Hann'dover

Some say Hannover isn't representative of what Germany is really about. For that, you should go to a busier city like Berlin, they say.

I wouldn't know—I haven't been to Germany before this (transiting in Frankfurt doesn't count), but some of the stereotypes did surface: serious and dour faces with gruff service attitudes, although things were nice and orderly and clean.

I hate to default to this assumption, but on more than one occasion I did wonder if racism had a part in the sometimes icy reception. I don't make this assumption often, but in less cosmopolitan Western cities, I meet standoffish reactions more.

In the cab yesterday, one of the Hong Kong journalists pointed out a dog by the side of the road. The taxi driver immediately chimed, "Yes, dog. Pet. Not food."

Were we the only Chinese people around? I scrutinised every other yellow person on the street for signs of not fitting in.

Nonetheless, I perhaps didn't get around Hannover enough to experience the city for what it was worth. Travelling here for a conference meant that most of my contact with the locals was limited to service staff and sales clerks—oh, and the occasional staring passerby.

(I figured out how to add captions to photos from within my iPhone. Go, me!)