We liked four of the five places they showed us: Frederiksberg, the Lake House, Park Place, and the Country Manor. We were able to knock Frederiksberg out because it wouldn’t be available until mid March. Then there were three. Two in Østerbro and one in Charlottenlund, a small town outside of the city. While the palatial space and beach location of the Country Manor were awfully tempting, after a lot of thinking we decided that we are city folk at heart. No matter where we’ve lived we have always gravitated towards the urban. That left the Lake House and Park Place.
The Lake House was smaller and, for at least a year, our lake view would be blocked by construction. But it had that extra half bath and was a ten minute walk in the literal park for SM to get to work. Park Place was roomier and still less than half hour’s walking commute for SM. Then we went back out to Østerbro and explored the park. The park next door to Park Place is a HUGE green space. The area closest to our building is the kid’s section. The kid’s area alone has three separate zones. Besides the usual swings and slides and climbing equipment it has trampolines, y’all! So, yeah. We went with Park Place.
One of the biggest differences about renting apartments here in Denmark is you get two choices: as is and refurbished. As is means what you see is what you get, though the landlord is obligated to see that everything is in working condition. These are rare finds, and usually come with strings like a short term lease. Refurbished means you have to return the place in the same condition in which you get it- no wear and tear. Which is impossible even without a terror, I mean toddler. With a refurbished place you have to move out two weeks shy of the end of your lease while the landlord paints, sands, and gets the place back in shape. Not only are you paying for two weeks rent while not living in the apartment you also have to pay for the work being done. And you don’t even get to choose your own crew, do bids, or anything! The rent can also be adjusted for inflation on a yearly basis. It’s good to be a landlord in Denmark.
Move in turned out not to be until March because we had to wait for our stuff to arrive. And what a lot of stuff it turned out to be! It took the guys two truckloads to get it here and we still have half a house full of things back home. I was a bit worried that it would be too much but it actually fits almost perfectly. They two guys, both from Romania, not only unloaded but unpacked and took away the packing materials. We were not expecting this because we were told specifically that our stuff would not be unpacked. They even put together the dining table, desk, and toddler bed. They wanted to do more.
People talk about service here like it’s inferior to what we have back home. This argument is used to support tipping culture. It’s a bullshit argument. Service here is routinely as good, or better, than I have gotten at home in the States. In the US I feel vaguely guilty eating alone, taking my time with my meal, or just not ordering much. In the States the waitstaff are not paid based on how efficiently they do their jobs. They are paid based on how expensive the menu is, how expensive the order is, and how many tables they can turn around in their shift. The guy whose customers ordered soup and salad all night is walking home with a fraction of what the guy whose customers ordered steak, lobster, and wine even if his customers tip generously. Which may not be the case since there is no legal obligation to tip at all.