There were men and women in neon orange jumpsuits handing out test tubes full of J germeister, sunflowers everywhere and lots and lots of polyester. Lots of polyester. After night fell the mating rituals continued around the floats and we would alternately hug and scatter every time the rain fell, which it did again and again in sporadic and violent blasts. One of the highlights was seeing J rgen Drews, Schlager superstar, waving and sunglassed from one of the floats, surfing on his former glories and not ashamed, in fact proud. We stood outside the fairgrounds, too cheap to fork out the 50 Marks, but entranced by the decadence of it all.
Summer is gone already.
I think everyone has been saying that over and over again for the past week. Hamburg has miserable weather but there is something romantic about that too, tripping all over the cobblestone streets on my weekend visits with a cheap umbrella in one hand and feeling pretty in the drizzle. It's always drizzling here. We went down to the fishmarket this morning. It closes at a strangely early time so you have to rub the sleep out of your eyes and run.