On the GO in Hamburg

I talked about nostalgia in my last post, but I didn’t actually pay much attention to Pokémon when it was wildly popular 20 years ago. I don’t know any of the characters, or really anything about their world. Now the franchise has had a resurgence through Pokémon Go, and when I saw last week that Germany was the first official launch site in Europe, I thought, why not have a little fun?

Hmm. Looks like I've acquired
two writing partners.

Unlike others seized by Pokémon madness, I did not fall in a pond, discover a corpse, get banned from a zoo, or traipse over sacred memorials in my efforts. In the beginning I did have the same issues with server overloads, meaning the best time for me to search was in the mornings, while most of the U.S. was asleep.

I'm not sure this little guy
understands the usual relationship
between cats and birds.

I’ve seen others here in Hamburg who I suspect are also looking for Pokémon, and the Hamburg police recently issued six “rules” to follow while playing—things that would have been common sense B.P.G. (Before Pokémon Go), e.g., respect special places and private homes, beware of dark and potentially dangerous places, don’t play while riding a bike or driving, etc.

After a week of hunting and capturing these little creatures, I can see how consuming it can be. So here are a few snapshots of Pokémon hanging around Hamburg, and I'm going to go delete this app from my phone before it's too late... ;)

This slightly scary fellow was hanging out, appropriately enough,
near the Uebel und Gefährlich (evil & dangerous) bunker.

Speaking of nature,
I found this interesting
fellow at the Planten
und Blomen park near
downtown.

A good thing about the wetter, cooler weather
in Hamburg: a longer blooming season. I guess that's
what's captured this guy's fancy.

A gold star for the

Rickmer-Rickmers Museum on the Elbe.

I know the top of the Elbphilharmonie 

looks a bit like an aquarium,

but this little lady is out of luck.

Able to cruise around the Alster lakes under its own power...

...taking the luxury cruise option

Hurray! The Speicherstadt is one of
my favorite parts of the city, too!

I found this literal fish-out-of-water
on my afternoon bus ride.

Enjoying a nice day at the Rathaus

Oh, the sights you see along the infamous Reeperbahn!

This big-eyed, whatever-it-is was near
the entrance to St. Michaelis.

I'm pretty sure this perch above
the Autobahn is ill-advised.