This website is to provide you with the most amusing features of the Engineer's Ungkarlhus [Danish for Bachelor Pad], which has been lived in by engineers who are not married. The current occupant is indeed a bachelor himself and an engineer... So what is so interesting about these living quarters, come in and have a look. The Ungkarlhus is a "lejlighed med 28 kvadradmeter", an apartment with 28 square metres of space. In the first photo you will find that there is a view of the main room. You will notice the low lights, this is indeed typically Danish, they like their little candles and low lights so they can all sit in a cosy living room and have a "hygger sig", which is hard to translate into English. It means something to the effect of a cosy time together. I will no doubt have friends around more often for a cosy time where they will often say "tak for huggede" or something to that effect whether they are thankful for a cosy time together.
In the other direction you can see my new desk, with all the necessray things I need to do my studious things that bachelors do. There's space for books, CDs and everything which is good.
The kitchen is a bit tiny sometimes for the kind of mass scale industrial catering that I tend to do when friends come round, and my habits don't change. You will see that the handles on the cupboards have a very Scandinavian edge to them, and I think they were bought at IKEA, which pretty much makes them Scandinavian. The really funny thing that I found was the air flue works differently, it has no extractor fan, just an air outlet that takes up all the steam. I kept complaining that it was not working and then they looked at it but I found when I got inside it how it works and saw it is quite different to the English ones!
This is my "brusebad" or shower, not as amusing to use as the one back at the Monastery!
Also in the bathroom is a typically Scandinavian toilet. As you will see they are comparatively smaller than English toilets so one has to bend down further. They have no handle but these strange full moon and half moon buttons on top. I haven't worked out the logic yet but I think they are there to save water so when only a small flush is needed you can do a half moon flush. The internal workings are interesting also, not the same as how English toilets work with the same kind of ballcock and diagphram mechanism to fill the tank, they have very differently designed ones.
Here are some of the CDs that suffered the attack of sun tan lotion during the shipping, they're recovering now.
Here are my boxes when shipped over, I do wonder what on earth happened to them during their transit.
And my leaving cards, thanks to all those who gave me one, I do much appreciate them and find them really great to have here. What's more they certainly brighten up the place.
Also to prove I brought my leaving presents, here is the famous whopee cushion in its glory...
Here's one for hobby time, a short wave radio. I'm still trying to pick up the BBC World Service though to catch up with news back home.
Now as for Scandinavian beds, this is one I am trying to adjust to. I am currently trying it out, but if I am not satisfied I will convert back to an English one. They are designed in a most different way, the matress is attached to the frame, and just covered with a couple of sheets. Then a square pillow and "dovn" is put on top. These are most different fro what we are used to, particularly those like me with traditional sheets and balankets like me. I find my feet stick out at the end and get cold so may not cope long term.
Posters are there to remind me of what I did last year!
Great CD ROM to help with the old language...
My three phones, and then there's work too!
And washing up is top of the addiction list as ever. Here you will find the different way in which the Danish do their washing up, with a washing up tray rather than rack. Also there is "opvask" washing up liquid as you see. I can say "Jeg elsker opvask og har jeg opvaskmaskine ikke" meaning I love washing up and have no dishwasher.
And finally, the strange nature of Danish keys, that are so so Danish. Comparing my Danish door key on the left with a key to the Monastery and my parents house shows their variation from English keys. They are all the same too and absolutely everywhere has the same kind of door and door handles as shown in the next photo. A very Danish thing, that reminds one where they are...
Tim Brown
7/12/04