Moving in Germany (Part 2)

Part 2: Dude, Where’s my Kitchen?!

A very usual sight when moving into a new place in Germany (Photo courtesy Immozippel)

About a month before moving into our new digs, my girlfriend calmly told me that something has to be done “about the kitchen”. Naturally, I was dumbfounded. “What kitchen?” I asked. “The kitchen for our new place, of course,” she said, matter-of-factly. Turns out, I hadn’t been aware of the quirky German tradition of moving places and taking your kitchen with you! Yes, you read it right. People actually take all their belongings with them which includes their kitchen as well. To be fair, though, many people also either sell their kitchens to the incoming tenants or to someone else on the presumption that the new people would bring their own kitchens with them.

Moving in Germany (Part 1)

Part 1: The Search

There must be readers here who have noticed my 2-month absence from the blog. Well, there was a reason for it: I have been busy moving into my new digs. Moving is a complicated process in any country, but in Germany it was a unique and adventure filled experience for me. I have divided this experience into parts to break it down for y’all.

I began the search for a new place with my German girlfriend and partner in crime. We thought a one bedroom apartment should be enough for the both of us, but if we got a good deal, we could go for a two bedroom place as well and then host guests when someone from out of town visited or a friend needed to crash. I was soon to learn, however, that finding a place is not the easiest thing in Germany.

German Cuisine: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly (Part 1)

Part 1: The Good

If you ask Germans about their cuisine, they will get that faraway look in their eyes which one gets from a lot of thinking. Finally, if the people you ask are anything like my German friends, they’ll probably tell you that it’s very bland and tasteless. But they will point out that you can easily buy cuisine from all over the world in Germany which is the plus side.

Pakistani food is really tasty and spicy, no doubt about it. German food isn’t spicy. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t tasty either. The Germans have a lot of great sumptuous food up their collective sleeve. In this post, I’ll write about the food which I’ve had and which I loved.

The Daily Cacophony

Not only do I have to put up with annoying neighbors in my apartment building, there’s quite a few people who ride by the apartment on a daily basis. Their routine has turned them into regulars. I live in a ground floor apartment and there’s a street really close to it. It’s a quiet street usually. Or should I say it was a quiet street.

Recently two kids on the street have acquired Cruisers. And boy do they love them bikes. In fact, they love them so much that they have this routine: first one rides slowly down the street and then, as soon as the guzzling noise of his bike dies down, the second one takes off. In the meantime, the first one enters the street from the other side. This display of machoness lasts from anywhere between half an hour to a couple of hours. In fact, it is happening as I write this post.

Another very unique phenomenon on my street – actually technically the whole city where I live – is an old timer who rides his bicycle everyday at least once in my street. Now, there’s nothing peculiar about an old man riding a bicycle. However, what is unusual is that this guy has a radio on the front of his bike and likes listening to old music from his youth while out in the city riding. He has a whole route and passes through several streets in the city.Strange his behavior may be, but it’s also quite cool. I discussed this with an septuagenarian lady I know. She found nothing odd with him and compared it to kids listening to music these days with their headphones and earphones on. I say,rock on, cool bike guy!

From Mondays to Saturdays, my post is delivered by a guy who can only be described as the most patriotic postman for miles around. A wide and impressive assortment of flag adorns this guy’s bicycle. He also shares an affinity for music which blares out of a radio on his bike. Come to think of it, he might be the old man’s son!