Translation of eruption in German

We wanted to take a hot shower but there was no hot water at all. We asked someone to fix it and he showed us that there was a heating switch outside the bathroom which would turn on the boiler.
The architecture is much more interesting and beautiful than its sister in the South. The architecture was influenced by the French but also by the Chinese. The buildings are thin and tall.
I think I have to switch back to English. It will take me two years until I write an entire letter in German and I suppose I do not have the time for it. Does that mean that I am not serious about learning?