36 Chodowieckistraße

For our time in Berlin, we Airbnb'ed a studio apartment in the neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. Here are a few highlights of life at 36 Chodowieckistraße.

The view of our street

Looks nicer during the day than it did the first night we arrived. Could also be that the first night we arrived,  our host didn't answer the buzzer, and by luck, a gracious Polish-America Au Pair was heading out for some groceries and let us borrow her phone to call the landlord, who had gone out to run an errand and was returning in 10 min or so. Fear of being stuck in an unfamiliar neighborhood in the dark may have colored my initial view.

Apt buildings in Berlin don't number the apts, so we identify the apt by the name of the former tenant.  We are, for 2 weeks or so, the Makowska's.

This is our futon bed with its individual comforters.  Since we've been on the road, every double bed we've stayed in has provided a comforter for each person. Not one large comforter, as we are used to in the States. This prevents the stealing of covers,  since each person gets his/her own.

Our dining table/ command central. We use 1/3 of the table for eating, and the other 2/3 for laying out maps, brochures, travel books, journals and planning our days.

The washing machine. Luckily,  the washing machine at Sandy and Norman's was also German, so we knew ahead that the setting we wanted was Pflegeleicht.  Otherwise there would have been some interesting Google translate action. I'm sure that will come later.  Also,  one load of wash takes about 90 min thanks to the high energy and water efficiency. 

Our kitchen is both well, and not well stocked. We have an oven, stove top, dish washer, plates,  bowls, cups  and 4 pots. But only one sharp knife, a vegetable peeler and a cork screw. Thus, I have had to buy potholders,  and have been creative in single pot meal cooking.

One of my favorite elements of european homes are the windows. They open in both tilt and

As doors. But they don't have screens, so on occasion a bee may join you for lunch.

Our bathroom has excellent water pressure,  and a rainfall shower head, which are both improvements from some prior hostel living arrangements where you had to hit a button every 15 secs for hot water in the shower. Unfortunately, though,  the bathroom also has no ventilation,  so things tend to stay a bit sticky.

Thus, like every apartment around the world, there are things to like, and dislike.