Go-Go German Gadget!

When I walk into a German house, I am often charmed by the “European” look of everything. If you’ve ever walked into an Ikea, you’ll know what I mean; there’s just a staunchly European feel to it – a perfect triad of minimalism, appropriately welcoming (and often bright) colors and a certain chicness that differs distinctly in feel from American modern deco. Even if the furnishings are vastly different from what I’d choose myself, I always feel at home in these houses. Though I’m at no means ready to abandon my traditional sense of style, there are parts of this lifestyle that I could definitely see incorporating into a house someday.

The way houses are built here is also different. Sometimes the walls here are incredibly thick (greater than 1 foot), which makes sense from an insulation point of view, since energy is more expensive here and there’s no air conditioning. Multi-family homes are also common, so different levels of the houses are often occupied by different families, or different generations of a family. The “attic” part inside an A-frame is sometimes a “rental apartment” (like the one where I live), so all possible living space is used. Even the houses are connected together in city areas, with a green space only behind them. Of course, there are many single houses, big and small, in addition to the connected homes and apartments, so just like in the U.S., living situations can vary greatly.

While we’re on the topic of German houses and lifestyle, the thing I am continually fascinated by are the interesting and useful “gadgets” that can be found in my apartment/are used frequently in Germany. Since I’ve finally gotten a new camera since the tragic camera accident of 2010, let me show you what I mean!

1. We’ll start in my apartment. Check out these windows…they swing in with the left or right side attached to the wall AND tilt in, so there's just an opening at the top. I love the flexible options, and it makes cleaning on the higher floors of houses so simple.  (I wanted to put a picture here, but you just couldn't capture it.  Use your imagination!)

2. My heating system is in the floor and on the walls. It’s run by water pumps, so whenever the heat kicks in, the floors click which really freaked me out the first time I heard it and didn’t know what it was. It’s easy to use and allows me to heat different rooms to different temperatures, plus my feet are always warm.

3. Trash cans are kind of confusing, but the green aspect of them makes it worth it. I have separate containers for compost, paper, packaging and trash, plus there’s a separate place for recycling glass (bins for each of three colors) in town. There’s also a place to return certain plastic drink containers (in many grocery stores), which scans them individually and gives you back the appropriate bottle deposit.

4. Speaking of grocery stores…in large stores produce that is priced by weight is weighed in the produce section, where you then choose the product type and print a sticker with the weight and price already on it. It’s great not to have to guess what I’ll actually have to pay, not to mention it’s especially convenient here where I deal with the metric system and the Euro.  




Someone has been snacking!



5. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a German with a lunch box. Since sandwiches are standard lunch fare, they

typically use boxes like these in varying sizes, as well as smaller ones for fruit, snacks, etc. Cute, convenient and durable, as well as eliminating the use of aluminum foil or saran wrap. I’m a fan. I do have to admit that I still keep my box inside a lunch box, though.



 
 

Erasing function in action

6. Now you see it…now you don’t. I’ve taken up the fountain pen – the writing instrument of choice for many Germans. I love the way the writing looks and the way the weight of my pen feels in my hand. As a lefty I’m usually not a fan of pens for several reasons, so that I love the fountain pen is saying a lot. Plus, I feel nostalgic for the days before computers when fountain pens were a widely used writing instrument when I use it. Of course the fountain pen itself is cool, so the fact that you can actually erase it is even better. My students all come to class armed with both fountain pens and the so-called “Tintenkillers” (literally “ink killers”), which have a white tip for erasing on one end and a blue tip for writing over the erased areas on the other. Who knew?

7. I think bread slicers exist in the U.S., but I’ve sure never had one, so I’m quite enamored by mine. The bread here is superb, too. I always visit a bakery instead of buying in the grocery store, and I have the luxury of buying bread by the loaf, so it’s always freshly sliced at home. My favorites are the Kurbiskornbrot (Pumpkinseed Bread) and Dreikornbrot (Three grain bread).



Check it out...air vent!

 8. My bathroom actually features two interesting items. The pull-down window has a special tab at the top that opens to allow the humidity from the shower out of the room without letting the air outside into the house. The glass shower stall is also complete with its own squeegee for clearing the inner walls after showering. The water here is extremely hard, so if you don’t have a scraper, you constantly have to scrub off the limey residue left behind by the drying water drops after even one shower.



...note the crack in the middle!



9. Right now I actually like the idea of individual duvets with easily washable covers, especially from the standpoint of convenience. My full bed is actually two mattresses in one bed frame, so each has its own sheets and blankets. I do miss top sheets, though. The duvet is really the only blanket aside form the bottom sheet, so there’s actually nothing attached at the bottom of the bed! I was a little disappointed not to be able to sleep in the whole big bed, though…the crack in the middle sort of puts a damper in that!

Well, I think those are the most notable gadgets I can think of at the moment. Hope you’ve enjoyed them; I know I do! If you’ve ever found things like this during you’re time abroad, I’d be interested to hear about them!

Deine,

N*