I like Hamburg. I went on a tour of the city on Sunday afternoon and was really impressed. It's very clean (as one would expect from a German city) but it also has an interesting history. But we won't get into a history lesson.
I am here for the International Society for Professional Innovation Management which has been a very mixed bag. I've met several very interesting people, made a new friend in a woman from Latvia whose name is Gundega which is the name of the flower we call "Buttercup" which I think is a fantastic name, although I find myself wanting to greet her each day with, "What's up, Buttercup?", but I am not sure that she would really appreciate that. I think it's funny when Mr. Barker says it to me, but she might just think I was strange.
Most of the conference has been really academically focused and we all know that I have problems with people claiming to be experts on business and/or the challenges of managing technology when they have never worked in a business nor had anything to do with developing or managing technology. Still, there are enough corporate types here to make it worthwhile.
I am staying at the Alster-Hof Hotel which is, of course, almost painfully clean if not just a wee-bit dated. The location is wonderful, though, being just a couple blocks from the Binnen Alster (you were right, Ken) which is the little, lower part of Lake Alster. Much like Minneapolis, there is a chain of lake here in Hamburg, surrounded by beautiful homes and trendy neighborhoods.
Here is a photo of the Binnen Alster with the spires of four of the major churches and the Rathaus (City Hall - I love that they call the seats of local government "Rat" Houses...what could be more appropriate?).
Here's the Rathaus and the canal that runs alongside.
There are canals all over the place. These are the old warehouses which had been built back in Hamburg's Hansa history. At the time they were built, it was the largest warehouse complex in the world.
Parts of Hamburg were destroyed in The War, but amazingly much of it remains.
Amusingly, our planned social event for this evening is a Mississippi paddleboat ride/dinner down the Elbe! Ha! To think I have flown thousands of miles to take a boat tour which is part of every conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul!
Bis bald!
