October 3rd was Tag der Deutschen Einheit or The Day of German Unity. Every year a different city in Germany hosts a celebration in honor of the national holiday; this year was Hamburg's turn. A huge series of events were planned for the weekend in Speicherstadt and Hafen City (the area where I work; see entry below), including the 2008 Parcour World Championships. (Don't ask me what Parcour has to do with Germany's reunification, unless you want a bad analogy about scaling walls and overcoming obstacles.) It was probably cool, but the weather sucked and I opted to stay at home. (I know, I am lame.)

But I did make it out to 20up and East on Saturday night with Bettina, who skipped over to Hamburg while here in Germany. Here the spectacular view from -- you guessed it -- 20 stories up:


As you can see from this interior shot, the windows are monstrous.

And this is an interior of the trendy East hotel. It's a little too space agey for my taste, but I still dig it.

Important Trivia

Here's a little fact for ya:

Did you know that when you buy a loaf of bread at a supermarket here in Germany, it doesn't have any heels? I.e., it doesn't have the two end slices that nobody wants. It starts and ends with a "regular" slice:



Now that is important knowledge to have.

Just Another Day at the Office

I left work at about 7:30 pm the other day and was greeted by this view:

The cranes rose stoically into the gorgeous sky and despite all that they represent -- industry, progress, work -- it was incredibly peaceful. I looked to the right and saw an old bike against the railing and the historic church spires punctuating the sky line, underscoring the juxtaposition.

And to the left -- a modern, irregular-shaped building nudging up against an old warehouse.


I must say, my way to and from work is an ever-changing treat. As Europe's largest urban development project, Speicherstadt/Hafen City has such a unique energy and everyday I discover something new. Love it.

I don't really have anything new to report on, but I wanted to say hello.





Hello.

Fahrvergnuegen

I had my first mini car "accident" last week -- if you could even call it that. As I was pulling out of a narrow parking spot (so narrow I had to climb in the car from the passenger's seat), I brushed the parked car next to me. It was a very small nick, but to be on the safe side I called the police anyway. They were there in less than 10 minutes and, after scrutinizing my international driver's license, left a note on the damaged car. I then also left a note. Thankfully the owner is gracious enough to just forget the incident, especially since she couldn't even figure out where I had nicked her car (yes, it was that minor). So all is well and -- drivers beware -- I am back on the road again.

Good Citizen

While in the States I submitted my absentee ballot request and last week I went to my first "Democrats Abroad" meeting. It was an interesting group of ex-patriots, most of whom had been in Germany for more than 10 years. While the all-American barbecue never materialized, I did get an Obama button, which serves as a nice complement to my Obama bumber sticker and t-shirt. Did I mention I'm voting for Obama?

Besides my participation in American politics (this is my first presidential election where I can vote!), I've been hanging out at places like the Pony Bar, where a friend of ours is showing off his creative talents. Here we are. Hanging out.

Artsy Fartsy

I caught a few exhibitions in DC and was reminded how top-notch the museums in the city are. At the National Gallery of Art I saw works by one of my favorite artists, Martin Puryear.

Double whammy: in the background you can see a piece by one of my other favorites, Andy Goldsworthy.

The piece below by Dan Steinhilber was at the Hirshhorn, shown as a new acquisition. Steinhilber creates sculptures out of everyday objects -- like this one out of dry cleaner hangers. He's also used paper cups, garbage bags, and packing peanuts with very cool results.


Sometimes you really don't know what you got til it's gone. So please enjoy the free DC museums for me!