The laundromat -- oh, where to begin? I’ll start by saying that I’m trying to be a good sport about all the inconveniences associated with moving to another country.
A little bit of background info.: The house that we are renting, did not come with a washer and dryer. Knowing that EVERYTHING over here is more expensive, that we are here for a limited amount of time, and that it’s cheaper to buy some things used, we found a family selling their washer and dryer before they return to the US. (Just a side note, we did this with many items like a microwave, full size fridge/freezer for the garage, fans, coffee pot, toaster, hand mixer, etc.) Anyway, the washer and dryer are American sized (which is a huge plus), but weren’t going to be available until mid-June.
Paul had used the local laundromat before we arrived and it didn’t seem like a huge deal. Our first weekend in town Lindsey and I did 5 loads of laundry on Saturday and Paul and Nicholas did another 5 on Sunday. There is a whole process that needed to be learned. Washing machines take tokens or jetons which are 3.70 euro each and need to be obtained from one vending machine. When one pays with a 50 euro bill (because the ATM machine prefers to give you fifties instead of twenties), you receive 10 jetons immediately and the rest in eurocents. It almost feels like you’re in Vegas when all the money comes out of the machine!
Then it’s back to the washers where you put in your detergent and choose the temperature of the water and nothing else. After 35-45 minutes (depending on the temp. chosen), you are ready for the dryer. Dryers are bigger and usually two washing machine loads go into one dryer. It costs 60 eurocents for 10 minutes of drying time. Most loads take 30 minutes (at least they way I do laundry!). To pay for the dryers, you must go to a different vending machine and put in the correct change and which dryer it corresponds to.
Finally, the dryers are done and you get to fold all the laundry on tables that are nearby. The whole process takes almost 2 hours and needless to say Lindsey and I have gotten very friendly with Lily, who works at the laundromat. My parents (who both had the pleasure of helping with the laundry while they were visiting) also got to meet Lily. She has limited English, but is very sweet and helpful. She always gives Lindsey something sweet to eat and lets her use her private bathroom. She will also do your laundry for you, but to have her wash/iron Paul’s work shirts, she charges 2.50 a shirt. It’s 6 euro per item for dry cleaning. Not something we can do often . . .
Anyway, keep in mind that I have two young children and so we are going to the laundromat on a weekly basis. I usually take up 4-6 washers (the most was 8 when we washed all the towels, sheets, rugs, and anything not hung up!) and 2-3 dryers. I fill up a large rolling suitcase and a duffle bag which have to be carried across a fairly busy street, while trying to keep track of a 3 year old. Good times.
I know this is long, but to really get the feel for this adventure, keep reading! One night I had the brilliant idea to take the laundry after the kids had gone to bed. As I arrived, it was raining (big surprise). I saw that the laundromat closed at 22 hours. (Full disclosure -- this military time is something I am still getting used to and also I am not good at math.) I believed, or at least wanted to believe, that was 11:00 pm and that I had just enough time as it was just after 9 pm. I put 5 loads of laundry in and started writing in my journal. About 15 minutes later I realized that 22 was 10:00 pm, and I was pretty much screwed. There was one other couple there and they left promptly at 9:55. For 5 minutes I sat in total agony, not sure what would happen next. Surely I was good enough friends with Lily that when she came to lock up, she would let me stay. At 10:00 on the dot, the lights went out and the door automatically shut. No Lily. I tried not to panic. My wash still had 3-5 minutes left. They were going strong. Luckily the emergency light was on and so it wasn’t pitch black in the place. I called Paul and gave him an update. I didn’t want to try to open the door incase an alarm went off and my laundry wasn’t done. I couldn’t open the washers until they were completely finished. I did not want to bring home wet laundry as I would have to repeat the whole process and wash everything again, defeating the purpose of going at night. Paul was not thrilled. I told him I felt safe locked inside the the laundromat and that when the wash was done, I was going to see if the dryers still worked. I was determined to bring home completely done laundry. The 5 minutes passed very slowly and finally I was ready for the dryer. I dragged it all down and found out the vending machine for the dryer had shut off at 10:00. My money kept falling out. It was time for plan B.
I lugged the laundry back to the front, pushed a button near the door and was able to get out safely and without causing an alarm to go off. I carried the HEAVY bag of 5 wet loads of laundry to my car while it was sprinkling (big surprise). I really thought I was going to have a heart attack. I called Paul from the car completely out of breath and told him my plan B. He again wasn’t thrilled, but I am a very determined individual. I drove down the street to another laundromat. It was also to close at 10 pm, but there were still 3 people inside. I jumped out of the car and luckily one customer spoke good English. He thought I would be fine to come in and dry my clothes. I purchased jetons and loaded up 3 dryers. So far so good. I had to move my car to a parking lot across the street and run back. Shortly after 10:30, the lights went out, but the door stayed unlocked. One couple left and one woman remained. I kept one eye on my car that was parked in a tow-away parking lot during evening hours and one eye on my journal. I was sweating and holding my breath the whole time. 30 minutes later the laundry was dry enough and I shoved it all into the duffle bag and lugged it back to the car in the rain. The one woman was still inside, but I wasn’t about to test the limits and fold it all there. Out of breath once again, I called Paul with an update, and arrived home safe and sound a few minutes later. We folded the extremely wrinkled laundry and got to bed just before midnight. It was certainly an adventure that I wasn’t going to repeat anytime soon!
