Hamburg Aug 30, 31

On Monday a club called Astra Stube, we packed roughly 80 people or so into the tiny little room, with the help of "Mi and My Bubba", a tidy female trio hailing from Scandanavia who play minimalistic ballads of love, lost and found. Dinner and breakfast coffees were also included in a nearby bar.

We were also kind of blessed to have Hamburg for our one day off in the tour the following day. As a bonus, the promoter offered us an extra night for free at the artist's apartment, which is more or less a dormitory room with bunk beds. As a band guy I have slept in bunks before. Convenience and economy win quickly over the alternatives, despite the inadequate feelings one can get when confronted with a bunkbed. I always think there will be pee on the mattress somehow, which is totally unfounded. In fact in this apartment there is full washer/dryer and plenty of fresh sheets around. Otherwise though, the vibe is very "indie band": rock posters abound, and even a bit of graffiti on the bunks.

Speaking of graffiti, there is tons in this neighborhood (near St. Pauli station), as if it were every German's right of passage. As it turns out we are in a city block that features a prominent abandoned theatre that has been transformed into a squatters' haven. Apparently owned by some socialist pacifist who never had the wherewithal to remove squatters, it stands as a landmark and centrepiece to the neighborhood (even though there are nice restaurants all around). Twice a year they are said to have an anarchist fest that requires a G20 style police presence to quell. Otherwise, the community exists quite peacefully. Another example of a neighborhood is the abondoned block across the street which serves as one half - free [arking lot (yay!), and one half - sand filled outdoor homemade "bar" that is called "Central Park". Not the Central Park I am accustomed to (nor anyonelse it seems.. I only ever saw one patron sitting alone on one of the lawnchairs in the sand).

So on our day off, in addition to obligatory laundry, Mark and I decide to go for a tourists' walk. The journey was recommended by one of the promoters (can't remember names at this point), and he had recommended taking a walk around the harbour, including a trek through the turn of the century tunnel that runs from one side of the Elbe River to the other. That was perfect for us, because it also got us through the Reeperbaun area as well, and past the Beatles' first nightclubs (where they worked as houseband back in 1960 - '62). Pictured below are "Steve McCartney" on the Reeperbaun, and some unsespecting old man who didn't realize he was Ringo.

After the Beatles photoshoot, we stopped on my recommendation for "curry hotdogs" that had a thermometer out front for you to pick how spicy (mostly cayenne) you wanted your dog. I picked level 7, Mark picked level 8 (at which point the sign exclaims, "Achtung !!! Xtreme Scharf"). Sounds dangerous. His was virtually inedible, mine barely manageable. When we remarked about how hot they were, the confectionary owner stated that if we were to order an 11 or 12 gauge hotdog, he would have to see our passports.

After the meal, we headed over to the river elbe, saw a U boat, then descended a massive stairwell, complete with noisy large elevators, down to the newly refurbished Elbe tunnel.

Quite remarkable, and extremely well restored, it is at least a kilometre long, and completely fashioned in white glossy ceramic. Can you imagine the echo in that tube ? I immediately want to reserve this room to record future drum tracks.