Meine kleine Welt

(My small world.)  

Living on the 6th floor of the student housing certainly has its advantages.  Although when I say the 6th floor, I really mean the 7th.  I found it a little perplexing when I first got in the elevator to go down, pressed the 1st floor button, and couldn't find a way out!  As I soon discovered, the ground flo

or in German is called Erdgeschoss, and so the business of labeling levels begins and ends with the 1st floor being above the ground floor.  Perhaps it is related to the fact that we have no year 0 in history, or maybe it is the result of some multi-national conspiracy to confuse Americans.  I suppose you could look at the Erdgeschoss as some sort of purgatory, where you can exist outside the world and take care of business but you are not quite on a legitimate floor worth counting.  No, because to be "in" the building, you need the key to the elevator!

Fortunately for me I've created a simple equation to assist in calculating which floor I am actually on at any time.

CGF + (1)E = AF 

Where CGF equals "Current German Floor" and E equals "Erdgeschoss" you can translate your German floor into American floors.  So for me 6GF = 7AF.  Of course this doesn't take into account the fact that you may encounter a building with a basement, Untergeschoss, or (heaven forbid) a building with more than one basement level.  

Anyway, I've decided that 6GF is not a bad place to live.  Unfortunately for those on the 4th floor or lower, trees and buildings block any chance of a decent view and, since the windows have no blinds or curtains, I have no concerns about the average passer-by becoming interested in my minimalist decor.  Since I live on the east side of the house, not only can I boast one of the best views, I also get a wonderful sunrise over the mountains.  Here are some pictures of the landscape from my floor!

Looking SE, the building in the right-hand corner is actually the music school.  It is quite close!

Looking straight E, on a clear morning, the color of the light on the fall foliage is beautiful.  Running on the North side of the building is a charming river, it runs through town and apparently even has some fish in it!  The water is perfectly clear and has supplied the city with fresh water for centuries.

 

Ah, lastly I imagine you might want to know a bit about my living quarters.  Sadly, they are not quite as majestic as the natural beauty that surrounds the city.  The architecture and decor may best be described as "1970's Prison Cell".   Have a look for yourself...

Thankfully, the window opens fully, which lets in a wonderful breeze and fresh air.  An added plus since I am certain the last student to use my room was a long-time financier of Big Tobacco.  The walls are bare, outside of a card I received from Aspen (thanks Jen :), and the main decorative focal point of my room is a rather stately chandelier.  It has been tricky to build my style around it, but I think is adds a vibrant element to my Feng Shui.

Perhaps I could find "Design on A Dime: Freiburg"?   Oh well...