Sprechen Sie Englisch? (Do You Speak English?)

I’ve learned to pronounce the above phrase very well. So far this week, I’ve become accustom to how things work in Hattingen, such as no grocery stores are open on Sunday, and gas prices average around $7.00 a gallon. Germany uses litres and it’s 3.8 litres = gallon. Here are some pictures of our flat (European term for apartment).

Below are outdoor pictures of the area where our flat is located. 

  

This is the hallway going toward the front door, and to the right is the kitchen.

 

The kitchen is small and cluttered due to the fact we have FIVE—count them—FIVE small garbages to juggle; organics, paper, regular, glass and recycled. Also, we have a freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerator and stove/oven setup in the kitchen. When you leave a flat in Hattingen, you must gut everything out—meaning take down wallpaper, take down kitchen cabinets, and all appliances, therefore, you need to set them up in your new living space.

This is the living room where we spend much of our time. Meine Liebe (my love) has his desk to do his work, and I sit on the couch with my laptop to work on my writings.

And then there’s the bathroom. Yes, it’s an adventure showering on one side of the bathtub. Because we are in the attic area of the flat, the ceiling slants as it does in all the rooms.

Another thing that is very unique about Germany are cemeteries. The burial grounds are decorated like little gardens. When we were walking through town, I saw some beautiful arrangements. I wanted to buy one, but meine liebe said those were for burials. I’m posting a few pictures of these burial arrangements that are added to the burial gardens.

Well that’s it for now. Was denken Sie? (What do you think?)

Tschüß (Good bye)