Geesthacht, nr Hamburg

So my plan yesterday was to ride to Hamburg. The two youth hostels in Hamburg are both booked up so aimed for Geesthacht instead which is a town in the Hamburg area. Arrived and gained entry after a confusing phone call with the manager who spoke very little English and my phone was down to very little battery, but finally found the keypad to which she was referring and gained entry. Initially just me there. Had a dorm room but had booked it to myself.

Rode into Hamburg station the following day. Met a nice old lady at the station cafe who dropped a ham bun onto the floor. I nearly caught it. But didn't. She decided to eat it nonetheless and was happy to join me and chat for a bit. Turns out she had a daughter working for the SNP in London. Well I suppose someone has to.

In the afternoon back at the hostel I met Alexandre who lives in Hamburg and who is a nurse and an assistant at her local church. She is here with her daughter Freya on a few days' break. We got chatting because she discovered broken glass on the floor (not me!) which hasn't been cleared up. There were kids in the youth hostel by this time so let's blame them. After cleaning up we got chatting and continued during breakfast the following morning. I told her I was planning to ride up north to go to Iceland and then return this way. She invited me to stay with her on my return. Early signs are this travelling thing is a good way of meeting friendly people. Hostels especially.

The following day I took an open top bus tour of Hamburg. It is a very beautiful city. I had no idea.

Found a cheap burger bar to frequent in Geesthacht.

When I leave here I am booked into a hotel in Copenhagen for the next two nights. Need to find somewhere to service the bike too.Read more