Sometimes you are in a hurry and don’t check the details of the city you live in. It took me several years to find out about the palm trees and bamboo in the middle of town, nearby our artsy neighbourhood around the “Deichtorhallen” and the “Kunstverein”.

The Deichtorhallen provide us with some very nice photo exhibitions and they are worth a visit and Kunstverein holds contemporary arts exhibitions. Both buildings used to be market halls and between them there is now this intersection where you can dream yourself to be far, far away, next to palm trees and bamboo. Maybe China? Or Vietnam?

I love this area and the trees have been there since Expo 2000. They were once part of an art exhibition in public spaces. And they lighten up my day in the winter, as the trees are cold resistant. Plus you can go see all the exhibitions and the old merchant architecture of the places mentioned above, plus many more, as the warehouse district and UNESCO heritage sights like Kontorhausviertel are just around the corner.