007 Book location: Hamburg Airport / Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

May 6, 2024 0 By 007 Travelers

Bond book: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Place and location in the book: Hamburg Airport, Flughafenstrasse 1-3, Hamburg, Germany
What happens here in the book: Bond meets Q
Visited by 007 Travelers: February 2023

“The British Airways 757 touched down at Flughafen Fuhlsbuttel, otherwise known as Hamburg Airport, on time in the afternoon. The terminal was ultramodern, sporting a unique passenger pier with a roof shaped like an enormous aircraft wing. The arcade contained a variety of interesting shops and boutiques – even a branch of Harrods – and several restaurants.

Hamburg is often compared to Venice and Amsterdam due to the canals running through the centre. At other times, considering the reputation of the infamous Reeperbahn, it has been called “Sin City Europe”. Nevertheless, the city is rich with history. Plagued by disasters during its 1,200-year existence, Hamburg was rebuilt after the war into a larger and more beautiful metropolis with spacious parks, skyscrapers and influential cultural institutions. As the second-largest city in Germany, Hamburg is also considered the greenest. Fifty per cent of its surface area is water, farmland, woodlands and some 1,400 gardens and parks.”

—

“He made his way to the Avis counter, where a pretty girl greeted him warmly. “Can I help you, Sir?” she asked in German.
“Yes,” Bond said, also in German, “my office reserved a car.” He handed her the reservation form Moneypenny had given him.
“One moment, please,” the girl said, and disappeared.
Bond wondered what kind of car he might get. He knew that Q had been working on a Jaguar XK8 for the past few months and he was looking forward to test-driving it.
007’s training took over and on reflex he scanned the place for anyone or anything out of the ordinary. As he finished the sweep of the room, his eyes landed on the editions of Tomorrow on the newsstand. The headline proclaimed: CHINA WARNS BRITISH FLEET.
“If you’ll just sign here, Mr. Bond.” It was a voice from behind him that Bond recognised immediately.
He turned to behold the inimitable Q dressed in a red Avis jacket. He looked tired. Bond nearly blew their cover by bursting into laughter.
Q slapped down the reservation form on the counter. “It’s the insurance damage waiver, for your beautiful new car.”
Bond was going to enjoy this. Dear Major Boothroyd, the head of Q Branch and the official Armourer for the Secret Service, was probably the only man he would call a genius. If Bond hadn’t been so fond of him, he wouldn’t torment him so. Q was getting on in years, but he still retained a good deal of spirit. Their by-play had become as familiar as Bond’s unstirred, shaken vodka martini.
Through clenched teeth, Q asked questions and checked off the applicaple boxes on the form as Bond answered.
“Will you need collision damage waiver?”
“Yes.”
“Fire?”
“Probably.”
“Property destruction?”
“Definitely.”
“Personal injury?”
“I hope not. But accidents do happen.”
The major noticed that some civilians waiting in the queue had heard their conversation. He huffed and handed Bond a pen. 007 signed the form.
“Well, that takes care of normal wear and tear,” Bond said.
“Do I need any other protection?”
Q was seething. Only from me, 007.” he whispered. He gestured forcefully with head and shoulders, then opened a door behind the counter. Bond went around and followed him inside.”