Final Bits of Berlin...

Luckily I managed to fall back to sleep after seeing sunrise at 4:37am. 

While the guys worked, I spent the day with Fleshmob and some other visiting hashers from Edinburgh. During our long walk from the East Gallery, we saw the Oberbaum Bridge, a double-decker bridge with subway trains crossing on the top since 1902. 

Next we went up the Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower). built in 1969 as a functioning broadcasting facility and a symbol of communist power. At 1,207 feet (368 meters) tall, it is still the tallest structure in Germany. 

The observation deck was at 666 feet (203 meters), which is actually shorter than Horizon 22 in London. The views were nice, but not sure they were worth the high price of entry (guess I’m spoiled with all of those free viewing platforms in London).

We saw the sunset from our plane back to London.

While we were flying back, Dogsh*t (who we knew from Amsterdam and now lives in Hong Kong) was at City H3. He accepted an award for Opee for Most Trails Laid in the previous year. 
 

In Search of Beer...

The guys worked the next day and I just goofed around. That evening Jim took us to Pratergarten, Berlin’s oldest beer garden dating back to 1837. 

It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed eating outside.

Pretty sure these Jimmys weren’t the target demographic for this shop.

After stopping at a craft brew bar, we finished the evening in a uniquely Berlin drinking spot: a spati. These convenience stores have tables set up so shoppers can enjoy a cheap beer outside. Apparently there is around 1,000 of these little stores around the city center. 

Jim had fun modelling some of the merchandise. We didn’t know it at the time that this would be our last time visiting Jim in Berlin because he’d be moving back to the States before the end of 2024. It was definitely fun while it lasted!
 

Also Spotted in Hamburg...

....urban art...

….reflections...

….twins?....

…an unusual fountain...

…and a melted van. That evening we caught a train back to Berlin where we spent two nights with Jim. 
 

Elbe Tunnel...

We were impressed when we arrived at the entrance to the Elbe Tunnel, which opened in 1911.

This large lift carries pedestrians and cyclists down 80 feet (24 meters) below the surface. Separate lifts were used for vehicles for decades, but stopped carrying cars in 2023.  

Those impatient for the lift opted to walk down. 

This 1,398-foot (426-meter) tunnel connects the city center with the dockyards on the south side. 

Views back across the river.

The trail ended in an empty parking lot where we enjoyed lots of leftovers from the weekend.
 

Hangover Trail...

The Hangover Trail started in a park near the hostel.

Much of the trail twisted through the nearby streets where I stopped to admire some of the architecture. Rebuilt after World War II, St Michael’s Church was purposely built Protestant unlike many others which were converted from Catholic during the Reformation.

Fleshmob got into the act when we entered the last surviving enclosed courtyards from the 17th century. 

Krameramtsstuben (Grocer’s Apartments) were formerly timber-framed homes for widows of members of the Grocer’s Institute.

Hamburg is home to the largest warehouse district in the world with many of the buildings built on wood pilings. 

Oriental Carpet Made of Stone was crafted in 2019 as a reminder that Hamburg is the busiest entry point for Oriental carpets sold in Europe. 

 

Party Time!

The hosts of this year’s event was MERMAID H3, which stands for Mature Enchantresses Roaming in Menopausal Abundance Indulging in Devious Shenanigans. The theme for Saturday’s party was Viking Mermaid in Drag or Flip-Flops in homage to Interscandi’s Viking roots. 

While Tasty Piss and Jesus Hickey Christ combined mermaid with Viking... 

…looks like Biggles and I were mermaids in drag.

It’s hard to tell, but this section was filled with the Swedish contigency in their matching outfits.

Strandpauli was a nice beach bar along the river. Our group had a private section with a BBQ dinner and dancing. 

Opee often accompanied me to the loo so I didn’t have to walk through all the Muggles alone.

As we were the last to arrive in our hostel room, we got single beds on opposite sides of the room, but that didn’t matter. Opee forgot to take off his fishnets before crawling into my bed in our warm room. 
 

Saturday Trails in Hamburg...

Unlike most hash weekends, the Saturday trails neither started at the venue nor involved getting on a tour bus. Instead we had to get ourselves to the run start in Poppenbuttel using public transportation. Opee had to leave 30 minutes earlier for the Ballbreaker trail, so we travelled separately. Luckily we had no problems, but plenty of people managed to not get to the start on time and spent much of the day lost. 

The Medium Trail was only supposed to be 9K, but I ended up doing 14.5K since the markings were so sparse that we occasionally ended up on other trails.

I appreciated that much of the trail was shaded in the woods. 

Opee clearly had fun on the Ballbreaker.

…and at his circle.