Hamburg was GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!! I really understand why people tell me that it's so happening. Don't get me wrong, my "loyalties" definitely lie with Dresden, but it was fun having all these things to do. Of course, it really helps if you have 2 competent guides (Rach and Liangzhu) to show you around, as Rach and I discovered in Leipzig. It helps because you get to zero in on the cool, fun stuff.

It was simply one of the best times I've had...it was great spending time with Ruth and Rach...just like during JC days! And Liangzhu was good company as well...he showed us around and didn't complain when we spent ages in shops...haha, and you know how it is when 3 girls are together...sometimes, it took us ages to get down one single street, cos we kept popping into every second shop. I got a zip-up jacket and a sweater from Zara, at Liangzhu's instigation. Haha...ok, it was more like "persuasion"...but they did look good...I loved the gorgeous deep purple! And I also got 3 scarves...why THREE? Well, it's a long story... It was cold and my jacket was too short, so I used my pashmina to wrap around my waist to keep warm...but then I needed one to keep my neck warm too. We walked into shop after shop and still I couldn't find one that I'd wear more than once. (I'm really sorry, you guys!) And then, I finally hit paydirt in Brigitte Bijou...but the scarf cost 14,90 Euro! Still, I really did want a scarf...and one I'd wear again at that...so I bought one. But not before spending quite a while trying to decide which one to get...consulted Ruth, Rach AND Liangzhu...had a really hard time deciding...then I finally got the brighter one, cos I needed something bright in the greyness of winter...and then I was really really happy with the scarf...early the next morning, we went to the Hamburg Fischmarkt. They were selling similar stripey scarves at 6 Euro for one, 10 Euro for 2...so I bought 2. As Liangzhu pointed out, the quality is different...but it's a scarf...I mean you don't need it to last forever. But I will give one away anyway, cos 3 stripey scarves are too many (I have to resist!).

Ok, but let me start from the beginning again. Maybe last Wednesday in fact...I was teaching my German class a whole bunch of grammar. It was a thankless task...and pretty dry, but we all survived, somehow. After that, I thought I deserved a treat, so I went to watch "Der Fischer und Seine Frau". I like the movie...it's a little cliched in some ways, but it was still sweet and funny...and oh so true. It strips it all down to the essence of human greed and inability to be content with the present situation. So as you can see, I was already in a holiday mood on Wednesday evening! On Thurs, I went for Czech...it was quite relaxed and we played games basically. Then I popped by Prohlis..which I haven't been to since erm...well, sometime last semester. I think the last time I went, I was with Angeline...it was not long after Max broke up with me...it was comfort shopping. But anyway, I went to pick up some stuff I needed and rushed home to bake a cake for Rachy. It was a chocolate, raisin, almond and coconut butter cake. Haha...I usually just throw in whatever I have. I nearly caused it to burn because I was having lunch and practically forgot all about it. But, managed to rescue it in time. I skipped swimming cos I didn't wanna have to rush or anything. And oh yeah...was in quite a tizzy cos the damn dryer broke down and I was 1,10 Euro poorer and stuck with a whole bunch of sopping laundry! I hope that it's fixed by now!

Ok, I'm actually editing the post I published yesterday...cos the Internet died (what's new?). So anyway, I got to Hamburg and Rach and I ate at the Hauptbahnhof..then we went to her place, which is really nice! It looks very very comfortable and welcoming. I love her toys too! We both had a little of the cake..it still tasted quite ok, but of course, not as good as freshly baked. Anyway, I had a very good sleep...Rach and I discussed what we'd do, where we'd meet and all that. She lent me a map and I decided to go to the Spice Museum, since it wasn't a place anyone else might be interested in going to. It took me a long time to find it. The address on the map said Am Strandtorkai 31 (It was actually 32 in reality) and I walked down the whole of Am Strandtorkai until I got to Am Strandtorkai 5. Then I realised that I'd have to search more carefully for it. It was funny, because on one side, you had the hypermodern flats or offices...and on the other, you had old warehouses. So I looked more carefully at the house numbers this time and finally, after scrutinising every one, I came to number 32. I didn't see the entrance cos it was obscured by 2 huge container trucks. And there wasn't a huge sign telling me where the museum was. It was actually on the second story of an old warehouse. It looked kinda dubious and shady, but I found it and paid my money. You get a packet of pepper as your entry ticket. It wasn't a very big museum, but it kept me occupied for quite a long time...over an hour, if not two. It was fun to see the plants the spices originally came from. I'd never seen cloves in plant form before...and I had no idea what vanilla pods looked like (the still-green version). Ok, am going to have to continue this later. Have to go for Swedish now!