Due to the amount of people and lack of living space in the city of Hamburg the appliances are a little different. We may call them, ‘economy sized’.
The wash machine, it is slightly smaller than what I am used to and is also located in the bathroom. That’s right, the bathroom, there was nowhere else to put it.
Smaller loads of wash are done and more frequently not only because of the washer size but because of the dryer, as you’ll see in the next picture.
Below is a common dryer! Not what you were expecting maybe, I sure wasn’t. An actual dryer or what I would call a dryer is not very common in most apartments, in fact they are considered a luxury. I have heard a couple stories as to why dryers aren’t used very much. I don’t have any real facts so I can only guess that space and convenience is the reason. I don’t know where they would put a regular dryer and getting them in each apartment building wouldn’t be so easy. Notice how 2 of the 3 pictures are taken, there isn’t much space to back up.
And the last picture, my most used appliance…the fridge. It looks more like a hotel fridge but most of the apartments I’ve been in are this size or close to. There is no room to put a full sized fridge so this is what we live with. It makes food preparation and storage much more difficult but not impossible. Groceries stores and fruit stands and markets are on every corner in Hamburg. Grocery shopping once a week or maybe buying bulk foods or stocking up on sale priced foods is difficult with the little storage space in the cupboards and in the fridge. A much different way of life I am adjusting to is buying a few things on the way home or walking by a shop when I need something.
And finally this last picture I have taken of the microwave. Actually there is no picture because we don’t have one. I have seen them here but I wouldn’t say they are as common as in North America or even Australia. It may not seem like a big deal but when you prepare and store food as often as I do you have to find another way to heat your food. So I use to stove, oven or if I couldn’t be bothered I use the healthier choice and eat it cold.
Most things are an adjustment in this new country, it’s really about adapting to a new lifestyle. I like the lifestyle here and I like the challenge of finding different ways to get the results I want.