In which we opt for a Hamburg springtime photodump.

Spring arrived in Hamburg with great bouts of sunshine and bluster. Humid afternoons heavy with the scent of tree bloomings turn to tumultuous churnings in the heavens, the weather solidly predictable in its unpredictability. Even at the end of May, people still comment on what a long April it’s been, chuckle chuckle. Dragging out eight hours in front of two computer screens five days a week has left me feeling less and less inclined to look at my laptop in my free time, thus resulting in the most recent blog hiatus. Instead, my weekends have mostly been devoted baking and to hamburging, i.e. getting to know this city better than ever, picnic packed and eyes at the ready. This includes general city wanderings as well as regional exploring, and in this post I’ll stick closer to home.   

As weather is always a reliable conversation starter (see above), we’ll start the photo dump there. Once upon a time, there was a pretty nifty bit of starry playtime involving the moon blocking 80% of the sun up in these northern parts. Eclipse-viewing circumstances were not ideal at first, being far too sunny. The effect was bizarre, as there were still sun and shadows as per usual, but the world was darker in exactly the same way as when you’re looking at it through sunglasses. A bit terrified of going blind if I even squinted thataway, I pointed my camera in its general direction and said GO! That shot looked like pretty ordinary sun picture, except for a line across the celestial body indicating that something was amiss. Nine minutes later however, clouds had come to check on the situation and then hey! It’s the moon! I mean, the sun! A sky sickle! 

And following: the aforementioned humid afternoons and tumultuous churnings, mega storms a-brewing.

Still at the kitchen window: once upon at time the line at the post office below got so long that 22 people were waiting outside!

While inside, there was caramelized upside-down orange ricotta cake and weeks worth of granola bakings, such as tasty chocolate almond cranberry and scrumptious cardamom pistachio apricot pumpkin seed adjective adjective adjective. Yummings and crunching in the Baumhaus!

 Once outside the house, we could go for a little stroll in our favorite park…

…or simply stroll to the S-Bahn with Jules as she discovers flowers and we oohh and aaw and teehee over all the bunnies and fluffy little offspring we see along the way.

From the S-Bahn we could cross the Elbe and go for a springy jaunt around Wilhelmsburg and Veddel, checking out the algae-walled passive house and the algae-covered boat houses. 

Scooting back across the Elbe, we arrive at the harbor just in time for the sun to say goodnight.

When it comes back again, we could go explore previously unknown parts of the city and take a couple snapshots while we're at it.

Every Saturday we (or we could switch back to first person now) I go to this market with a friend for all our (my) tasty local produce!

And this? This is just all the time. Typisch Hamburg.