Hamburg

Hamburg: Mon 24/07/2006 5:30 PM

Hi everyone!

If you don't want to hear about our adventures I wont be offended just let me know!!! Also I copied these addresses off some old emails so if I' ve left people out or got some emails wrong could someone please let me know!

Text messages are free to receive so you can text me if you like but I'm not texting back, calling or answering calls! Adam doesn't have his phone but Scott does!

We arrived on Sat at hostel around midday, all exhausted as we got up at 2am!!! Scott is with us till Sat when Adam and I are spending night in Lubeck before getting train to Berlin on Sun! Hostel is great, friendly staff, nice big rooms and very clean everywhere!

On Sunday somehow I managed to get both the boys up between 7 and 7.30 to go to the Fish Market. It reminded Adam of Wembley Market but we got to listen to "Summer of '69" covered by an odd German band in a hall full of Germans drinking beer at 9am! Didn't join them as 9am is a little early even for me there again it could be'cos I'm not a beer fan, probably would have had a vodka ;-)

Today we went to the biggest sports shop in Europe, tried out golf putters - I got a whole in one! and checked out St Jacobi Church.

Our lack of German has been very comical, we spent 10 mins in the first restaurant we went to arguing about who would ask for the bill (luckily it was written in my wonderful guidebook!). Also had some pot luck meals as not sure what the food on menus are! Scott was not too amused last night when I bought him a non-alcoholic beer by accident!

But Nan would have been proud of me today when I asked 3 shop assistants for help with a money belt which had no box (so no price), by saying nein price to them! first one very unhelpful, second one spilled out what I guessed was "i work in the bike department you have to go and find someone in the camping department!" in German! But I persisted even despite obstacles and eventually we managed to buy it!

We've taken lots of silly photo eg Adam sitting on a statue of three topless ladies, me with a child-sized Playmobile man and all of us with superheros!

Think that’s enough for now got to book hostel for Milan - Scott is a hero for finding one for me while I typed this!! Especially as he has also looked up some words like "chicken" so we can have some more successful meals!!!

Love to all

Carly, Adam and Scott

Hi from Hamburg 2: Wed 26/07/2006 7:51 PM

Hi guys we're all still having a fab time!

The email bounced back from the address I had for Sue, so if someone could let me know her address/forward emails to her that would be great!

Thanks Nan and Alan for the German phrases, we're all getting pretty good at speaking now (understanding answers is a bit beyond us though!) will prob be very good just in time to leave and start all over in the czech republic..... Scott thinks we should have been better prepared but Adam and I think that its half the fun!!!

Last night we had a drink in a red light house ship and the waitress said that it was great that we were trying to speak German, apparently English people usually don't bother... no wonder us English have such a bad reputation in Europe!!!

Today we went to see the bungalow we used to live in, a lovely but very long walk along the harbour was the route suggested by dad - one of those ideas which is great in theory!!! Seriously though it was beautiful so well worth the effort even though we had to improvise a bit because most of the part from the river to the bungalow was through the bit of the map with the key on it! Then we went to Stadpark where we swam in the lake, pretty energetic of us after a three and a half hour walk!!!

Love to all!

Carly, Adam and Scott