theXtraSuitcase

D had a conference in Berlin so we decided to take a train and stop in Hamburg on the way home.  Believe it or not.....I took very few photos!  Why?  We had a few days of rain in Berlin and two solid days of rain in Hamburg.

We really enjoyed our visit to the Berlin Wall East Side Gallery, a  section of the wall that is still remaining.  It is covered with art.  To see more of the paintings visit my art blog, Ma Vie Trouvee.

 My friend Fatima was also in town with her husband for the conference and we went to the Jewish museum.  It is an excellent museum in a very modern building.

A view from the inside of the building.

A few images I found interesting in the city:

Strawberries are sold throughout the city - in the metro stations and in little huts like the one below.

Instead of circles for thier green and red lights, they have Ampelmännchen (little men) - running man for go (green) and a stopped man for red.

The Ampelmännchen is a beloved symbol in Eastern Germany, being one of the few features of communist East Germany to have survived the end of the Iron Curtain.  After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Ampelmännchen acquired cult status and is now a popular image on souvenirs and T-shirts.  

How about this for playground safety?  I don't think we would ever see this in the US.

We enjoyed Berlin.  Donald's conference went well and of course we ate lots of good food including the lasagna we deemed "the best lasagna" anywhere when we were in Berlin three years ago!  It took some work, but D was able to locate the restaurant, Latini, and it was just as we remembered.

HAMBURG

We had fun in Hamburg.  I selected Hotel East for its super modern design.  Due to a little issue with our first two rooms, we were upgraded to a suite with a chilled bottle of champagne waiting for us, an extra large tub for two, a water-bed and free breakfast each morning......including champagne!  It was extra nice due to the fact it was such a rainy weekend.

We spent several hours in the modern art museum and  despite the rain, we did a little shopping.  My very favorite store was Scarpovino -

(Scarpo= shoes and vino=wine)  They sold shoes and wine!  Brilliant!

Reeperbahn street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, is the hottest spot for Hamburg's nightlife.  It is also the city's red-light district.   In German it is also called die sündige Meile (the sinful mile).  We enjoyed an evening of people watching.

A VERY unique tour guide.  And she he is wearing flats!

Hen-do and Stag-do (bachelor/bachelorette) parties were very poplular on this street - we saw 10 or so.  This group seemed like they were really enjoying the night.

We are seeing more and more of the Beer Bike in cities across Europe - they are so funny.  I will admit, it was the first time we had seen them all shirtless.  Have they hit the states yet? 

Hamburg is definitely a party city!