Sleeping Apart

I found an interesting article on how it’s unhealthy for couples to share a bed. Apparently people believe that they sleep better beside their partner, but in reality it disturbs sleep by 50%, which can lead to a whole slew of other problems. Couples used to sleep separately until the industrial revolution when people moved to big, crowded cities. And now it’s considered the norm and unhealthy for the relationship to do otherwise.

What do you think?

I agree with the findings, based on my experience living with Martin. I had always had my own room, and it was hard to share it with someone else – sometimes you just want to sleep by yourself and hog the whole bed! Before I read this article, I chalked it up to Martin and I needing a bigger space, with a guestroom that I could occassionally retreat to. Who knew that having 2 masterbedrooms are being incorporated into new house design, and that sleeping separately is actually better for your health? It makes sense to me!

Wanted: Physical Strength

I’ve realized that I’ve turned into a big weakling here because Martin does everything for me. He carries the heavier bags, lifts my bike up and down stairs, and basically does anything and everything that requires load bearing on the bones.

So, I’ve started doing 5 push ups a day!

I know, big deal right?, but I wanted to set an easy starter goal that I could keep. Turns out, I gave myself too much credit because it wasn’t an easy goal at all. 5 push ups were SOOOO hard to do! I was literally out of breath by push up #2, and my arms didn’t feel like they had enough strength to continue.

Pathetic but that’s how bad it was. It’s been getting easier though. I just finished my 5 push ups effortlessly, so I’ll be doubling my goal to 10 push ups a day.

I like pushups, they are so simple and I can keep up with it while I travel. I already feel muscles developing in my arms!

Big City, Small Prices

Sarah asked me what my reasons are for posting so much about German real estate – Is it because I want to buy property here?

My answer is yes, of course I want to buy property here! I also want to buy property in NYC, Hong Kong, and Paris. But will I? Probably not.

I’ve been attracted to real estate since I was in high school, when I wanted to be completely independent but had no place of my own to live. It kinda put a damper on things!

A lot of us in our 20’s still live with our parents, which is common when you live in a big expensive city. I think it’s good to live with parents while you are still transitioning, because it makes you more flexible with career choices. When I move back to Toronto, I will also live with my parents.

But I’m always wondering how my future home will look. Where will I live? What will I live in? How will I decorate it?

Germany’s real estate market is particularly exciting to me, because compared to Toronto prices, it’s so much more affordable.

German mentality for real estate is also impressive to me. Investing in a house or flat is for living in – that is the investment. It’s not about making money and overextending on a mortgage.

I read somewhere that real estate in Germany has appreciated 1% in the last 10 years! Whether that’s accurate or not, the low number is reflective of this old brick & mortar type value.

I’ll end this with another great real estate find. Stephanie asked me about prices in Prenzlauerberg, a centrally located district in Berlin which is also a favourite area of mine.

A 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom flat listed at 49,000€ or $73,500 CAD:

Düsseldorf Flats

Real estate in Düsseldorf is more expensive than in Berlin (West Germany vs. East Germany), but I think it’s still a good deal.

Düsseldorf was just voted the 6th best city in the world to live! It’s not a huge city, just over 600,000 people – but it’s a safe, wealthy city with an international airport and a transit system that is like WOW!

I found some flats for single people and families if you are interested.

Family Homes in Berlin

My Mom asked a good question – What about a condo that can fit 2 parents and 2 kids?

So Mom, here’s one in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin. It’s a 918 sq ft, 4 bedroom, 2 bath flat.

There’s a playground in the courtyard for the kiddies!

The nice thing is, there are 2 levels!

Listed at 72,539€ or $108,808 CAD.

Here’s another family home in Berlin Mitte (the city centre). It’s a 1069 sq ft, 3-bedroom, 1 bathroom flat with balcony:

Listed at 149,900€ or $224,850 CAD.

There are cheaper family homes in the Mitte, like under 100,000€ or in the 120’s. I just really liked this one so am showing it off!

Flats in Berlin

What’s the point in talking in generalities (?) when I can show you in pictures and numbers, what I really mean about real estate in Germany.

I chose Berlin because I love Berlin and am more familiar with Berlin’s districts more than any other German city. I would also totally live in Berlin in a heart beat. <3

These flats are all from real listings on the German version of the MLS.

Flat #1 is located in the Friedrichshain district of Berlin:

This district resembles The Annex of Toronto (except better!), meaning the area attracts young, upbeat, funky, and artsy types. It’s 5 minutes away from downtown and near the water.

The flat is a 1-room flat or ‘bachelor’ suite in North American terms.

It could be more updated but I like the original hardwood floors.

The kitchen is terrible (the kind that I use now!), but if I owned this place, I would install a proper kitchen for a few hundred euros.

This is a mid-range flat in a trendy area of a big international city. What do you think it’s worth?

Well, it’s listed at 38,3oo€ or $60,000 CAD.

Bachelor apartments aren’t really my thing, so I also found Flat #2, a 1-bedroom flat located in the city centre of Berlin:

It’s near Alexanderplatz, the “New York City” area of Berlin.

I like the floor plan. There isn’t an annoyingly long hallway (typical of German interior design) that wastes tons of space.

Living room.

It even has a real kitchen!

This flat is listed at 59,500€ or $93,000 CAD.

These prices are incredible to me! We’re talking about Berlin here: population 3.4 million, voted as the 16th best city in the world to live in. It has convenient international and local connections, and is a fun, dynamic city full of culture and history.

You can’t find anything in desireable areas of Toronto that are less than $100,000. The closest I’ve found is $149,000 for a tiny bachelor suite in the Pantages building at Victoria & Shuter (right downtown):

Lots of single people live in 1-room units in big European cities. I know I do! It’s common and practical, so owning a 1-unit flat in Europe isn’t shooting yourself in the foot, or confining your rental demographic to only students.

