HAMBURG: GENERAL IMPRESSIONS 61 



pastures. A turn upon your heel and the scene has 

 changed from Nature's own garden to the ship-laden 

 waters of the Elbe with another view upon Hanoverian 

 plains, dimly visible in the "Far West." The road from 

 Ottensen to Blankenese, in itself is worth a good tramp. 

 The long line of magnificent residences, with their finely- 

 planned gardens, of wealthy Hamburg merchants, de- 

 light the eye on either side of the Boulevard, for such it 

 is in reality. The stately carriages, with their uniformed 

 attendants, ever ready to do the bidding of their aristo- 

 cratic masters, are part of the scene, which is particularly 

 enchanting wherever a glimpse upon the waves of the 

 river is to be had, or where the high hedge of hawthorn, 

 which hems in the greater part of the Eastern side of the 

 road, permits a glance upon the afore-described rural 

 scenes of Holstein. Though I have tramped considerably 

 through these parts, I have not discovered any portion 

 of land on which grain had been raised. One only finds 

 squares of twelve to fifteen hundred feet of pasture, each 

 square marked by a formidable hedge. I passed several 

 hours upon the Sullberg watching the ebb tide, which 

 slowly compelled every vessel upon the river to stop its 

 course for a certain time. One by one, schooners, ferry- 

 boats, fishing smacks, even little pleasure seekers, which 

 but a few minutes ago enjoyed the gentle rocking of the 

 waves, were compelled to obey the law of Nature, which 

 makes it almost possible for a man to wade through the 

 river bottom, i. e., near the shore. Not the slightest 

 breeze could be felt. Here and there, from more or less 

 distant chimneys arose small columns of smoke; now and 

 then it conveyed the odor of fried fish and potatoes, which 

 reminded me of the approaching night. The moist sand 

 along the bank was too inviting to be overlooked, and so I 

 chose it for my return route to the city. Deeper and 

 deeper went the setting sun with its brilliant colors, beau- 

 tifying the small clouds on the azure sky, and recalling 

 to my mind the words of Galileo: "And yet it move-." 

 After a while T seated myself upon a large stone, watch- 

 ing tiny waves disappearing in the sand; the windows of 



