Apartment

Rob "RZ" Zaman and I just moved into our new apartment.  I think I've already droned on enough about how hard it was for us to find a spot to live, so we're happy to be settled.  The apartment is in a great location, about 50 meters from a grocery store and a metro station.  The subway comes about every 5 minutes so I can be downtown less than 15 minutes from when I leave my front door, with a baguette in hand.


The apartment building itself was built in the 30's, and Belgium has a history of some "unique" design considerations so our apartment can be described as historic, quaint, and odd.  For instance the shower and bathroom sink are in a room that can only be accessed by going through the kitchen.  And when I say "room" I mean a partition with a 7 foot wall and a door, no ceiling.  So the shower is basically in the kitchen. 

If you forget your towel, someone can just toss it over the wall on the left.

"Where's the toilet" you might ask.  Well, there is a door in the front hallway that you might mistake as leading to a coat closet, and it opens up into a room that is about the size of a coat closet.  Inside is the toilet.  I am not exaggerating when I say that it is much more comfortable to use the facilities aboard a 737.  The window in the toilet closet and the window in the kitchen open up into a ventilation shaft that all units in the building encircle. 

Surprise!

View outside the kitchen window.
The window to the left is someone's toilet closet.

View down the shaft.  Scary!

A few oddities aside, the apartment is very comfortable, furnished, and good for entertaining guests.  The south facing windows get plenty of sun and since we are on the 4th floor we have a great view.

My bedroom.

View outside my window.

Head outside the window.

Living room.  Couch is very comfortable to sleep on (hint hint).

Well, that's it for my virtual tour.

RZ and I.  First night in the new pad, with a pair of celebratory 59 Eurocent beers.