But a bachelor unit at $149,000 is the absolute low-end of downtown Toronto condo living. So I’m comparing low-end Toronto prices with mid-range Berlin prices. If I compared low-range Berlin, the prices would easily be half of what I listed above. :8

I’ll post some Düsseldorf properties next!

The 6th best place in The World to live

I read an article in Forbes about the World’s 20 Best Places to Live. The cities were evaluated based on quality of life factors such as social/political stability, the economy, health care, the school system, cost and availability of housing, infrastructure, access to grocery stores, theatres, recreation, etc…

Here is the list breakdown:

1. Vienna, Austria
2. Zürich, Switzerland
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Vancouver, Canada *
5. Auckland, New Zealand *
6. Düsseldorf, Germany
7. Münich, Germany
8. Frankfurt, Germany
9. Bern, Switzerland
10. Sydney, Australia
11. Coppenhagen, Denmark
12. Wellington, New Zealand
13. Amsterdam, Netherlands
14. Brussels, Belgium
15. Toronto, Canada
16. Berlin, Germany *
17. Ottawa, Canada *
18. Melbourne, Australia
19. Luxemburg, Luxemburg
20. Stockholm, Sweden

* are ties.

The study was conducted by Mercer, an American consulting firm. Interestingly, no American cities make it to the Top 20. The highest ranked American city is Honolulu at #29, although everything was ranked against New York City as a base.

The Top 20 list is full of German cities or German-speaking cities (in Austria, Switzerland), and I’m tickled that Düsseldorf ranks #6.

Lots of German cities are on the list because they rank high on infrastructure. I definitely see this in Germany and how it makes life much easier.

Quality of life here is really good. One huge difference that strikes me is that people are not crazy about real estate. No one in my age group ever talks about buying property – it just isn’t a goal nor is it a big deal.

What this really means is that the housing market is stable and slow moving, which makes rent quite affordable compared to the wages. People rent here for their whole lives, or buy houses and live in it forever.

This really impresses me! I mean, it was really difficult to actually *get* a place, which didn’t impress me at all. But now that I have a flat that doesn’t cost *too much*, I can see how easy it is to live here. My job isn’t even high paying and I live in an expensive city – but I can still make it relatively comfortably as a single [ex-pat] woman.

When I was in Hong Kong for the summer, my brother and I looked at real estate, and boy was it expensive! I can understand why no Asian cities rank in the Top 20, because even though infrastructure is excellent in places like Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, the housing is WAAYY too expensive. Educated people with good jobs (like my cousin!) still live at home with their parents because it’s *too* financially crippling to live solo when you’re just starting out.

Anyway, I completely agree with Düsseldorf being high up there on a QOL list, but I’m not sure I can take a list that seriously when it ties Ottawa with Berlin for #16.

Like, come on now!

No offense to Ottawa, I’m sure it’s a nice place to live. But it’s certainly no Berlin. Ottawa is more politically stable than Berlin, but …. everything else like accessibility to housing/food/recreation/culture and good infrastructure – Berlin takes the cake on that. Just because I know the 2 cities a bit, I fail to see how they can tie.

And like, if infrastructure is so important, how does Toronto rank at #15 while Vancouver is #4?!? Vancouver doesn’t have a subway and is notorious for having terrible traffic jams on that ONE skinny bridge that connects mainland to North Vancouver. Vancouver’s housing market is also crazier than Toronto’s too. Hmm.

Oh well. By moving from Toronto to Düsseldorf, I’m glad to say I’ve moved up the list!

Goals teaser

haha, I can’t believe I wrote a whole entry about baking soda and vinegar!

I was just so excited about finding a whole box. Woo!

My April goals went well. I did all the important things I wanted to do, like improving my teaching skills, improving my German skills, and applying to jobs.

What I didn’t do consistently was exercise. But I’ll work on that!

I really like being a teacher, and it surprises me that I do.

When I commute to work, it makes me feel like I’m seeing the world, or at least confident enough to be able to see the world. Even though I’m really only hopping to nearby towns.

The transit system is SOOO good here. So much so that I’m considering moving to a smaller city nearby, because it cuts my rent in half but will still keep me mobile and connected.

I bought a “C” zone pass for May, which is SO nice. I get to travel to work without fussing with tickets, and will definitely explore more of Düsseldorf now. Martin can ride with me for free after 7pm and on weekends, which is a nice touch too!

I’m thinking about what goals I want to set out for myself in May 2009. I love making goals and writing it here. In my next entry I will post it.

Leaky Pipe

Yesterday I finally open that cabinet door underneath my sink (which I really haven’t opened since I got here), and I almost have a heart attack when I see the bucket underneath the pipe OVERFLOWING with water.

WTF?!?

It had also damaged the mini-kitchen’s baseboard and the wall behind. Anyway, it’s best expressed in pictures (click to expand):

I wasn’t sure if this was my problem or the landlord’s problem, because the renting agreements are a lot different here in Germany. Some places don’t even come with a kitchen (!), so in those cases you are responsible for your own plumbing. Mine comes with a kitchen but I still don’t know what the deal is with plumbing.

Martin said that I should ask my landlord to fix it; My landlord did tell me when I first moved in that if I ever had any problems with something needing to be fixed, to just tell him and he will do it.

So I went to my landlord this morning and he came over to fix it immediately. He also cleaned it out with bleach so that the mould wouldn’t grow, and thanked me for telling him!

Anyway, it still looks as bad as those pictures but at least the pipe is not supposed to leak anymore *knocks on wood*.

From the lettuce box!

This is the 2 week harvest.

Martin and I have snacked on a few leaves, but are saving the rest for sandwiches later!

They smell delicious!!