Our Temporary Flat

Our temporary flat has worked well for us. It is a newly built Attic apartment. Although there were some signs that maybe one other tenant had been in before us, I think we are actually the first people to stay in it. It is not quite done yet, nor had anything been tested out properly, so it has not been without some challenges. First thing we had to deal with was the Satellite TV they had installed. We could not find a single channel on which they spoke English. They were mostly German with a few French thrown in. We tried to find anything kid-oriented and did find a Nickelodeon channel but it was German too and Alex would not watch it. Three days after we got here they replaced our TV with a larger one...they had just been waiting for it to come in. They also re-pointed the Satellite dish and reprogrammed our box. We now had over 500 channels at our disposal...maybe 250 English channels... from Sky TV. Of course as we surfed around we found about 6 channels we could watch - 4 that we would.. and the rest were complete junk. There are over 150 shopping networks,about 100 dating channels, 50 music video channels, tons of news channels in 4 or 5 different languages, and close to 100 adult channels in German. However, it is free so I guess you get what you pay for. There is one channel that Alex can watch that she has enjoyed and there are 3 channels Pam and I have been watching. This lack of TV has helped us get out more and spend more time together as a family - it has been very nice. Another issue we noticed right off the bat was that the gas stove top would not light on its own. After a run to the store for matches, I have been able to make some basic meals that involve boiling water or a fry pan. However, the oven remained a mystery until we were told it was not hooked up completely. Easter weekend brought about another major problem...we were in the kitchen and noticed water spots on the ceiling. Turns out the shower in the master bathroom has a major leak in it and needs to be completely rebuilt. So we have been taking our showers in the common bathroom which has a large tub with a sort of blocked off end and a hand-held shower head. This has proven to be a lack of convenience but functional. As mentioned previously, the oven does not work at all but there is a small microwave with a grill setting so you can make toast and such. Within 2 blocks of us there are maybe 15 restaurants and cafes, 3-4 small groceries, a great bakery with sandwiches, a butcher, a drugstore, maybe 4-5 small electronics stores and a few clothing stores. It is amazingly easy to get most of what you need very close to where you live. It is a nice change from the Wal-marts and super stores. We have also found maybe 5 playgrounds within a six block radius of where we are. Alex has had a great time going to the playgrounds and has given them each a number. She will say,"Oh are we going to park 5 today?" or "Remember that time at Park 6 when...." She has adapted well and now that she is healthy she is enjoying herself. (Click on either picture for more flat pictures)