coffee + cre8tive {sept 25 '06}
Guten Morgen! So, we made it to Germany where we're based for the next two months, staying in a doppelzimmer (two room) suite/apartment in Hannover complete with daily buffet breakfast, laundry services, private bathroom, balcony, and two desks (one in each room) for both my husband and I. It works out great since he's working for his company 5 days per week and I am working on an assignment here, as well as decor8, so we both can accomplish our goals without interruption. We're located 2 blocks from a city forest that makes most American city parks look like a playground, the forest here is not only a natural one (not man made - imagine!), but it's absolutely huge, completely safe, and lush green. The subway (u-bahn) is one block away, as is a small market and a weekly outdoor farmers' market that sets up in the square nearby on Wednesdays. Life is so different here from my usual day-to-day back home.
I just heard children singing on the street below, and after peeking down from the balcony, I spotted a small wooden wagon being pulled by two teachers, with small children sitting in it. They are on their way to the forest. It was so sweet hearing little voices singing in German. I've always had a fondness for that, children's songs sung in a language other than English. The kids are now out of range, and I'm listening to the typical ambulance sound that is so common in Europe, if you've heard it before, you know the sound.
I'm taking it all in. Every second. Two months here can pass by so quickly.
The weather is perfection, low 80's, clear sunny sky, slightly crisp Autumn nights. The locals tell me that this is their best summer in years, they've had Autumn in August and summer in September, so we arrived at the best time. Since this region of Germany isn't blessed with good weather (mostly rain), it's wonderful to have arrived to sunshine and warm days.
These two photos are views of what I see when I awake each day. The top photo is the view from my desk, which faces a balcony and gigantic windows with a door. This is what I see when I look up from my laptop while typing. The architecture is so beautiful, isn't it? The facades of the buildings in this district, known as List, are amazing. We're staying on the 3rd floor so the views are great up here(4th floor to Americans since Germans do not recognize the 1st floor as such, rather it is referred to the ground floor, 1st floor is next floor up). The photo below is the view from our bedroom windows. That is the direction we walk to go to the train and the forest.
I've already found some design-y things to write about, as I spent the weekend split between visiting family and researching design (mostly from shopping and noting labels), so I'll be back with a few topics of interest before I head out to explore for the day.
I'll be back with a few fresh finds, so stay tuned!
(images from decor8)