Outside of Berlin

A short train ride from Berlin lies Hamburg. An important European port that sits on the Elbe River, Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany.

Friends back in Florida know somebody that lives here so after a quick text to say basically Hi I'm Jasmine, you don't know me but if you have time for coffee or beer I'll be in Hamburg. So props to Rudy who agrees to meet me during a busy time at work for lunch. We meet up near his office and walk down to the port where he gives me a little sightseeing tour and then over to the Portuguese neighborhood for a great lunch outside.

I spend some time on my own exploring. There are great green areas in Hamburg. There's beautiful sunny weather so I relax and take some time to just sit in the park reading.

When work is done Rudy shows me around the Bohemian neighborhoods of Hamburg. This is what I was missing in Berlin. The people are here- living, creating, sparking, making mayhem and art with passion.

I have a beautiful realization in Germany. For me it's not about ticking off monuments viewed or cities on a list. It's about people, what happens everyday is what's extraordinary.