The greatest thing about traveling is to win friends. What luck to have them live not very far. Or at least close enough to come together for a wee weekend…

We chose Stuttgart and after a long time, Elena an I met again.
Back in the day, pretty much one year ago, I left her in Wellington as the last au pair of the group and set out to the South Island.

Now we went on a discovery tour once more. This time in a German city.

As I left my camera inside the room on the first day, the pictures are of the second day. That one was equally sunny and thus, we just visited the ‘photo worthy’ corners again.
But all good days start with breakfast. 🙂 And we couldn’t have eaten more royally!

When walking through Stuttgart, you quickly notice how often you encounter open spaces. The same I captured in my picture series. Besides, it is ever more fascinating how much history Germany holds. You only notice that to this extent, after living in a country where the oldest buildings are from 1840…

Despite the scorching heat and the short time span at hand we had a pure blast!
You can always travel and it is good for you! Especially when sharing it with friends. Even more so with those you met traveling…

That not everybody could make it to the first big reunion was inevitable. But only the fact that we were sitting down again. Us, not at all strangers to each other anymore. In one room. Talking. This fact made this meeting with us friends just complete.
Just like back then in Wellington, when we shared the ‘au pair fate’, we spent a little time together…

I didn’t fully realise at first, just how elementary important friends are in life. Looking back, my heart fills with wonder and awe, thinking about the wonderful persons I had the chance to get to know.
But you know that. Every single heart I have taken to my own knows this. I hope. 🙂

After we were reunited from the different corners of Germany, we had a calm night around the campfire.

Hamelin is an old city full of tradition. Those days, some great city celebration was taking place and thus, the streets weren’t empty at all.

I would love us all all living around the area. Like the old days.
But like this, every other meeting of us characters is very special and one not to be forgotten easily.

Next to a demanding apprenticeship (code-word rise early again) and some more smaller or bigger projects on the side, there are these small islands you want to stay on but a little longer.

A weekend in Hamburg with all the great attractions. That was the plan.

The set time for this undertaking fell on the weekend after the first week of the apprenticeship.
The same was a highlight in itself, raising high hopes for the life at work to come.

After my friend Christina and I were reunited, we went towards the train.
We didn’t count in all tosses and losses of the train wreck of the German train connection and after a chaotic 6 hour long odyssey we arrived. Luckily, our Airbnb host was a very helpful and generous one and thus, the day ended well after this uncalled for adventure.

Our schedule included 3 main attractions: ‘Dialogue in the Dark’, ‘The Lion King’ and the ‘Hamburg Dungeon’. We went more or less well rested through the Speicherstadt and experienced a Dialogue in the Dark.

Not to tell you too much beforehand: Dialogue in the Dark is a very well carried out guided tour by blind people. To put it lyrically, you learn to see the world with different eyes.

That night it was time for the musical experience. Either price you pay, you can’t leave disappointed. A perfect show with a perfectly aesthetically crafted stage design and musically brilliance, which made me leave to the utmost heights of my emotional receptiveness.

Before, again not as much well rested, we went to the Speicherstadt to learn about the horrid side of Hamburg history, we visited another Hamburg attraction: The fish market.
Pitchmen, bargain chasers, tourists (like us) and real Hamburg people created a colourful and sometimes quite tight crowd.

The Speicherstadt is an incredible work of masonry, especially coming from New Zealand and unable to think of anything comparable…

In the Hamburg Dungeon we learned, less off horror than of entertaining episodes, about the more unpleasant chapters of Hamburg. Maybe one day I might sign up with them and make use of my acting talents to scare and teach others… 😀

After a short, but most invigorating weekend we stepped onto the train and were let down successfully for another time. This time it was masses of soccer fans, which didn’t fit the capabilities of the wagons. That way, the way back was not of ease standing up more than sitting down, but we arrived. And that counts for something. 😉

Back at work I have some more memories to spook my head next to CSS and HTML. Moving weeks these are, but it doesn’t get boring…
At least! 😀