When we first moved to Germany in the fall of 2022, we lived in a sublet in the quiet Othmarschen neighborhood of Hamburg. We had a large attic apartment with a cute balcony. Every morning, we’d get up and make a coffee with a bowl of müsli. We’d sit in our little chairs and watch the news or an episode of a TV show on our laptop.
For lunch, I’d walk to the tiny neighborhood grocery store and get soup and a baguette. At night, we’d walk through the nautical mansions and it would be so eerily quiet you could hear people talking inside their homes. We’d lay on the couch in the second bedroom with our hot water bottles and watch Wednesday since it had just come out or Forumla 1 races on Sundays. At night, we’d huddle together in bed since the apartment was freezing. Weekends were for exploring. Russ wasn’t here yet so our walks were intentional and planned. We’d go to the park and sit or have a hot chocolate.
I love thinking about that time. Everything was new and an adventure. Despite feeling lost or homesick upon arriving, I felt safe and comfortable in this apartment. I was genuinely sad when we left. I got film developed from 2022 and there is a photo that perfectly encapsulates that period of time.
For today, I present a handful of memories from that tiny attic sublet.
