Hamburg, 30-31.5.2025: Birthday Parties and Alster Bells

I’m writing this on 1 June in W. and K.’s flat, as rain pelts down outside. It began suddenly a few moments ago shortly before noon, and is very welcome, since it will cool things down and also because Hamburg, like so much of Europe, had a very dry spring. 

Hamburg, 29.05.2025: Disappearing Rings and Licorice Shops

Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall, kleiner Saal

Yesterday (writing this on the 30th) was for the most part a rest day. My sore throat and cough continue, and since we knew we’d go in the evening to a concert at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, we all thought it was best for me to rest. There were plans for W. and K.’s friends V. and V. to come for the midday meal, with W. and K. cooking the asparagus we had bought at the Winterhude market the day before. 

Hamburg, 28.05.2025: Strawberries and Shiatsu

Apples from the Altes Land

With my bad sore throat, I took things easy today. Just before noon, W. walked us over to the Wednesday market in the Winterhuder Marktplatz. This was such a treat, a real feast for the senses: bakery stands, meat stands, egg booths, cheese vendors, flower stalls, gorgeous fruit and fat, fat white and green asparagus. W.’s main objective was to buy asparagus, which he and K. will make tomorrow for us and for W.’s longtime friend V. and his wife also named V. 

Hamburg and Berlin, 27.05.2025: Cupcakes and Wine, Palaces and Parks

Dammtor station, Hamburg 

A long day yesterday, but a generally very enjoyable one (I’m writing this on the 28th). Early in the day, we took the train from Hamburg to Berlin. It was scheduled to depart from Dammtor station (of which I took some photos; the architecture of Ernst Moeller, who designed the station in 1903, is impressive) at 9:28 but actually left Hamburg later. In typical German fashion, everything is calibrated by a clock which announces (via a computerized screen at the platform where you’re waiting) the exact moment a train is scheduled to arrive and then depart. Voice announcements routinely told us this information, adding that there was a “medical emergency” on our line (our friend W. thought this was likely a suicide) that was responsible for the delay, and then for an alternative route we ended up taking.

Hamburg, 26.05.2025: Pelting Rain and Stifling Duvets

Blankenese view

I slept badly last night, in contrast to the night before. I don’t think I’ll ever accustom myself to the German custom of sleeping with a heavy duvet covering even in the heat of summer. It’s not at all cold right now, somewhere — in the mid-60sF — but people continue to have heat on in their houses and other buildings continue running heat. And when we walked to the park yesterday and again walked outside this morning, W. and K. insisted we bundle up and have neck scarves against the cold. Everyone we encountered was dressed that way. 

Hamburg, 25.05.2025: Eurasian Blackbirds and Grand Sud Merlot

Georg Kolbe, Große Kriechende, Hamburg Stadtpark

We were so worn out from the long travel and the fuss and botheration with the flight that we slept till 10:45 A.M. After a bit of breakfast in W. and K.’s kitchen, the four of us waited for his sister H., who had been invited for the midday meal. 

Hamburg, 24.05.2025: Missed Flights and Würst with Potato Salad

We arrived in Hamburg on the 24th totally worn out after a nightmare in the Atlanta airport. Our flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam on the 23rd took off five hours late, causing us to miss our connecting flight to Hamburg. I wrote about this debacle on Facebook:

Lisbon, 27.12.2024: Lamb Tagine and Sintra Sights

Sintra, view up shopping lane in old city 

Christmas dinner at Flor da Laranja Moroccan restaurant, 206 R. da Rosa in the Bairro Alto: my initial impression after we’d gone there was that it was a delightful experience. Now, in retrospect, I’m questioning that impression. This is what I posted about it on Facebook:

Lisbon, 23. and 25.12.2024: Warm Pastéis and Christmas Music

Music played in Jardim da Praça do Império, Christmas Eve

23 December 2024

We chose to be naughty today, since Santa won’t get word of that until after he has started his flight from the North Pole with his packages for us tomorrow, and we’ll still get the packages despite our naughty behavior the day before Christmas Eve. Besides being naughty and spending much time just relaxing and reading and sipping port, we did a desultory shopping expedition to a little mini-mart and a wine shop next to it on R. Alexandre Herculano a few blocks from the hotel, and bought some oranges, rolls, potato chips, candy, and a bottle of wine. 

Lisbon, 22.12.2024: Pricey Azulejos and Bright Peacocks

Avenida de Liberdade, December morning sunshine

A lazy Sunday with warm December sunshine in Lisbon. We began it with breakfast at the hotel’s breakfast room, since we couldn’t find a way to buy coffee to go with the cheese, bread, sausage, and fruit we have in the room. The little place we’ve gone to two days now for breakfast, Docelândia, is closed on Sunday. A restaurant right next to Hotel Florida told us yesterday they’d sell us take-out coffee, but they open only at 10:30 A.M., and we were up well before that and wanting coffee. A few steps away is a McDonald’s. Steve walked there to see if he could get coffee and found they offer only espresso. So the Hotel Florida breakfast room it was….

Lisbon, 21.12.2024: Ancient Grottos and Pickpocket Warnings

Alfama scene

We continue to find touring daunting. As we did yesterday, we slept this morning until 9 A.M. and then got up, still feeling somewhat jet-lagged. I got wise and put earplugs into my ears last night, and had a more restful evening that I had the previous evening, though even so, at 2 A.M., some absolutely gormless lout slammed a door so loudly near us that the floor in our room shimmied in response.

Lisbon, 20.12.2024: Black Cats and Closed Churches

So yesterday on the 19th, after breakfast we figured out how to take the subway to the Gulbenkian Museum, and spent several hours there before lunch. Following the directions in Steves’ guidebook proved a bit more complicated than we had anticipated, and as we exited the subway (blue line) at the São Sebastião stop and tried to spot the El Corte Inglés store that’s supposed to be at your back as you walk down Avenida de Aguiar, it proved difficult to find. As we were pondering that matter, a couple, French I thought, came up with their guidebooks and asked if we knew how to find a certain street. Turned out that when we finally got to the Gulbenkian, they were there, so they, too, were trying to follow evasive directions to the evasive entrance to the museum. (Video above: an accordion player on the blue line of the Metro to Bairro Alto, 20.12.2024.)

Lisbon, 19.12.2024: Ramshackle Colors and Chocolate Cups

Christmas Market, Rossio Square

After arriving in the morning on the 18th, we were so exhausted from a day’s air travel that we showered and slept several hours once we’d reached our hotel, Hotel Florida on Duque de Palmela off Avenida de Liberdade near Parque Eduardo VII. The hotel is pleasant, though seems to have seen better days. Our friend Mayson B., who was formerly a travel agent in New Orleans and helped us make arrangements for a number of trips, recommended it to us. It’s where he has stayed when he’s been in Lisbon.