Frozen Hamburg

I returned from a family trip to Washington DC to find some cool things in my inbox. Among them, a fresh photo from Ina Mierig in Hamburg.

Some gondoliers have the opportunity in winter to step where they usually row.
Ina went for a walk yesterday with her sister and her dog to tread on the frozen Alster - a tributary to the Elbe River.
The Alster meets the Elbe in Hamburg, and all that water, which Ina rows on, joins water from other parts of Northern Europe to eventually flow into the North Sea.

Ina writes:
"It is the first time after 12 years that you can stand on the Alster. It was big fun."

As you can see from the photo, they weren't the only ones out on the ice - looks like lots of folks took time off on a Tuesday afternoon to enjoy the experience.

Hamburg is Germany's second largest city and a hub of activity for Northern Germany. In the distance you can see some of the high steeples which are so distictive for the region.

Thanks for the report Ina, stay warm!