score!

I got to see my new apartment today, and was very happy to find it’s on the 29th floor! This is in a town with about three tall buildings, so the view is fabulous. Otherwise, the apartment’s OK: furniture by Ikea, more storage than I’d expected in a Dutch flat, reasonable fridge with an actual freezer (small by US standards, smaller than the one we have in Taiwan, but much bigger than the one we had here before and that didn’t have a freezer at all), parking in the basement, spare bedroom with a double bed. It has enough room for my bookshelves and erg, no problem. There’s a small storage room in the basement for my bike and such. The kitchen has decent cabinets plus a pull-out cutting board.I’m definitely looking forward to having a dishwasher again! As in our last place, the heater in the bathroom is also a towel rack – nice in winter to have the heated towels. And I forgot to ask, but being a new-ish high-rise, it’s pretty sure to have air-conditioning.

The downsides are that it only has one of those combo microwave/over/broiler things that so unimpressed us in our last place (though this one is a little bigger); the stove is glass induction (ditto with the previously-unimpressed) though it does have five burners – we only have three in Taiwan. But those three are gas and get very hot, fast. lack of real over isn’t unexpected, and maybe these burners will be better than the last place – I plan to buy a good cast-iron pot (I’m thinking of splurging on Le Creuset) which should work better on it. On second thought, I’m not really sure if the stove is glass induction – it’s got a smooth top, but it looked more like metal discs in there. The other downside is only one toilet. Still, most of the time I’ll be the only one there. And when Ted’s with me, at least the toilet is separate from the main sink / shower. The shower’s tiny, but that’s to be expected. No tub, but I never use one anyway. Very oddly, the main bathroom also has a urinal. Never saw that in a private home before.

It’s convenient for restaurants – there are a whole bunch by it that I haven’t tried out. It’s not quite as close to supermarkets as our last place, but still walking distance. Assuming it all works out, as it looks like it should, I think I’ll like living there. The view is the best part; there are windows everywhere. It really feels like an aerie; I shall perch there like the Eagle of Gwernabwy. (Spelling?) Or at least the Eagle of Eindhoven, which has a lot less myffic resonance but does alliterate.

And now for another benefit of Eindhoven living; I am off to the biweekly meeting of the local knitting group. I hear they have a couple new American-expat members, too.