It's the little things that make settling into a new country so interesting. For example, this is our kitchen sink. To my American eyes, it's a very peculiar design. At first I thought, what's with that little sinklet in the middle? But it turns out that basin is perfect for rinsing when the large sink is full of soapy suds, and it's also a perfect place to pour out a cup of half-drunk cold tea.
Europeans seem very good at design-related touches like this -- small things that would never have occurred to me but that make life easier.
Speaking of European design, I mentioned yesterday my quest to buy bedsheets and the strange absence of a bottom sheet (or for that matter, a flat sheet) from my duvet cover set. It turns out that this leads to a much-debated issue, at least on the Internet. I think everyone uses a bottom, or fitted sheet -- it just has to be bought separately. But apparently some British folks see no reason to have a flat sheet beneath the duvet, while others -- particularly North Americans -- think of a duvet as a blanket, and one that requires the use of a sheet beneath.
I went back to Debenham's today and bought both a flat and a fitted sheet, though I'm kind of neutral on whether I really need the flat sheet. Above is the completed bed. Comfy!
And these photos show the view from our balcony. The middle photo is looking west to Portobello Road, which is where those colorful buildings are. The other two show buildings within our apartment complex -- our unit looks pretty much like these.
Fascinating! It's always the little things. And thanks for the views!
ReplyDeleteLove the photos, are you in an upper floor?
ReplyDeleteYou are going to come home with a whole new European way of life! I really love their approach to bedding. Most everything is designed with ease and common sense in mind. Have yo switched over to tea yet?
ReplyDeleteHi e! Yes, we're on the 5th floor.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I haven't switched to tea, though I've certainly been drinking it more here. I still love my coffee!
Definitely a flat sheet beneath the duvet - means you can still have a covering if it's a warm night and you need to push off the duvet. That sink looks like mine.
ReplyDeleteNice post ! We might try to work a reference to this one into a blog post about australian bed linen later next week.
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