hier wohne ich.

I still can't believe it...but this is where I live. In an old German apartment building (the Germans say either Altbau or Neubau, meaning pre- or post-WWII. I guess this one must have survived.) Two-room apartment plus bath and kitchen, renovated and amazingly cheap (this is Berlin, after all).

Interesting is that most German kitchens are "Einbauküchen" which means they are not built in really but you can take all the pieces out when you move out. Not many apartments have permanent kitchens. Other oddities: for me it's weird not to have to have screens. You can just open windows, no bugs. And of note: German showers never have attached showerheads. You can always raise/lower the nozzle as you need to, and take it off, which some American showers have I guess. But it's just interesting sometimes what's standard and what's not.

below: staircase

below: entry level. to the left are the stairs. straight through is the courtyard where people keep their bikes and where the garbage/recycling is. Note the great old mosaic tiles on the floor.

below: ours is the second balcony up on the right.

below: the living room also has this great old stove that must have once heat the place. beautiful tiles, the German word is Kachelofen, tiled stove. So glad they left it when they renovated!