Hot on the heels of a joyous trip to Munich came another short trip to Germany, this time to Hamburg. Plenty can be packed into a weekend if sleep is pushed to the periphery or naps are grabbed where possible e.g. bus and train travel - just remember to wake up for your stop. However, a nearly forgotten passport nearly spelled disaster, only saved by a mad drive back home to get it.

Like many major German cities, Hamburg was battered during the strategic bombing campaign conducted by the Allies in World War 2. With that being the case, there are still areas of central Hamburg that escaped the destruction, even partially such as the Church of St Nikolai which since 2005 allows the visitor to ascend in a lift to gain panoramic views of the city and to compare the views today to the pictures located on the viewing platform taken from before the destruction. Unfortunately I've somehow lost the photos.

In such a short trip, a cultural trip to the St Pauli district and the Reeperbahn was on the must do list. It's a place that is full of lights, bars, restaurants and in some areas, with sights set to titillate. One of the streets has the entrances boarded up in such a way that you cannot see down the street, but entry is possible. On entry there are ladies in the doorways and windows, and one such lady had her chest on display. I'm unsure but I think that this is the Herbertstraße - in case you want to find it. The entrance to the street declares “Entry for men under 18 and women prohibited”. Women (of the non working type) can enter but the reception by the women working the street may be unfriendly.