hamburg

The next day we spent our whole day by and in the harbor proper. With its birthday coming up and visitors flooding in from all over the world, the whole place was filling with masted ships, flags from many different countries, and people looking for accommodation for the coming weekend.

[immediately above photo credit: jr]

We took a harbor tour in order to see some of the working harbor rather than just the touring boats lined up at the visitor's dock. The tour was given in German and I could catch a few words here and there, but the most fun was hearing everyone burst out laughing, including my Opa, and having no idea why they were laughing. It looked like simple, spontaneous joy rippling across the boat.

[photo credit: rs]

[photo credit: jr]

When we ventured further into the city, we stopped first at the glass-floored Apple store, and then found a bustling cafe where I had my first fresh leaf mint tea. It will be so hard going back to bagged mint tea and I hope to plant some mint at my new home this coming school term. We also hopped further into the city and enjoyed some of the architecture.

Heading back on the train, we followed the footsteps of my Opa from when he would return from school or from a piano concert in the city, those that inspired him to pursue piano himself as a career. While Law ended up being the necessary choice, he still continues to play and make CD recordings.