Apartment Wishlist: A good first impression

The old adage is: it's what's on the inside that counts, but I think there's something to be said for a lovely exterior. I'm sure a big part of my desire to live in a pretty building is the fact that our current apartment has the crappiest, most run-down facade on the block, if not the whole neighborhood. Sure, it's nice on the inside, partly due to the three-meter-high ceilings and ornate mouldings, but it's a bit of a downer every time we walk up to it - especially when there are such amazing architectural details all around us.

We're kicking off this Berlin trip with our very first apartment viewing this afternoon and I'm rather excited about it. The possibilities for old period details or colorful modern exteriors are abundant. Here's hoping Berlin can give us that first impression we have been pining for in the new place we call home!

The first photo is from a listing on immobilienscout24.de, the rest of the photos are mine

Back to Berlin

We are hitting the road today, heading back to Berlin for some more apartment scouting and for me to attend The Hive European Bloggers conference. Once again, Bailey is along for the ride, so I can only hope the weather is halfway decent and she can be outside most of the time (though it's not looking good...). At the very least, I hope we hear back from a few of the apartments we want to see so that we can at least get the ball rolling with our hunt for a new home.

While we are of course headed back to some of our favorite Berlin eateries, the one thing we have not heard about or found is a good pizza place. If anyone has any recommendations, I would love to hear them!


image from & Other Stories

The weekend / Gambling with the weather

The threat of rain has been hanging over our heads for nearly a week. And not just rain, I'm talking about a little lightning cloud icon on the forecast every day of the week. Knowing this weekend would likely be the breaking point for the weather, we headed outdoors as soon as it looked like any bit of sunshine was peeking out to enjoy whatever we could before it hid its face again for who knows how long.

Saturday was a mostly glorious day with afternoon sun so brilliant, we decided to take a drive down to Eltville to stroll its picturesque streets, sit on the banks of the river and enjoy a glass of wine from one of the ubiquitous wine stands along the Rhine. We sat out so long, we both ended up a bit sunburned and a little lethargic, but it was so worth it.

Sunday was more an exercise in trying to beat the weather, running out for an short afternoon hike before the grey clouds that had been threatening for some time finally did unleash a downpour. Lucky for us, the rain not only stayed at bay, but blue sky even managed to make an appearance a time or two. It was the warm mugginess that promised the rain we knew was coming.

Not wanting to stray too far from home, should the weather apocalypse indeed show its face, we wound up in a new green space that once again, impressed me with its vastness and proximity to a regular neighborhood. Bailey went nuts for the tall grass and off-leash privileges, while we enjoyed the hushed calm before the storm. I just love getting lost in nature mere minutes from where we live, as it reminds me of the way my hometown used to be for several generations of my family before me. Now it is a crowded, overdeveloped and overpriced suburban mecca, where real estate prices trump any green space.

I am so thankful this was only my second snake sighting ever in Germany (and we spend a lot of time traipsing through nature over here). I've heard two recent accounts from California folks of rattlesnakes, one which ended in someone being bit. This tiny guy might have been poisonous for all I know, but at least I don't have to fear anything major here (goodbye, CA mountain lions and bears!) when we're out in the forest.

It was a good thing we got out when we did, as our holiday Monday looked like this...

Which meant cuddling up indoors with Scrabble and Game of Thrones. At least we can say we made the most of the weekend otherwise.

Hope you had an enjoyable weekend as well!

Currently obsessed: Black & white graphic prints

Don't get me wrong, I am a color fanatic. When we first moved to Germany, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my bright California color, so visible amidst the sea of khaki/navy/black-clad Germans. Now, I happily rock my neon pink pieces and playfully patterned dresses because I love how color makes me feel more than I worry about being looked at as an outsider.

