Setting foot in a new place

I love the feeling of being anonymous in a city I’ve never been before (Bill Bryson)

Now we have our luggage (hoorah! It came at 9pm on Wednesday), we are slowly creating a new routine (Karl going to his office, me working remotely 4 mornings a week). We are adjusting to our little apartment, finding the best places to shop for food and have met one of our neighbourhood cats. Anyway, on Thursday afternoon, I set off to explore the immediate area where we are staying. We are staying in Altona, a part of the city with an interesting history. From 1640 to 1864, Altona was actually part of the kingdom of Denmark, before becoming part of Prussia. It was an independent borough until 1937.

Anyway, on Thursday afternoon I headed off with no plans in mind and found myself in front of this sculpture of what appears to be two centaurs fighting a fish. In fact this is the The Stuhlmannbrunnen (Stuhlmann Fountain), named after Günther Ludwig Stuhlmann, founder and director of Altonaer Gas- und Wasseranstalt AG, the gas and water works of Altona. It was moved to its current site in the Platz der Republik, in 2000, and is certainly an impressive sight.

A different view of the fountain, giving a sense of how it is placed, can be seen below. Walking along, I came across the Altonaer Theater which sits alongside the Altonaer Museum, which we really should visit to learn more about the area (I didn’t as I knew Karl would also want to go). There were people playing petanque outside, totally engrossed in their game.

I also spotted this dragon, one of a pair. Not sure of their history, but they are rather magnificent beasts, sitting guarding the building behind.

The impressive white building below is the town hall, built between 1906 and 1909, it has served as the administrative centre for the district of Altona since. The statue is in front is of Kaiser Wilhelm.

Sitting opposite is this monument Black Form – Dedicated to the Missing Jews created by Sol LeWitt in 1989. The memorial, is made of concrete blocks and commemorates the Jewish community of Altona which disappeared in the Holocaust. It is a stark contrast to the building behind.

I walked down the other side of the street and found a series of wall art, depicting animals with some sort of injury. I am not sure who did these or why, so if anyone knows do enlighten me. Here is the dog and cat, who don’t look too unhappy to be honest!

Walking home, I stopped once again to look at this building, from 1909. I just love the curls and swirls and shapes.

Another rather different building near us is this abandoned pharmacy. Still, you get a feel for the architecture and feel of the place. Similarly, the corner with the local kiosk, selling everything it seems from coffee to spirits to tobacco to food, gives an impression of the locale. The featured image at the top of the post is close to where we are living, in newer post-war buildings.

I have only of course just scratched the surface of our home for the next few weeks, but by the end, we may not be quite so anonymous.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis