the weekend is finally here ... couldn't have come soon enough ... i was so exhausted last nite that i didn't even here the cat knock the alarm clock off the table next to me. Harmony is in Florida visting the family before i meet her in Detroit in a couple weeks for Chuck & Beth's wedding ... i can't wait! been 9 months since i've seen everyone ... will be a fun, but short trip.

My wife is so wonderful ... she made all kinds of great food before she left and put it in the freezer for me ... i will be eating like a king while she's gone ... just like i do when she's here!

well the weather is too nice this morning to be inside, so i'm off to wander ... hope everyone has a good weekend! t

things have been busy here, so i haven't had time to write about last weekend ... Harmony had to attend a conference in Hamburg as part of her duties with the Women's Club ... i tagged along and explored the town on Saturday while she did her thing

Hamburg is the second largest port in Europe (next to Rotterdam) and is the second largest city in Germany ... the people there seemed rather affluent, since there are some major business headquartered there. still, it is first and foremost an industrial town and the focus is the port



the city was heavily bombed during WWII, so there is a combination of new & old buildings ... as always, the Germans have done a fantastic job of restoring historical buildings to their original design

the weather was mixed over the weekend ... got some sun in the morning but, by the time Harmony joined me mid-afternoon, the rain started to fall ... luckily the rain cleared out at nite so we could sit outside and eat dinner in the beautiful area around Deichstrasse.



the old rathaus (city hall) is the major architectural highlight in Hamburg ... see the pic at the top ... another highlight was the huge park/gardens that dominate a large area in the city ... there are miles of trails, ponds, fountains to explore ... some areas felt like a tropical rain forest ... they even set out chairs/lounges in secluded areas of the park for people to use ... it was amazing to see right in the middle of a large city



it was a great weekend ... walked all over the place ... had some great seafood ... really enjoyed our first time in the north of Germany. the weather on sunday wasn't all that great, so didn't get a chance to see anything else on the way home ... we'll go back some day.

oh yeah ... got a chance to borrow a pre-production Corsa to drive up there ... fantastic new small car ... suspension & powertrain are tuned well enough to cruise comfortably at 180 km/h ... got flashed by the traffic camera once, though ... i'm sure the ticket is in the mail

hope everyone has a great weekend .... there is a street festival on our street this weekend (Taunusstrasse Fest) ... should be fun and don't have a long walk home! t