In my opinion, no Mini is complete without a full complement of driving and fog lights.
Next up were these two Union Jack-equipped Minis, sitting across the street from one another:
And even though I've already documented these two other classic Minis in Taiwan, I'll probably still stop to take shots of any others that I come across - either in Taiwan or anywhere else in the world that my travels take me.
While not a rare site worldwide, I still reach for the camera phone when I spot one in the wild. If only BMC had continued to import these fine machines to the States beyond the mid-60s, they might be a more common site here in the US.
It's another one of the few and far between cool cars seen here in Taichung. Looks great in the neon glow.
And the little bulldog is left hand drive (as are the other cars on the island), making for an easy transition to the USA. It would just have to be at least 25 years old. Or have a 25+ year-old VIN.
Panasport Minilites, are there any small cars that they don't look good on?
I followed this little Brit for a couple of miles, envious of it's fun efficiency and diminutive size - especially when compared to the van I was driving. The seating position of the van was at the roofline of the Mini.
Powered by the insanely indestructible Slant Six, this Dart likely has half a million miles on it.
These all but disappeared on rust-belt roads 25 years ago. The body is battered but it's still pretty-much cancer-free.
main train station
Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)? They sure smelled good...
...but I wanted something a bit more than fried potatoes. Ooh, a bäckeri...
...but they mainly had sweets and some bland-looking sandwiches. So I found (yet another) small pizza joint and enjoyed another great Germany pizza. After dinner I walked further east to check out Hamburg's Rathaus, or city hall.
Built in neo-renaissance style between 1886-1897, it's Hamburg's city hall and occupies an entire city block. Quite stunning at night too. After spending some time at the Rathaus, I wandered past some of the high-end boutiques just to the north before taking a taxi back to my hotel.
yet another groovy German communications tower
This is Hamburg's seedier part as well as home to it's red light district...
...which isn't all that hoppin' at 10:30 AM. Note that the sign above states that those entering have to be at least 18 - and that no women are allowed. I doubt I could find any of the kinds of tools that I am interested in at the shop below.
This is also the area of Hamburg where The Beatles regularly performed from 1960-1962.
I should add that the Schwalbe Fat Franks 2.35" wide tires were fantastic on the pavers.
I found the warehouse district the most interesting part of the city. Built in the 1880s to, uh, warehouse the goods offloaded in the ports, the large brick buildings have very interesting canals running between them.
Looking up you can see the apparatus for hoisting crates of cargo long ago:
After sitting virtually-abandoned for decades, these buildings have been rehabbed and now house offices, restaurants and other small businesses.
With my shop visits complete and GPS battery running low, I chose my route carefully so that I'd be less-prone to becoming lost - so I decided to ride around Hamburg's inner-city lakes, Binnenalster and Aussenalster.
Some of Hamburg's grand old office buildings face Binnenalster, the smaller of the two lakes that is also closer to Hamburg's downtown.
Aussenalster has very Madison-esque bike and walking paths surrounding it. Being a beautiful day, the round-the-lake ride or run was a popular late-afternoon diversion for Hamburgers (yes, that's what the residents are called).
Overall I was able to get in a leisurely 25-mile ride over the course of the day. Here's where I went - well, most of where I went, I accidentally forgot to resume the GPS's tracking function a couple of times.
And thanks to Akki and the Electra Hamburg staff for the hospitality and letting me borrow the Amsterdam Balloon.
And finally, I saw this sweet late-model Mini Cooper parked outside the great restaurant we hit for dinner:
If only I could have crammed it in my carry-on luggage.