Even with all this color love, most especially after my many recent acquisitions in the neon family, I have found myself drawn to graphic black and whites. While they may not be technically colorful, these bold patterns stand up to even the most saturated tones and blindingly bright hues with the strong statement they make. It's just the pop of something new and fresh my bright wardrobe and colorful home needs.

sandals / kitchen towels /  duvet cover / pillow / camera strap / shorts / silk top / striped bangles / maxi dress / triangle tote

Apartment Wishlist: To kitchen, or not to kitchen...?

This is what people generally envision when thinking of what a kitchen might look like in their new apartment: cabinets, at least some counter space and somewhere to cook. To many, this might not be considered a 'luxury' kitchen, but to us renters in Germany, anything above and beyond an empty room is a luxury.

I'm not sure where the concept of the Einbauküche, or 'fitted kitchen', being entirely optional and downright rare for rented apartments came about, but it is the most ridiculous concept ever created (note: this is not the first, nor will it be the last time I rant about this subject). Renters are supposed to buy and install an entire kitchen - as in, cabinets, countertops, sink, appliances, the whole deal - each time they rent a new apartment. Because let's face it, how many kitchens are exactly the same layout and amount of space? Therefore, how likely is it that the kitchen you invest thousands of euros into is going to come along with you to your next place of residence? Exactly. For practical Germans, this is one of the few areas that they have left me completely stumped.

So as we delve into our Berlin apartment search, here's what we might expect to find in a 'kitchen'...

Even this 'unfitted' kitchen is pretty luxury in terms of space and designer accent tile. The average German kitchen tends to look something more like this:

Clinical-looking and boring. From what we've been told, Berlin apartments are now required to be outfitted with a stove and a sink, at the very least. But if this is what that is going to look like...

Well, you see where I'm going with this. I think I'd rather start from scratch, buying the appliances and sink and counter space that work for my needs. But the idea of being able to make my kitchen whatever I want it to be is also financially daunting, especially as expensive as it is just to move in this country: hefty deposits, hefty rental agent fees, that truck that will get our belongings all the way across the country. Any decent-looking installed kitchen, even from budget-conscious Ikea, is going to require a significant chunk from our moving budget. So what to do? There is Ikea's standalone kitchen furniture, which could be easily be moved from apartment to apartment, but I admittedly had a bias against it for not being 'serious' enough... that is, until I saw what Anna over at Door Sixteen did in her house in New York:

Uh, stunning, right? A far cry from the janky, 20-something's studio I envisioned those Ikea pieces belonging in. Not to mention those stools and that salvaged table she refinished and amazing tile walls she did BY HERSELF. Okay, I think her significant other probably helped, but still (I am not worthy!). Seriously though, she made pieces that many people might not even consider for their rented apartment, let alone their home, look seriously stylish. I am already leaning towards one of those empty rooms for a kitchen so I can create my own version of this hip space.

The real downside here is that we already had to buy a stove/cooktop and dishwasher when the ancient ones left behind we bought from the previous tenants (hey, they were already installed and we were moving halfway around the world - seemed like a good idea at the time...) quit working properly soon after we moved in. So a portable kitchen such as this would mean ditching them - or at least trying to sell them to the next tenants of our current apartment - and buying new again. Save on the cabinets, spend on the appliances. *sigh...* So much to consider...

It's almost enough just to raise the white flag and declare 'Einbauküche only'! We could luck out with something as decent as one of these:
 

And then that's one less thing to stress about for our move. Frankly, anything is better than the decades-old Ikea kitchen we have now, complete with grid design in the cabinet glass and mold growing rampant in the wood counter tops. I guess we shall see what apartments we find and which landlords deem us, and our sub-par German, worthy of renting a highly covetable Berlin apartment to...

All images, except the one from Anna of Door Sixteen, are from Berlin apartment listings on null-provision.de and immobilienscout24.de

My favorite cookie recipe: Mrs Fields Krispies

I have a confession to make: cookies are not my favorite thing. For the most part, I could take them or leave them. If I'm going to have something sweet, I would much rather have some amazing ice cream or a moist cupcake or some of my favorite candies. There's something about the often dry, overly-sweet, 'blah' texture of a cookie that just doesn't do it for me. That is, except for these gems which I discovered in a Mrs. Fields recipe book circa 1994.

