It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. It all started the last week in March when we were searching desperately for a new apartment we could move into come April 1. After looking a number of places and dealing with the struggles of being ex-pats in a country that loves paperwork we finally found a place. Unfortunately, we had a little drama that resulted in our move-in date being pushed back from the 1st to the 16th. We ened up moving three times in during the first two weeks of April and finally landed in our beautiful, albeit, internet-free flat. Luckily Dave’s a smarty and picked up a USB stick that allows us one of our computers to have access to the internet until we can get everything sorted with the actual set-up of wireless. You think dealing with Comcast in the US was hard- try these German companies when you don’t speak German! Pain in the ass…
Luckily all the hassle has been well worth it. We are now living in (what we consider to be) the most beautiful area of Berlin. Our apartment is located right off of Kollwitzplatz on a street that is actual listed as an attraction in our Berlin guidebook! The building is altbau- meaning it was built pre-WWII. It has huge ceilings and our windows look out over a small courtyard. It also has a bedroom separate from the living area- which is not something that’s always easy to find in Berlin. Additionally, it comes with a built-in kitchen…oddly enough Germans tend to take their kitchen appliances with them when they move (everything: stove, fridge, sink, counters etc…). Often new tenants will have to buy a whole new kitchen set. Thankfully not us!
In addition to having a kitchen the apartment came only partial furnished, so we did have to pick up a few things…a bed being the big one. Luckily Ikea is just a train ride away. Additionally we now live only a few blocks from the famous Mauerpark. Every Sunday a huge flea market is set up in the park and it always feels like the every one of the almost 4 million people who live in Berlin come to check it out every week. Neither Dave nor I are adept at bargaining, but we were able to pick up a few deals last Sunday. We got a couple of mugs, plates and vases, but our big pick up was two old Ammo Boxes made in 1940. They’re wooden and probably weight more than 20 lbs each. We decided to try our hand at being decorators and we re-purposed them as night stands. I love them- historical and chic.
We’re slowly collecting necessities- lots of trips to IKEA and the 1 Euro Shop- but it’s starting to feel more like home. The one big thing we’re missing is a couch- so once we’re in possession of that we’ll be sitting pretty (pun intended!). We feel so lucky to have found this place. They’re are parks, restaurants, shops and landmarks right outside our front door. Dave said just the other day that he can’t help but smile every time he steps onto our street. Hopefully we’ll be able to welcome some visitors in the future:)
Our New Apartment and Neighborhood
Daverian's Travels 