Everything is Different

We've been in UK for just over a month, and loving life here.

We've spent time with friends, met our neighbors, and I've caught up with coworkers in the London office.

Quite a few people here and back in the US have asked what been the most surprising/different for us.

Here's just a few:

Bathrooms:


1: The light and fan switches are usually on the outside of the door.

2: If there is an outlet in the bathroom, it will be a "shaver only" one.

3: Toilets are a different shape, have two buttons for flushing, have less water in the bowl, and are often set into the wall. 










Kitchens/laundry:

    Fridges are much smaller, freezers are usually all drawers.

    It's common to have a built-in drainboard as part of the sink.

    Washing machines are often in the kitchen(though not in this house--we have a very nice utility room). 

Tumble dryers are not as common as in the US because of limited space and higher energy costs. Most people have a folding clothes rack to hang clothes to dry. Some plug in to get warm to speed up drying, which is important in the wet winter months. 

Since we have a garden, I was able to upgrade the outdoor drying rack so we have plenty of space to hang things. 

You can get washer/dryer combination machines, but they aren't very energy efficient, have a low capacity and they take FOREVER to finish a cycle (about 3 hours minimum). 

Both washers and dryers are much smaller than US ones. I got a pretty large capacity washer which is 10kg. The separate dryer is a heat pump that dries by evaporation, so there's a drawer that collects the water.

Electrics:
     Household power is 240, but modern plug/socket design makes it much safer than in the US. 

    All modern outlets have switches, so you can cut the power without having to unplug things.







Doors and Windows:

Notice anything different about our front door? There's no doorknob. Interior doors have them but it's not unusual for an exterior door to not have one.

Modern windows usually have multiple panes, a couple of options for getting fresh air, and keyed locks.  The upper windows tilt out and have "trickle vents" at the top, the lower windows open out. All are double-paned.


That's it for now!

Next time I'll share some of the beautiful spots around us.

Juliette



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