Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Hamburg Micro-Adventure
I just had one of the best weekends ever, many many thanks to Super-Nuala and the wonderful city of Hamburg. I arrived on Friday and that very night the partying started! On a beach. Beside a river. With a bonfire, alcohol, a barbeque and some really friendly people! The following photo is three of Nualas housemates. On the left is Andreé, the middle is Wotjek and the right is Michelé:

Here is the ONE of the photos many of you have been waiting for. The guy on the left (YOUR left, Nualas RIGHT) is none other than Matt! He's a really great guy. All you ladies should be awful jealous! The guy on the right is another housemate of Nualas, another Wotjek even:

People sitting beside the bonfire (Nuala, Matt, Dave and Wotjek). Two Englishmen and one Pole. GO NUALA!:

We stayed out VERY late (I didn't get to bed until about 9am or thereabouts) but it was a fantastic party. People were awesome.
The next day Nuala brought me on a tour of Hamburg via public transport. This is Nuala, Andreé and I waiting for the S-Bahn:

The thing I was most moved by was this church. When Hamburg was carpet bombed by the allies on 1943 the only remaining part of it was the spire. The people of Hamburg have not rebuilt this church and it stands as a monument to peace:

Inside the grounds of the church are some statues. This one is in memory of a Nazi Prisoner camp:

For a sense of scale, here I am standing in the church doorway at the bottom of the spire:

Well, then we went back to the house and got ready for another night of fun! This time Nuala and her friends took me to the Reeperbahn which is Hamburgs Red Light District. We went to a bar called Murphys which was just the most amazing fun ever! The barman had a crush on Nuala and so gave us free alcohol. Nuala infact had the "Never-Emptying Glass"... This is Nuala, me and Matt at the bar with awful cheezy grins!:

Nuala apparently thoughtI looked sad. Obviously when someone looks sad, you pinch their cheeks as hard as humanly possible until they smile. Doesn't everyone know that?!

Here, to imporve international relations, I am hugged by Andreé, a very nice French-Canadian lady who is NOT from Ontario:

This is Connie, who I had asked to join our group as she was on her own. Somehow she had angered me and I was ANGRY.

I decided that Nualas coat would look better on me. And it sure does! I think Wotjek agreed:

Nuala was happy that I looked good in her clothes:

Here, on the way home (at about 7am) we had bought fruit to eat later. Nuala crowns Michelé as King of the jungle:

Michelé was impregnated by Wotjek. Wotjek is a proud father!

So then... After all that madness, I have some pretty photos for you all. Sunday was a day that we took it easy and did some sightseeing. Here is a pretty waterfall:

And here is a beautiful fountain near town hall:

A close up of one of the figures (Kinda like Simon with hair!):

So, apologies to those of you on dial up, but seriously... It's not the stoneage! If any of you can get to Hamburg for at LEAST a long weekend then do so. I had the best weekend I have had in a long, long time! Thank you very much to Super-Nuala and her Super-Friends Andreé, Wotjek, Wotjek and Michelé. You guys were awesome.

Here is the ONE of the photos many of you have been waiting for. The guy on the left (YOUR left, Nualas RIGHT) is none other than Matt! He's a really great guy. All you ladies should be awful jealous! The guy on the right is another housemate of Nualas, another Wotjek even:

People sitting beside the bonfire (Nuala, Matt, Dave and Wotjek). Two Englishmen and one Pole. GO NUALA!:

We stayed out VERY late (I didn't get to bed until about 9am or thereabouts) but it was a fantastic party. People were awesome.
The next day Nuala brought me on a tour of Hamburg via public transport. This is Nuala, Andreé and I waiting for the S-Bahn:

The thing I was most moved by was this church. When Hamburg was carpet bombed by the allies on 1943 the only remaining part of it was the spire. The people of Hamburg have not rebuilt this church and it stands as a monument to peace:

Inside the grounds of the church are some statues. This one is in memory of a Nazi Prisoner camp:

For a sense of scale, here I am standing in the church doorway at the bottom of the spire:

Well, then we went back to the house and got ready for another night of fun! This time Nuala and her friends took me to the Reeperbahn which is Hamburgs Red Light District. We went to a bar called Murphys which was just the most amazing fun ever! The barman had a crush on Nuala and so gave us free alcohol. Nuala infact had the "Never-Emptying Glass"... This is Nuala, me and Matt at the bar with awful cheezy grins!:

Nuala apparently thoughtI looked sad. Obviously when someone looks sad, you pinch their cheeks as hard as humanly possible until they smile. Doesn't everyone know that?!

Here, to imporve international relations, I am hugged by Andreé, a very nice French-Canadian lady who is NOT from Ontario:

This is Connie, who I had asked to join our group as she was on her own. Somehow she had angered me and I was ANGRY.

I decided that Nualas coat would look better on me. And it sure does! I think Wotjek agreed:

Nuala was happy that I looked good in her clothes:

Here, on the way home (at about 7am) we had bought fruit to eat later. Nuala crowns Michelé as King of the jungle:

Michelé was impregnated by Wotjek. Wotjek is a proud father!

So then... After all that madness, I have some pretty photos for you all. Sunday was a day that we took it easy and did some sightseeing. Here is a pretty waterfall:

And here is a beautiful fountain near town hall:

A close up of one of the figures (Kinda like Simon with hair!):

So, apologies to those of you on dial up, but seriously... It's not the stoneage! If any of you can get to Hamburg for at LEAST a long weekend then do so. I had the best weekend I have had in a long, long time! Thank you very much to Super-Nuala and her Super-Friends Andreé, Wotjek, Wotjek and Michelé. You guys were awesome.
