Hello and how was your weekend!? I hope that you enjoyed yourself and were able to fit in a little "you time". I had a restful weekend, which was needed, and I did a lot of organizing around the house (including my messy cabinet! Yay!) so that was also very good. I went for brunch at heimw which was lovely too -- a little date afternoon with my guy... Here is a view from where we sat. I noticed that all over the city the erecting of decorations and booths for weihnachtsmarkt was underway since the massive marketplace begins in just a week or so. I love this time of year because it's when the city smells like hot spiced wine, crepes, cinnamon and candy and when white twinkle lights shine are all over like tiny stars.

I also spent a few hours in the forest collecting mini pine cones and breathing in the fresh autumn air, my "emotional time out" as I call my walks here. The forest is so large, imagine if gorgeous Central Park in New York were a natural 2,500 acre forest ... it's similar as our forest is situated directly in the city. When I tell most of my friends they are surprised to learn this, just as I was before I came here for the first time. Inside you can find a few cafes, many playgrounds, a bird park, Europe's top zoo (so I've been told), trails, dirt paths, paved ways for skaters and bikers, it's a bit heavenly for a girl like me who wants to live in a city with access to the country. Here I feel I have the best of both worlds. I am very grateful to have a place to recharge without having to drive anywhere... I walk a few blocks from my home and I'm at the entrance to a forest. One of my favorite things about living in Hannover is all of the lush, green spaces.

All in all, my weekend was a good mix of relaxation and productivity. But I do wish that today was Friday all over again because I feel like I need a few more days off! And you?

So, in case you're interested I thought I'd give you an update on the property that I told you about... well we went back for a second viewing and it was just as lovely as the first time, only I brought my husband who tends to be more environmentally sensitive that I am. He loved the flat but felt uncomfortable with the fact that the building, occupied by only 3 other families, had mostly elderly tenants. He loves the seniors, don't get me wrong (his grandmother was his best friend up until she passed away) but he feels that we may be too loud for them. We love to watch a movie now and then and also enjoy listening to our music and he is a bit concerned about disturbing them. You know, being the "new young kids" in the building... we don't want to cause a disturbance.

Other than that, his only other reservation was that the master bathroom had a massive transom window into the guest bathroom which had another window into this large light shaft that runs through the building from roof to ground. He was unsure if this was going to create a mold problem in the bathroom, it had no ventilation or fan other than the transom windows. I'm not sure either, but I have mold allergies so he's unsure if this will be a problem. We've both only had homes and apartments where a window to the great outdoors was in the actual bathroom... Does anyone know much about how to deal with ventilation in this type of scenario???

(organizing my cabinet, this is part of the china passed down from Thorsten's grandparents.)

Other than that, the property is amazing in every way - it was built in the late 1800's so it has everything you can expect would be in an old, historical Jugendstil building. The rear of the unit overlooks the forest and the front overlooks historical buildings in the art nouveau style that is so popular in our district. The floors are original herringbone hardwood and the ceilings are so high I'd need a ladder to install pendants. The windows are all huge and brand new and the doors to each room are beautiful. There are french doors, pocket doors and glass doors everywhere. It's one of those places were you walk in and your mouth falls open. But if you have to tiptoe so as to not disturb the neighbors, well this could present problems. Going from a home in the country to a city apartment, I think we're both a little rusty when it comes to city living. I hadn't lived in the city for 10 years and he, for 8 years, so it's all "new" in many ways to suddenly have neighbors all around.

(I put these in my windows this weekend. Country-ish I know, but I'm eclectic - what can I say?)

So the property search continues... though in this neighborhood it is a bit like New York City when it comes to finding a flat -- the second a good, large one pops up (since they are so rare) they rent in less than a week, sometimes same day, so it's a bit stressful looking for property in this particular area. But I will persist and see what we find. Those who wait are usually rewarded, right? Encourage me, here! :)

(images: holly becker for decor8)