relocation – 2nd Avenue

Making 180 days more comfy

Part of the relocation package when we’ve moved with Tony’s work is a place to live upon arrival. This not only gives us somewhere to lay our heads, but also facilitates the necessary immigration admin like registering with local authorities (essential for Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark), getting set up with bank accounts, and all the rest.

When we moved to Switzerland and the UK, the company provided temporary accommodation (basically an Airbnb) for a month. The apartments are furnished (interior designers for such corporate housing tend to be fans of faux leather sofas) and include the basics (bedding and towels, rudimentary kitchen equipment, a TV), but lack any sense of homeyness.

A colourful blanket and socks in the foreground with a window behind. Looks very cosy and comfy — A bit of cosiness in our temporary flat

With this move to Denmark, we get three months accommodation, which is great—and a long time to live somewhere relatively soul-less.

After a few relocations, we’ve learnt to pack a few beyond-basic items that make everyday life more comfortable. Here’s what we brought this time around…

The in-between time

We’re in the midst of relocating from Switzerland to England. And, as with any move, there is much (oh so much) that can only become clear in the fullness of time. I know that patience is necessary, but I’m struggling with the culturally conditioned drive for productivity.

I want to jump into action (find a place to teach yoga! start the job search! investigate dog adoption!), but inaction is far more appropriate in so many areas.

Pancakes & packing – part 2

All of our stuff... packed! In addition to becoming better at clearing out a kitchen (as I posted about yesterday), moving frequently has also made me better at living minimalistically. All of our stuff (clothes, shoes, toiletries, electronics, reading materials, random housewares, my husband’s beloved road bike) fits into one bike case, two large duffle bags, and a couple smaller bags.

This is almost everything we own.

It all fits into a tiny alcove in our Munich flat and should easily cram into our rental car for the trip to Mannheim, our homebase for the next two months.

When I think of how much stuff used to fill our two-bedroom condo in Canada, I’m shocked (and impressed!) that we’ve condensed so much. We left a few pieces of meaningful furniture and some items we’ll need to stock an unfurnished apartment in a small storage locker, but otherwise we travel with pretty much everything!

We were at the absolute weight limit of our baggage allowance on the flight from Calgary to Frankfurt (and paid an extra bag) and have been paring down since. We moved from Frankfurt to Berlin via train and then between flats in Berlin by taxi; the physical difficulty of moving all our stuff spurred us to keep only essentials.

Sofie's luggage There are no moving companies, no wheeled dollies, and no family & friends to lift cardboard boxes – just the two of us. And a dog who really can’t carry anything – although she has a fair amount of her own stuff!

Because we’re travelling by car rather than plane this time, we’re transporting Sofie’s stuff in her carrier (where she goes when we fly). Her bed and her black bag are all she needs 🙂

One of the upsides of minimalism is that packing is pretty quick. All our bags were filled in under an hour and there’s limited risk of accidentally leaving something behind!

We hit the road in a few minutes and are hoping for a smooth trip between Munich and Mannheim – and then more adventures as we explore Baden Würtemburg!

Pancakes & packing – part 1

We’re leaving our flat in Munich tomorrow for one more new-to-us German city. We’ve done a lot of relocating in the last year and I’ve definitely gotten better at not leaving good stuff in the pantry.

In order to clean out our cupboards over the last week (and because baking is one of my stress-relievers), I made ham & cheese loaf, applesauce muffins, two batches of brownies (one that failed miserably), and super-easy pancakes (recipe below).