machine was next to the dishwasher...in the kitchen, which I thought was kind of weird but the husband assured me that this is common here (I still think it's weird) the other thing was that there is no parking, but the rent was cheaper than the other apartment we looked at (the pics above).

The other apartment was quite new and in an area that we were already familiar with. We found it by chance and contacted the owner half thinking we would probably have no chance as the apartment was in a popular area of Frankfurt. And also it seems that in general, we are quite a liability as renters, as I am a foreigner and we are both new to Germany (well, relatively), and do not have a steady job. But the owner worked for an American company and found us to be quite interesting (me with the Australian accent and the husband who lived out of Germany). He had just put the apartment up on the market and we were the third people he had seen, he also told us that he will see 10 people on Saturday and a bunch more on Sunday...so chances for us are slim.

We put in a show of interest for both apartments but in the end we ended up with the one above. We are quite happy with it because it has alot of light...and electric shutters in the bedroom! (I cannot sleep unless it's completely dark) and the husband is loving the bar in the kitchen so it was still a win win for the both of us!

So...moving time!

Indonesian soy sauce

I've been hanging out alot at supermarkets lately, well whenever I'm in a new country I love going out to the supermarket and seeing what they have. I've been doing alot of this in Frankfurt just so that I know what I'm working with. I came across this and couldn't resist to buy it. The fact that they call it "Indonesian soy sauce" was already gastronomically incorrect because this does not exist but what baffles me is that they have managed to get away with selling it to the public as this name. Long story short, bought it, tried it, it tasted disgusting. I feel sorry for Germans who seem to think that there is such a thing as Indonesian soy sauce, and even sorry that they think that it tastes like that.

Taunus

We took a little break from apartment hunting to check out a little town out of Frankfurt (and because it's a Sunday today and nothing is open...and we were a little bored at home). Since my last trip to Europe (like a gazillion years ago) I have always loved checking out castles. I think they are awesome so whenever I get a chance to see one, I take it! The hike up to the castle was a bit of a struggle but the view from the top was well worth it.

...and so on

I know it seems that all I'm doing is showing you pictures of apartments but this is really only a tenth of what we have been seeing so far, so you get the idea of our time here hah! So this apartment was kind of out of the city, and the nearest train station is about 15 minutes (by car) ok so already a minus in my books but look at that backyard!..then on the other hand...look at that backyard...we will have to maintain it, and at our age, we are not the garden kind. There is also the small problem of no kitchen. Here in Germany it is quite common for renters to buy a kitchen set (so the stove, fridge, benches, sink etc) then take it with them when they move. This to me is quite a strange concept and a hassle, not to mention not so effective. When I have to take out the cabinets for my next kitchen apartment, who is to say that it will fit in that apartment? So with this apartment we thought it wouldn't be a good fit for us because; for one thing, we are not yet so sure how many years we stay in Germany, then what happens when we move to another country? Is this where the saying "to pack the kitchen sink" comes from?

...and then another

So we have travelled across the river for yet another apartment showing. This time an old apartment on the 6th floor. The great thing about it is that it's quite big, the view is quite nice! and it goes over two floors (the top being the bedroom) BUT...it's an old building so as you can see the kitchen (although in a separate room, which I love) is really quite old and the bathroom (although quite big) is also quite cold. And if it is already cold in the summer, I can only imagine the husband finding me sitting frozen on the toilet the next morning in the middle of the winter season, so....onto the next one please!

yet another...

So the week begins with yet another apartment hunting. This time in a new set of apartment buildings that have just been built. It has a few great things about it. For one, the bathroom is quite big, the biggest we have seen so far and the dark wooden floors are a bonus also, but there's a big "but" in here... The trouble with looking for an apartment here is that, the majority of one bedroom apartments here in Frankfurt are really built for a single person, this means that in this particular apartment, the livingroom, kitchen, diningroom and bedroom is all in one space. So the kitchen is not really a kitchen but a kitchenette and there is kind of a half-wall partition to separate the sleeping area. For a single person this is ok, but for a couple...not so much.

Hanging out at parks is the new "hip" thing to do

After an interesting and exhausting day yesterday (we got home quite late) we wanted to do something that was not so full on, but still something to get us out of the house. We are still trying to adjust a little bit to this whole "everything is closed on Sundays" thing compared to the ever fast-evaporating Sundays in Jakarta. A colleague of the husband took us to a lovely park just out of Frankfurt donated by the prince of Thailand and it was quite serene. I still don't understand the obsession Germans have towards parks and sitting in parks because the only people in who sit parks all day back home are either drunken old men, flashers or homeless people...maybe I will have an "aha!" moment one of these days and understand the whole "hanging out at parks" thing here in Germany, but for now, get me to a cafe or a place with a little more people around.

Sometimes a friendly game isn't really so friendly

So, fresh off of Jakarta and we were invited to watch a national soccer tournament, a friendly between branches of a company the husband is working for. Now, we were used to these soccer matches in Jakarta, but most of the time the momentum of the matches slow down considerably around 11am when the beer comes out and the players start getting too friendly with the beer well before the quarter finals - not here. There were ambulances on call, serious cheering (yep, I mean serious shouting and organised team songs distributed) and even moreso serious players. I was told that they train vigorously after work (wow, I mean, wow) to the point where there were even substantial injuries sustained. I thought the German soccer team the husband played with back in Jakarta were serious players, but compared to these, they were really quite relaxed and not so fit hah!

Another day, another apartment

So we are yet apartment hunting and found this little gem in Sachsenhausen. The apartment/unit is pretty much everything we were looking for...except the area itself is quite suburbian. I have nothing against living in suburbia but with the husband constantly working and myself in charge of the house duties for a while, in a country I'm not familiar with, we were looking for something that was not really in the heart of Frankfurt, but at least where I am able to go anywhere on foot or with a bike on my own. And while this apartment was 5 minutes away from a bus stop, it was a fair way to walk to the nearest supermarket and other shops (like a local pharmacy and what not) so we gave this one a miss unfortunately. closed kitchen..great for cooking smelly foods like Indonesian dishes! spacious living area the bedroom has its own terrace! as well as half a room where you can turn it into a walk in closet!