It is one of those places: when it comes up in a conversation, people always smile and say, "Have you not been there? It is a very nice city."
Hamburg lived up to all the expectations built up over the many years. It is not a city that goes out of its way to try to impress you; but somehow you leave impressed anyway. Hamburg has that charm unique to port cities. It is one of the busiest ports in Europe, but it is also artistic, cultured, hip, artsy, rugged, posh yet laid back; combined, rather effortlessly and seamlessly, and things were "just right". There were traces of its Scandinavian neighbours like Stockholm , Dutch mates like A'dam , R'dam, or even far cousins like Florence and Venice – but merely traces - it was very German. These photos didn't capture it well at all.
I made a special stop at the Elbephiharmonic, just to say hi and "see you again when you're done". I saw this ship on my way back again the dusk sky, a bit like this other historical piece, and then the glowing red viper moved swiftly forward on my right - it is for these magical moments we live. The section of the U3 from Landersbrucke to Rathaus was a feast for the eyes. Every window told a story, and I couldn't stop smiling.
