What a lovely fun and relaxing time I had in northern Germany!

I enjoyed Hamburg even more this time than I did on our short visit in June. The weather was beautiful, so we spent a lot of time outdoors and on the water — taking a boat tour of the harbor, kayaking along the Alster, and bicycling around the city. Hamburg is a fabulous international city, so we also ate lots of wonderful Greek, Turkish, Thai, and Italian food, and saw a modern Chinese art exhibit at the Hamburg Kunsthalle. On one rainy night, we even headed to the cinema and watched the English-language movie Perfume, which has been dubbed into German for German audiences (no subtitles for the Germans, which I still think is a interesting quirk).

About midway through my visit, we took a train even further north to stay in the little town of Schoenhagen (Population: 141) on the East Sea (aka Baltic Sea), with friends of D. Again, the weather was lovely, so we spent plenty of time outdoors on a boat tour to visit a light house on the coast, running along the beach, even visiting a Viking museum! It was quite a contrast to go from bustling Hamburg to the sleepy little towns along the coast, but I really enjoyed the scenery, the relaxed pace, and the fresh air.

I am now back at work in New York, and so far, successfully combatting jet lag. The pictures are all posted, so for more of Hamburg, click here. And for more of the East Sea, click here. Enjoy!