3 nights in Hamburg, the second city in Germany. After Berlin, we were expecting a vibrant, multicultural, fascinating metropolis with the added charm of the North, the Baltic Sea and all that. I must say we were a bit disappointed: despite the great architecture, old warehouses and entire areas of town restored to their severe and impressive bulk, to host offices and private homes on canals, and the occasional super-modern glass tower, the residential areas of Hamburg are built around boring blocks, with parks and large roads, and nothing really unique about them. I am sure we missed a lot by being there only 3 days, so this may be the wrong impression.

We visited the Elbphilarmonie, which is a gem on its own, and the city’s main attraction, St. Michael’s church. This is featured in the Lucky and Zorba film (La gabbianella e il gatto, in Italian) from the book written by Luis Sepulveda.

Our home (thanks to HomeExchange!) was in the Portuguese neighbourhood, a perfect location near the centre and very lively. Many thanks to Alex and Bettina, our perfect hosts.

Our best meal was at a typical Breton crêperie, where we killed a bottle of cider and had the opportunity to show off our French to the owners…