German apartment

Name: Noemi Location: Berlin, Germany Beyond a lush garden courtyard, a tall twisting staircase leads to the top floor of a 19th century apartment building. Ivy-framed windows open wide as cool summer air drifts through elegant rooms inspired by the historic abodes of German philosophers, English writers, and even French queens.

Let's take a walk on the historic street Weissgerbergasse (Tanner's Lane) in Nuremberg, Germany lined with old artisan houses. Photography by: Habub3 on Flickr

Name: Ralph Martin and Julie von Kessel, their children Lulu (7) and James (3), and Tony the cat Location: Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany Size: 175 square meters/1,884 square feet Years lived in: 2 years; rented The story of how novelist, journalist and ex-New Yorker Ralph acquired such a spacious, classic apartment in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood, with a rent that hasn’t been raised in over 20 years, is the stuff myths (and dreams) are made of.