Hamburg by bike

The next morning I said goodbye to Denis, his wife and kid, who were all in varying degrees fascinated by the size of my backpack and by my plans to hike through the mountains. Denis and his wife don't use computers or email, which was a difficult concept for me to grasp, but in the end I persuaded Denis to jot down my email address, just in case.

I traveled back to Lena and Valeri's house and borrowed a bike for the day. I made my way to the Elbe, where I encountered a biking path and a chilly gale-force tailwind, which delivered me downtown almost without me having to pedal. En route, I saw more of Hamburg's green suburban areas, which reminded me of the US more than any other place I have seen thus far in Europe.

I also went to Altona, formerly a separate town, now swallowed up by Hamburg, but retaining some dirtinctiveness and an attractive downtown core. It was now a largely Turkish neighborhood, with the usual kebab windows on nearly every corner.

In the evening, just before leaving the city, I got to see stlll another residential neighborhood, where I had dinner with a former firm colleague who now worked in Hamburg while studying for Germany's brutal law license examinations, which last for 3 years. We talked over some wine and crepes at a pleasant French cafe, and then I had to dash off to catch my overnight bus to Amsterdam.