I really thought I would get this letter out earlier. Just as I was finishing up the letter/journal from the Dec 2nd, the stupid computer starts beeping, meaning the battery is getting low and that I needed to save my letter and shut the computer off. However, I wasn’t running on the battery only. At least I didn’t think I was because I had the adapter plugged into the wall socket. We concluded because I was using a 50 watt converter I really had too low of power and it was running off the battery. Jack thought about it overnight and figured out I didn’t need a converter. The adapter we have handles both 220p and 100 watt.
We found an apartment, or flat. I’m not certain what the difference between an apartment and a flat is. If it is a person from the USA, it’s an apartment. Someone from England, it’s a flat.
It is in a residential area just like what we wanted and very near the same area as the hotel we have stayed at the last couple of times. They have row houses here just like any large city. The houses are right against each other. This house is on the corner so we have windows on three sides instead of just two. Being a corner log the yard is larger than usual also. We would also have the ground floor apartment. Another difference, they do not call the ground floor the first floor. Here there is a ground floor and then the first floor, then the second, etc.
It has two bedrooms. In fact, they are large even by US standards. There is a large entry area, large living room, a very small kitchen, and a bathroom. The kitchen and bathroom have been remodeled. It has linoleum in the entry or hall area, kitchen, and bathroom. The bedrooms and living room are hardwood floors. But, they are not highly polished like we are used to. I’m not sure whether this is normal or not. Hanka’s living room of their new apartment is hardwood, but what I would call a semi-polished finish. There is a large area rug in the center of each room that covers all but two or three feet around the edges of the floor.
It is completely furnished; furniture in every room, bedding, cooking utensils, dishes (china in fact), TV, and telephone. The only thing it did not have is a washing machine. However, it has been plumbed for one in the bathroom. That and a coffee machine will be purchased very quickly7.
The dining room table is in the living room. No surprise to us as this is normal here. I still find it very strange. It just looks like you are going to have a big dinner party and temporarily set the table in the living room.
The rent includes utilities except for telephone. We learned today that the phone bill is paid at the post office. The phone company is still owned by the Czech government.
Shep will have two friends. Hopefully, they will become friends. The uncle of our landlady lives in the upstairs apartment. They have a Springer Spaniel and a Dachshund. Both are female so maybe they will be less aggressive. Shep’s fine with other dogs unless they get sassy. He doesn’t put up with it. A show of power I guess.
Hanka just called and said another person she had contacted has called her back with another place she thinks we should look at. She said it would be closer to the center of town and to transportation.
December 5, 1997
We looked at the other apartment. It was in a very nice area of single homes instead of row houses. This was once where the wealthier people built large homes in the 30’s and 40’s. Most have now been converted into two and three apartments.
This particular house was near the top of a large hill with a terrific view of the city. But the apartment itself is much smaller. It had a kitchen-living room combination which would have been nice, remodeled but - and it’s a big one it’s on the second (third in the States) floor and no elevator. A hill and a second(third) floor, no way. So we signed the lease for the first apartment. We will be moving in on Saturday. We need to help Mike pickup a table and chairs for their apartment that they had ordered and then we will move into our own place.
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