Some Small Irritations

While we all wait for polls to close and votes to be counted and fates to be decided, here are some small irritations about living in Germany:

Laundry is an epic. My washer has a 20 minute half-load cycle. The next-shortest cycle takes over two hours. Then laundry takes two days to dry on the rack. I have friends who have a combined washer-dryer, and it takes them literally 4 hours to do one load of laundry.

People still smoke in bars.

I can’t get the bottle caps open. I don’t know why, they just stymie me every time.

Grocery stores are the shadow side of German organization and efficiency. Utter chaos. Once a few weeks ago the Rewe around the corner from me was selling bras in the coffee aisle (only in one size). They’re not anymore.

Jaywalking is frowned upon here.

This is not a German problem, it’s a my apartment problem, but it makes me mad enough to take it out on the whole nation. You know those amazing towel racks that heat your towel and your bathroom that exist all over Europe? Those white ones that are mounted to the wall vertically and have slats for you to hang your towels on? I have one. But to access it, I have to climb from my toilet onto my washing machine. I don’t know about you, but usually after a shower I, myself, am both naked and wet. It’s not an awesome design, if I’m being frank.

I keep hitting my head on the kitchen cabinets.