Moin!

Moin!



Moin is, by the way, the greeting that Hamburgers use which is technically just a shortened version of Morgen (Guten Morgen) yet I quickly learnt that it is appropriate to greet a fellow Hamburger with this at any time of day, dark or light. One more step to passing as a proper Hamburger, check.

Sometimes, just for fun, the crazy Hamburgers add a second Moin in for luck.

Moin moin!

Anyway, this post has clearly started off with the usual clarity, brevity and focus that is typical of my writing.

I've been in Hamburg for nearly 2 months now. It's got to the point when, when people ask me how long I've been here, I can't immediately answer with the exact number of weeks. I like to think this a good sign regarding settling in, but I was always pretty poor at mental arithmetic so it could just be put down to that.

Updates:

I have a flatmate! She's very nice, even though what with both working full time and our social lives which definitely do NOT correspond, timing-wise, we don't actually see much of each other.
After 6 weeks of living alone for the first time (which, if you remember, I was dreading before I moved out here) I found I actually quite liked it. Or rather, I could handle it what with working full time and craving time alone after work. I prefer living with someone still, but good to know.

I get a bit stressed (understatement) about what I'm going to do after the internship, as basically I've decided I love this city so much I want to stay for a while! Plus, for the last 4 years I've moved house/country max. every 9 months and I'm  getting a strong urge to just stay put somewhere for a couple of years. As much as I love new adventures, a constant lack of permanency appears to be taking its toll. To do this, this requires a more permanent job, ideally one I actually enjoy. And so the job hunt begins!

I learnt the hard way not to cycle on the smooth cobblestones that you see lining the side of pavements in Hamburg in the rain. Having had a wobble on the way to work, I was extra careful on the way back yet not careful enough, and predictably went flying. Luckily I'd bought a bike helmet a week or two before and came off no worse than slightly bruised elbows (and pride). A lot of nice strangers stopped to help me though and I had no opportunity to develop a fear of my bike, as I had to just get back on it and carry on home. So Beth will cycle on another day.

Enough words, now for some pictures!

This is the Binnenalster (Innen Alster) lake at Jungfernstieg, which is where I work. Not a bad place to chill on your lunch break, eh? Yesterday the sun shone through the fountain, causing a rainbow fountain which was a lovely sight to see, but sadly I didn't have time to stop and take a photo.

Part of a culinary festival that was taking place on the sides of the lake (name temporarily forgotten), Warsteiner holds a special place in my heart after my friend Soph and I randomly stumbled upon a museum dedicated to it when we were 18 and unexpectedly in Heidelberg after travelling plans had gone awry (actually, that's a good blog post story, hold that thought!). I always think of her and that weird, weird museum whenever I see Warsteiner.

On Sunday Diana and I went to see the Editors (a British band I obsessively listen to whilst driving) at the open-air stage in the Stadtpark. It was warm, sunny (or at least until night fell) and the atmosphere was amazing. Not even tall people arriving late and pushing in front of us could ruin the enjoyment. Plus the lead singer (Tom Smith, the guy in the picture) has the sexiest voice on earth and knows how to put on a good show.

The Rathaus square is beautiful, all old architecture and intricate façades. I like to hang out there on my lunch break (when I'm not at the lakeside a couple of hundred metres away). The other day however, I realised with horror that I'd been sat next to this WWI memorial for weeks without ever noticing it. It's not exactly small, and it doesn't exactly fit in with the aforementioned architecture, so there is no excuse for my selective blindness. If that's not a reminder of how lucky I am to be able to enjoy this beautiful city despite this country's terrible (and sad) history, I don't know what is. In fact, I only noticed it because there's a man who stands in the square making huge bubbles for kids' amusement (and a few pennies). I was following the path of the bubbles up and away into the blue sky when they drifted past the monument. It was an oddly beautiful view, but triggered a lot of reflection on my part.

Auf wiedersehen!