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.

In which Easter is a stroll and a Zuckerbombe.

Previously, in Hamburg's northern realm:

Though the air was still smoky from the smouldering remains of bonfires, Easter Sunday came about with bright sunshine and good feelings for all. How appropriate then for a walk in FeelGoodVillage on the northern edge of the city. See, the non-translated name is Wohldorf, with "Dorf" meaning "village" and "wohl" basically meaning to feel good, at ease, etc. (Well, technically in this case it's part of a reflexive verb, so you have to "feel [yourself] at ease"... Oh, you don't care? We'll just get on with the pictures then.) The adventure started and ended with a stroll through the Wohldorfer woods -- not quite in leaf, but thinking about it.

The muffled forest footsteps and wheel spinnings of bicyclists were quite literally overshadowed by airplanes coming in to land at the nearby airport, the massive zooming not well-suited to the softness of the afternoon.

The breezes were kept to a minimum, leaving the water free to mirror the tree stripes above.

(Which also look pretty snazzy in black and white.)

(The Texan cowboy boots are still a-kickin'.)

The village itself is quite idyllic and fachwerky. Many people were out and about with the whole family -- dogs, horses, and cuuuuute little ponies included. I am convinced that the majority of them eventually went home to cake and hot-beverage-of-choice with family, though I would also bet that their spread didn't look nearly as pacman-y as ours.
 

A few days later, Jules and I got carried away decorating happy-go-springy sugar cookies, though listened to Sweeney Todd while doing so to keep the good feelings from getting too excessive.

One of us had trouble keeping our paws out of the butterflies. I wonder who it was...

These cookie cutters have a special feature in that a strategically placed gap lets you hang the tasty Keksies on your teacup.

The springtime Bäckerei got a little ridiculous a couple days later with these melt-a-Rolo-on-a-pretzel-insert-peanut-m&ms-and-top-with-toasted-coconut bird's nests, occasioned by a birthday partay.

Too much? A little much. But whatever.

In which there was today.

And thus was another to-me-unknown part of Hamburg bewondered, followed by crafting, creative things with fennel, and -- in about three minutes -- buckwheat cream cheese cake. Jam at the ready, set...