Ich bin ein Hamburger

I like Hamburg, strangely enough. There's enough here that I should intensely dislike given my general preference for smaller, slower, cleaner cities, but nonetheless Hamburg does appeal. I could more easily imagine living here than in Munich, for instance; and I'd definitely choose it over Berlin.

The social tone in Hamburg is set by people coming home tired but happy from a hard day's work, whereas the tone in Munich is set by farm boys looking for dangerous excitement on an evening out.

Very pleasant evening, walking into the sunset on my way from the subway station to AY's apartment: trees to the left of me, a park to the right, clouds that Constable would have loved to paint, a gentle breeze, happy tired people looking forward to a quiet evening at home with their loved ones. Life is good, if you remember to look around you every now and then.

Good night, my dears; sweet dreams.