Aussiedog

  That's why.;-)

  Yes, I've had to do this over a long period of time with my family regarding how it really was for some of us as kids - clearly we didn't and don't see it the same way - and it's been a really difficult and painful process.    I wish you well.

  I'll drink to that. Boring as batshit generally. I miss the selection we had in my wine shop in Melbourne, Australia.

 Yeah, so BIG mistake.   My philospophy is: never assume that a rental car company will do the right thing by you.    If you rent cars more than once or twice a year it's definitely worth having some sort of extra insurance. That's what we have. It costs us about 60-80 euros per year. (There are a few companies offering this -  Google it!) Will they cough up if there's a claim? Well, when my wife had a minor prang in Greece and we were hit with a bill for over 1200 euros, they did, no problem.   Still my motto when dealing with all rental car companies is: be prepared to be screwed over - they will if they can. (How else can they make money in Portugal when you can rent a car for as little as 6-8 euros per day?)

Some presumably well-educated English woman just said this:   "I will shortly leave the job that has been the honour of my life to hold — the second female prime minister, but certainly not the last," she said. "I do so with no ill-will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love."   A couple of nice words and phrases there that you might be able to work into whatever it is you're sorry for.

Search function (top right) spits out this:   https://www.toytowngermany.com/search/index.php?q=furnished+apartments+hannover&noads=   Good luck.

  Will check this out! Looks like a friend's restaurant in Melbourne. (Turkish guy who came with nothing - possibly even as a refugee - to Australia and made his fortune in the restaurant game.)  

Great stuff everybody! Plenty of food for thought here ;-)   Looks like just doing my due diligence will keep my busy for a while!   Oh, @Sir Percy B, no worries, as they say, "Have U-Bahn, Will Travel".

I'm coming to Berlin soon to visit my BIL, generally hang out, and, more importantly, go to the kind of restaurants you just don't find down this way.   So, any suggestions? I like everything, as long as it's good. If it's great value, even better.   A few possible categories: Best pizza joint? (I mean pizza like you get in Italy.) Best Asian? Best new kid on the block? Best anything else? etc.

You definitely should try to negotiate some kind of quid pro quo. We moved into a flat once and did the floors (Laminat) in exchange for a month's free rent - something like that. Another time the landlord re-did the bathroom and we agreed to a rent increase. Don't just fork out that kind of money without getting your back scratched too...IMHO.

My brilliant analysis of the situation:   not an easy landlord, not an easy tenant.   My advice to you:   (in any order you like),   -move out when the time comes and start again -inform yourself of the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords in Germany (may involve reading your contract) (      ).      

Or this one...only a surfer knows the feeling!         Absolute classic!!

  I must say that I can sympathise we the OP. Even the noise of people just moving around on the level above me can drive me nuts. I'm certainly more sensitive to that kiind of noise than most it seems.  We lived in an apartment above a shop when we first moved back here (and didn't have anyone above us) , so no problem there. Not easy to find I know, but the suggestion is a good one. Now in our own free-standing house, and if the kids are making a racket at least I can go and tell them to keep it down! Sometimes they even do as they're asked/told.

  This is TT - whatever you do, DO NOT show any signs of weakness! NEVER take anything personally (unless somebody calls you a C___, of course). This is all part of the toughening up process! WE see a head - whaddya gunna do???... we kick it! Although my response was more like a little finger flick to the earlobe IMO. YOU'RE DOING GREAT! STAY POSITIVE... BUT if you do happen to stick your head out of the trench like that again, then WE CAN'T BE RESPONSIBLE FOR...   Fair enough question though...sort of.

  "...so I went to the CEO and said, "SHOW ME THE CHICKEN BURGER,  BITCH or I'm walking out the door"...and that's how I ended up working as a delivery driver...