Arrived in relatively heavy rain so spent the afternoon in Deichtorhallen. One exhibition of works by Claudia Andujar, and one absolutely magnificent exhibition called Dix and the Present. I was thrilled to see an Anselm Kiefer there. Always awesome.

Cindy Sherman’s Anti-Fashion had also reached Hamburg on what seems to be a European Tour, but I had already seen that in Stuttgart. (Not a fan of Cindy Sherman but I have to admit that she is a great make-up and costume artist).

10 February walkabout in misty weather, starting with a definite maritime flair, and ending in a park with a skating rink.

11 February AM NABU Birdwatching walk: Gefiederte Wintergäste und Durchzügler am Öjendorfer See.

Still misty, and the walk did not really seem to be going anywhere, so I did my own thing for a while before returning. Quite a nice area. Saw many birds but did not really manage any good photos. Just one of Mr Bigfoot here:

11 February PM wine fair “Weinfrühling Hamburg” in Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Supposedly. But I stayed for less than a minute. They had let in far too many people, and people were still arriving. Impossible to move, impossible to hear anything (I was supposed to meet up with a handful of people from InterNations Hamburg), and impossible to breathe – no air, and a temperature of about 30 C. A complete nightmare.

12 February Hagenbeck Tierpark and that abominable sculpture still outside.

A big zoo with NOTHING to eat or drink, not even a coffee slot machine.

Caspar David Friedrich at Hamburger Kunsthalle, pre-booked ticket for Tuesday, 13 February 10.00-13.00 hrs. Possibly with a small group of people from InterNations Hamburg. It gets good reviews, for example this one.

Unfortunately, here too, ticket sales count more than comfort, and it was much too crowded and the rooms were small. I felt like a sardine in a tin, and almost panicked. Also, a true superspreader of course. I had to elbow my way out and only saw a few paintings in passing, and only because I am taller than a lot of other people. I did wonder whether I was still suffering from post-Corona “stay-away-from-me” syndrome, but I have since read many newspaper articles criticising the Kunsthalle for letting in far too many people at a time, and that many, like me, gave up seeing the exhibition properly.

I hope the organisers of the CDF exhibition in Berlin later this year have learnt from this and do not make the same mistakes.

The day was saved by meeting up for lunch with an ex-colleague from the European Parliament in Luxembourg where we both worked in the late 1970s. Very enjoyable.

After lunch, it was drizzling occasionally but I did go for a quick, last walkabout: