Tuesday 7th August 2018

Tuesday.

Work day.

And the hottest day of this, or any other year, in Hamburg.

I woke up refreshed as the air con in the room just about made sleep possible, so I got up, showered and dressed and was down for breakfast for half six.

In an unusual move, I thought I would walk to the office, I guessed at three miles, I had nearly four hours to do it in, and being still early, should be bearable.

I walk out of the hotel, cross the road and at the intersection cross via a subway to the path that ran beside the large lake, which in the still of the morning reflected the sky and moored boats perfectly.

As I walked, people jogged and cycled past, all in a hurry to get somewhere, or get fit. I just wanted to log up the steps on my new smartwatch and take some photos as I went.

In about half an hour, I reached where the main road crossed the lake via a bridge, and I guessed, rightly, that I needed to turn into the city to go past the railway station. Up a side street, past a posh hotel wjere a concierge was dressed in top hat and cape, sweating buckets, because impressions are everything. Up to the main street beside the station. I cross by the road bridge so I could see the ICE expresses come and go, but really was already too hot for standing in the open sun.



It was nine, and I was thirsty, so I go into Starbucks to by an iced latte, and site under an umbrella watching the city wake up, as it was still a little before nine. A young woman, no more than 25 , swigging from a half litre bottle of beer was going round begging for change; she seemed more confused than anything, but she wanders off looking for someone to light a cigarette she had just cadged.



I make the coffee last nearly an hour, then walk down to the Rathaus, past that and along Neuer Wall, past the nearly endless rows of designer shops selling overpriced poorly designed clothes and shoes. None had any customers.

I go past the office as there was still 90 minutes before the meeting, and find two colleagues waiting, sitting outside a coffee shop, nursing coffees. They had set out from Aarhus at half five by car, and like me were waiting for our boss to arrive.

At quarter to 11, we are all arrived, so we walk like Reservoir Dogs to the offices, me being Mr Pink, obviously.

We are done at half one, so Tim and I leave, he lives in the city so is going home, and I have all afternoon to myself.

I have my camera, so, going to take more shots was a given. But it was also so hot. A taxi driver told me later it got to 41 degrees, and it felt like every one of those degrees as I followed the S bahn line to snap trains for a while, then follow the signs to Hafen City. It was so hot I had to walk in the shadows wherever possible. And was still hot.



I come to the main canal, and a double decker footbridge over it, so take the upper level crossing the canal and passing between to rows of brick built five or six story warehouses, over another canal the other side.

Nothing to see there, so I walk back and go down to the street level, walking along in the shade of the warehouses, over bridges to snap pleasure boats gliding along, until I came to a restaurant.

I wasn’t hungry, but thirsty as heck, so order a large whitebeer, and sit in the shade. In the final few yards, the smart watch had vibrated, I looked at it as found I had passed the 10,000 step mark at half one.

Yay me.

But now it was too hot, only for getting back to the hotel. So I walk back to the shopping street, get some money to be able to pay for a cab, and once through the station tell the driver to take me to the hotel. He is disappointed at being a 5 minute drive, and I think he was going to refuse, but let me in his cab. Back in my room, I have a cold shower and lay on the bed listening to the radio, and in that way and hour or two passed.

And all I wanted to do was to chill out, but my boss had other ideas: I get a phone call, we're going to meet at a Thai restaurant at half seven, and all are to attend.

I checked the address, and find the restaurant was just the other side of the station, but i checked with my legs and they said we'll have to get a taxi. OK.

I have another shower and get ready, walking out of the hotel there is a taxi waiting, I give him the address and he says he know where it is, the the altstadt he says. Yes.

In which case altstadt is a misnomer as in the area I was dropped off, mostly modern tower blocks and shops, but down the street was the restaurant.

My colleagues arrive, and after an age we decide what to eat and our orders are taken. The restaurant does at least have air conditioning. And ice cold beer.

I am not big on Thai, and I dislike coconut milk, so choosing a menu to fir my tastes was tricky, but in the end the food good. And my boss picked up the tab.

We are done at half nine, I say goodbye to the others and wander back to the station, snapping the street scenes as I go.

The station is something else, a mecca for all kinds of people, from the cream of society heading home from a night at the opera, to those picking through the bins for something to eat. And under the massive trainshed, 16 tracks crammed with trains of all sorts, taking people to the suburbs or to the other end of the country.

I take a few shots and end up on the other side of the station, where I get a cab to take me back to the hotel, the dash display said it was still 33.5 degrees outside.