Spring is Back in Action

With less than a month of my time in Hamburg left, I've started reflecting on everything I have done and learned, and what I want to do before I go back to America. I've done a lot of interesting things while I've been in Europe, but there's also a lot that I haven't done. I settled into a pattern just a few months after I first arrived and, unfortunately, that means that I haven't done too many amazing things. If family hadn't visited me a couple of times, I probably would be trying to see the main sites in my last two weeks here. As it is, there are still a few things that I want to see before I leave next month.

I've grown a lot in the last five and a half months. Aside from the obvious things, such as living on my own and learning a lot of German, I have gotten into better habits. Since I have been here I've started exercising regularly, I can cook more (does four meals count?), and I sleep way better. I've also started drinking green tea, which, outside of running, is probably the healthiest habit I have ever had.

Running has been a great way for me to explore the city around me. I don't like running on roads, but thankfully there are two paths within walking distance of my apartment that I enjoy going to. One is the park Planten un Blomen. It's a beautiful park with lots of trees, flowers, grassy areas, and ponds. It's a very popular place on the weekends and I've been enjoying seeing it come to life around me as Hamburg finally makes its way into spring. The other place I enjoy running is along the Alster. The Alster is the small lake in the middle of Hamburg. A lot of small sail boats go out on the water on nice days. You can also take boat tours on the lake. There's a good path that winds it's way along the shore of the Alster that is about 5-6 miles long. So far I haven't run around the whole thing, but my goal is to complete the circuit of it before I go home.

Planten un Blomen