Krispies are the perfect marriage of sweet and salty, crunchy but chewy. I know most people are very particular about their cookies - nuts, no nuts, milk chocolate, dark chocolate - so I'm sure these aren't for everyone. But for me, these are the cat's pajamas, the cream of the crop and the cookie I would request if it was the last one I ever got to eat.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!


Mrs. Fields Krispies

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use German 405)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed 
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, softened (I use 3/4 of a standard European butter and add a pinch of salt)
1 large egg
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (no substitutions)
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1-1/2 cups (8oz/227g) crispy rice chocolate bar, coarsely chopped (see below for my recommendation when you can't get your hands on a Nestlé Crunch bar)

Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and soda. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside. In a large bowl, blend sugars with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, Rice Krispies and chocolate chunks, blend at low speed until just combined (do not overmix). Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, two inches/ centimeters apart. Bake for 22-24 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface. 

Here in Europe, Nestlé Crunch bars are nearly impossible to come by and every rice-related chocolate bar in Europe seems to favor the puffed variety, rather than the good crunch of crisped rice. This is well and good for snacking, but puffed rice just makes these cookies fall flat. I was at a loss until I found these babies: Rapunzel's Crispy chocolate bars, which I buy at Alnatura. If you happen to find another great substitution for this chocolate, I would love to hear about it.

And also, these cookies are best enjoyed thoroughly cooled for that perfect crunch!

The weekend / A wine festival, a fountain that flows Sekt & fancy a new camera

One of  my favorite things about living here is how we can have no big plans in the coming week, only to find our weekend filled with the abundant festivals and celebrations so common this time of year. After our errands on Saturday, we headed to the Mainzer Weinetage just about the same time the rain clouds cleared and the sun came out. As much as I love our fests in Wiesbaden, there is just something so fantastic about the stretch of riverside on which Mainz holds its festivals.

I also love that Mainz is such a different crowd. Sure, there are some older, more posh wine connoisseurs, I'm sure, but the younger, more laid-back vibe is a nice change. The wineries were being very generous with their pours and there were some hipper, downright enjoyable music performers, most notably this great little instrumental quartet whose music transported you to Midnight in Paris. Of course, there were also the ubiquitous groups of bachelor and bachelorette parties, which in Germany mean coordinated dressing up, embarrassment of the bride/groom and selling of some kind of food or trinkets to the crowd. These kinds of fests make me a little sad about all we will be leaving behind when we move, but I know Berlin holds so many new and different things, we won't be disappointed.

While Saturday was a bit of a last minute outing, Sunday's event was something we had been looking forward to since we had received an invitation to the celebration: our favorite maker of Sekt, Schloss Wachenheim, was having a party for its 125th anniversary. Even though they have been sold out of our very favorite Sekt - Muskateller Pfalz - for a number of months, the drive down through this beautiful wine region and wandering around the quaint town of Wachenheim is always worth it. The best part: for this celebration, Schloss Wachenheim was running Sekt through the fountain in its courtyard and for just 125 cents, you could fill your glass from it as often as you liked. We quickly decided that this should be a regular thing, not just at wineries, but really in any fountain. I mean, wouldn't that just make the world a better place?    

Another great thing to happen this weekend - we finally got our dSLR! Due some great prices and attractive new financing offers (meaning we can afford a camera and our move to Berlin), we splurged for the Nikon d5100, rather than the entry-level d300 we were considering. This also means there is a steep learning curve for me, so bear with me while I learn. Even without a clue as to what we were doing with the thing, the photos from Sunday turned out markedly better than Saturday's, which were taken just with our little point-and-shoot. And check out that self-photo action, thanks to the d5100's flip screen! I'm really excited to learn more, play more and bring better photos to my blog. Any beginners tips are most welcome!