[Leica] An ice-cold stroll around Bremen last Sunday

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Sunday we were invited to a New Year reception staged by the Bremen 
Journalists Club and the Merchants Guild of 1801.

The walk from the station past the mill (go back one shot, and you can 
see what it looks like in good weather at around the same time last year)

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0641.jpg.html

and the bronze pigs,

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0643.jpg.html

across the cathedral square,

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0644.jpg.html

past the town hall

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0647.jpg.html

and into the Schnoor, the oldest part of the city, with some wonderful shops

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0648.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0649.jpg.html
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0659.jpg.html

was ice-cold, around -20?C, and we were happy to get into the warmth of 
the Club.

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0652.jpg.html

A very entertaining show, too. Germany's leading political columunist 
(Heribert Prantl) and the secretary of state of Bremen's parliament in a 
radio chat with our old friend Theo Schl?ter - with breaks filled very 
professionally by the local amateur barbershop group "Fishermans Fresh" 
(who are actually more of a madrigal choir)

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DMS/Germany/Bremen/_MG_0656.jpg.html

Bremen is a great place, you can sit around, have a hot Grog and chat 
with senators (that's what they call ministers in the city states of 
Bremen, and Hamburg) and there's never a shifty-looking security bloke 
to be seen.

Hamburg and L?beck are similar, must be something to do with their 
Hanseatic heritage.

Sunday was also the first time I've ever had aperture blades sticking 
and Canon electronics refusing to work because of the cold.

Cheers
Douglas