These two large windows are directly opposite the door I open into my apartment. I overlook the backyard, which is very pretty with green grass, flowers, and landscaping. The house behind us, seen through the windows, is fairly typical with the red tile roof. What I'd like you to notice about the picture is that I've opened the windows differently. The left window, with the handle up, then opens from the top, probably about 4 inches. The right window, with the handle horizontal, swings open as far as you want. To close the window, you push the handle down. There are basically no window screens in Europe. There generally is not an insect problem, although now there seem to be a lot of ladybugs.
When you walk into the apartment about five feet, to the left is the doorway into my bedroom. When I came, the bed was running from right to left and the black table and lamp were under the slope of the eaves. So, I had to walk around the bed, kind of hunched, to turn on the lamp. This week I switched it around. It opens the room up, eliminates the lamp problem, and since my head comes forward when I sit up, I don't bump the ceiling. Notice my roommate in her crate! That crate came from Target 3 years ago or so. The mesh front door zips shut, and the crate folds flat. It's about 3 feet long x 2 feet by 2 feet. Brandi appears to be quite comfortable in it. As far as I can tell, she's napping either in her crate or on the couch, on her blanket, when I'm gone.
The head of the bed had been against the solid wall but on the same wall as the window. Now, I can sleep a bit later because I don't have quite as much light hitting me. There is a mini-blind in this window, with several individual slats cut shorter to allow for the handle of the window.
European beds are different in two key respects. There is no box spring; insted, the mattress rests directly on many wooden slats or hard plastic slats. Secondly, Europeans don't use a top sheet. They simply have duvets with covers that can be changed. It always take me awhile to get used to sleeping under that. I'm used to having the sheet pulled up higher than the duvet will come, especially because I tuck the bottom in to keep my feet warm!! I've begun to use a second duvet cover that Ulla gave me to use when I wash this one, under the duvet similar to a top sheet. I can pull it up a bit higher, sleep under only it and not the warmer duvet, etc. The mattress is quite firm and comfortable.
The other side of the room, standing by the window. The tan door opens to my closet with 2 rods on the left, one low and one high, for hanging clothes, and 3 or 4 shelves for what I'd normally have in a dresser. There's also a vacuum cleaner in this closet.
0 comments:
Post a Comment