Anyway I was up at 4am today.Not in an old man having to take a pee then back to bed way either but a proper up making tea,scrolling the internet and popping downstairs for a smoke way.This used to be common practice with me.My sleeping pattern was shot to pieces and has been for years but since being on this trip I have slept pretty well,nowhere near the eight hours supposedly needed,don’t think I know anyone who sleeps that long,but decent shut eye… it may be the trip I’m on or it may be having retired.I probably had stress due to work and insomnia was mainly how it manifested itself…
Us men rarely fess up that work is causing us stress,it’s a bit of a macho conceit on our part.If we admit we’re stressed due to work it’s somehow seen as an admission of failure on our part we feel Not everyone of course but a big enough number…so mentally I’m in better shape than for a long time and certainly physically.I‘m smoking more and certainly drinking more than usual on the trip but I feel healthier than I have for years.In the wise words of James Brown “ I feel good.Huh!”
Back in Schlump( great name!) where I was this morning to take a puntastic pic.This time it’s beer not coffee though.Went to an Italian place near the Hauptbahnhof earlier and it cheered me no end that between the waiter & me using pidgin English,pidgin German and pidgin Italian we managed to work things out,I got what I wanted and he got payed and a tip.It probably sounded terrible but the job was done in a round about way…
Made the mistake of coming out of U-3 at the bus station earlier.If you ever come to Hamburg avoid the bus station if you can.As I came up the stairs there was a lot of hubbub going on and it seems all of the city‘s “ damaged” people had gathered together at the top of the exit in a sort of “Walking Dead” kind of way.Luckily I had some spare entrails to spread over myself to blend in…to be fair they were no bother but I could well see how many would be intimidated.Just don’t light up a smoke within stumbling distance or have eye contact…maybe I have been to the wrong places but there does seem to be more people who have slipped through the societal cracks here than most places I have visited.The Hauptbahnhof is another place to avoid as mush as possible.It doesn’t help to Have so many exits…
I am painting Hamburg rather harshly I know and I really don’t mean to,it’s a sound,grand place but also there’s no point in me glossing over obvious problems a city has otherwise those that read this and either live there of have visited will know I’m bullshitting if I say all is hunky dory…
If you do come make sure you visit the warehouse district close to the docks.There are some stunning buildings there and close by.It’s one of those places where you can marvel at how creative & skilled us humans can be…then when you look at the extensive docks with their cranes dominating the skyline you can also get both wistful & angry about the decline in both our own sea faring heritage and industrial might…shame is too mild a word to describe it.Disgust is probably closer…
My early start wasn’t totally wasted however as I did clean up my phone of unwanted apps…when I finalised where I was visiting on the trip I downloaded an app for each city.Never looked at any of them,not a one.So after that I had a look at what other useless apps I had…“Nah,hardly use it“ “ don’t remember downloading that” “ what the hell is even that one” It’s cathartic…and soon Twitter will join them on the scrap heap if Ego Musx starts charging and kills it stone dead in its tracks….
Anyway that’s for another debate on a different platform probably…laters boys & girls.
3 comments:
Mornin owd fellowretiredmon
I can only concur with you ‘painting a picture in words as to how you see a place’ ..I remember being in Munich for one of the beer festivals (as a holidaymaker,a year or so after my travels) and really disliking the atmosphere, I hadn’t noticed the people it attracts beforehand, some lovely folk,some not so lovely folk and some downright arseholes (maybe I was more in the arsehole camp as a traveler and just didn’t realise) I had my bag pinched,fortunately money and passport were in my concealed trouser pocket (a habit I picked up travelling following a tip from an old hippie I met) but I lost spare clothes,camera and other bits n bobs, the police didn’t want to know,apparently I learned they had hundreds of reported thefts every day…maybe I was too harsh in condemning a place and it’s festivals but I never had the same feelings for the place afterwards…loved Munchen, began to dislike festivals…oooh and people of the arsehole brigade 😁…keep fun aplenty mar mate…Nige
Ps, (notice how my username name shows on this message..web version !!)
What I’ve just remembered writing the previous post was my pre Filofax days diary was in my nicked bag,addresses,phone numbers and contacts of all old friends (a lot from travelling days)…still sad to this day about it…the majority of those contacts were lost forever !!! Bastard,arseholes 😁😁
To be fair I had no hassle of them but they can be a pain but I know what you mean about Octoberfest.Been warned off by plenty of Germans I know about going.They have said it’s fucking terrible!
Post a Comment