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Hamburg Gallery

So, we escape the hedonistic clutches of Berlin and shoot three hours north to the beautiful port of Hamburg, all grand stone buildings, a bustling port, and very, very expensive neighbourhoods.

Oh, and snow.

Yes, I know I mentioned snow before, but on my first morning in Hamburg, it was BUCKETING down. Can snow bucket? Who cares, I'm Australian, I'm allowed. The snow was falling hard, and was fresh, so absolutely everything was covered in a fine layer of perfectly white, pure snow. I was amazed at how it covers even the tiniest twig, and the trees just look so magestic. And because the snow kept the suburbs inside, it looked like the outer suburbs of Hamburg were just frozen in time, like out of a fairytale or something.

Of course,the fairytale thing was broken by the fact that it was bitterly cold, snowing, and occasionally raining, but I don't mind that so much these days. Do I sound like I'm used to the climate yet?

We take the Metro into Spiecherstadt (Warehouse district) which is both the city centre, and a main attraction. Hamburg has man-made canals that run kilometres into the city, directly between the warehouses that are used to load the ships - the effect is such that the Spiecherstadt looks kinda like I would imagine Venice to look like, although perhaps a little bit more practical than romantic, but very shoon (German for beautiful) nonetheless.

One of the warehouses in the area is in fact no longer a warehouse, but is the world's premier destination for model train nerds. Oh yes - I went to ModelleBahn (Model World?) - over two hundred square metres of painstakingly hand-crafted replicas of cities around the world. And I really do mean PAINSTAKINGLY. Lets see - tens of thousands of individually programmed trains, cars and various city events run by a huge server farm to interweave perfectly. A fully functional day/evening/night/morning system, so you can observe all the cities at various times of day, complete with a change in activity within the city during those times. Everything was absoltely perfect - I mean, in one area there's a replica of a subway, and at the subway is a tiny display showing the schedule for the next train - you know, like one of the screens when you're standing at a train statinon wondering when the next train is going to arrive. Except here, they've ripped a 2cm diameter screen from an MP3 player, made a 30 sec movie to run on it showing train times, and installed it into the model. Insane! Nerdy, very nerdy - but totally awesome.

Anyway, lots of wandering around the city, eating, drinking and taking silly photos, as we seem to be want to do. It was snowing all day, so perhaps we'll get a chance to go on the cruise before we leave Hamburg, as apparently that's the real way to see the city. Will let you know!

I've updated the Berlin Gallery.

So, I've figured out the cold weather. Dress for however cold you think it's going to be, then add another two layers. Sorted!

To get around the the thigh-busting walking activities we've been doing lately, Volks and I hired bicycles today, and cut our way through Berlin that way. Despite the sore arse I'm suffering as I type this, it was well worth it. Cycling through a city and seeing the sights in-between the sights is the most interesting. For instance, today we decided to venture into a very dodgy-looking stairwell, expecting to find a sex shop or something like that. Instead, we find a series of galleries, bars, and indescribable art installations in a condemned warehouse, awesome graffiti everywhere and definitely the Berlin that everyone should see. Bourgoise and unequaled.

You can see the history of Berlin everywhere. And not just the Nazi past, but the 750 years that Berlin has been Berlin, and you just don't get that in Australia. Walking into Bars where the walls are so obviously hundreds of years old, you get a sense of grandeur that I've never felt before. The historical monuments just enhance that sort of feeling. Today, going to the various memorial sites like Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, The Jewish Memorial and various points along the Berlin wall, you can really feel the past weighing down on the city, the lessons learned, and the irrevocable personality that Berlin has taken on as a result.

And, all tragedies considered, it's a good thing. I mean no disrespect, but the strong history renders Berlin an intersting, eclectic place to be, and I like that.

The people are just crazy. Tonight I went to dinner with some friends of Volker's, whom he want to Egypt with a few years ago - all Berliners, and all with their own interesting story to tell. To be honest, it made me feel rather boring, which is not a feeling I get very often