My Hamburg

 How dare do I say 'my'?! hm? Oh well. 

I will not speak however of friends as they do not like to have their picture taken. 

One of my favourite Hamburg bit was 'the beach'... can you say it's a beach if it's near a river? I'd say yes, after all there are many beaches near the river Loire in Nivernais where my French family comes from.

You have sand, you have people lying down on the beach, you have swimmers... well not so... it'd be a bit dangerous unless you really know the place... its shallow and then very deep as boats come and go there, and cargos as well. Opposite you have the port of Hamburg, looking a bit like the machines in War of the World. I absolutely loved it, especially after walking under the sun and visiting around, what great pleasure it was to ask for bubbly water and a bit of wurst and kartoffelsalat (sausage and potato salad), and then watch people go by or read my book.  

 My second favourite place was an art gallery in the most posh of places, it looks like an English garden - it was recommended by a friend who likes English things very much. There was this superposh house but I got a bit intimidated. and decided not to go in.

 

Then, further up, I saw a big building, again I got a bit scared and didn't go in. Shame it was the Ernst Barlach Haus. (Neil MacGregor speaks about him in his book Germany: memories of a nation)

Anyway, I then saw a small building and went in. It was the Bargheer Museum. 

Fantastic exhibition of living artists, I particularly liked Annette von der Bey who paints these circles full of nature: grass, frog, other beast including mini-beasts, a bit calming room.

Then Söntke Campen I could really see the continuity with the art that was called degenerate (and of course that wasn't!) for example works by Kirchner  or Beckmann only Campen is less figurative. 

My third favourite was Konstantin Sotnikov a bit of Chagall in him + graphic novel style (dare I say métal hurlant type?)