In my first few hours of Hamburg, I already found myself in lots of unexpected places. Hamburg is one of the strangest cities I've ever explored. These are the neighborhoods of Hamburg as I see it:
1. The Gayborhood. Similar in feel to the gayborhood of Philly, this area has lots of nice restaurants and cafes. My hostel was located here. I found a cute cafe and helped myself to poppyseed cheesecake and a cappucino moments after I arrived. I was seated next to two very friendly men.
2. The Vegas/Red Light District. WHO KNEW this existed in Germany, but I found it the hard way. It was a street full of neon lights and venues that were not rated PG. After my cheesecake, I wanted to find the Beatlesmania museum, which was supposed to be located a block from the subway stop in this district. It was still in the afternoon and everything that I read says that it's safe even at night, just stay on the main roads. In fact, my guidebook only recommended bars and clubs that were located in this area. I thought for sure I'd be fine. Oh. my. god. I took three steps out of the subway station and almost ran right back down onto the train. But no, I was there to see the Beatlesmania museum. (The story here is that the Beatles signed their first record deal in Hamburg and played at a few venues here that put them on their way to fame.) Well, after walking around an area for a few minutes that I swore to never return to, I couldn't find the museum and got back on that subway. It turns out that the museum closed six months ago and I endured that anxiety for nothing. Gah. If you really want to see what I saw, google Reeperbahn. That's the name of this infamous street. It's pronounced similarly to Raper-bahn, oddly enough.
3. The Harbor. After I escaped Raperville, I made my way to the water. It sounded calming, and it was. Hamburg is the second biggest port in Europe and top ten of the world, so this shipyard was HUGE. And beautiful all lit up at night. There's a tunnel built under the river that was constructed in 1911. I wasn't going to jeopordize my safety twice in one night, so I opted not to go down there, but it looked cool.
4. The Hippie Zone. This is the up-and-coming area of Hamburg, supposedly, because it's the place where all the young people live. It's conveniently located between the Red Light District and the University. I had breakfast at a cafe there, that served awesommeee pancakes. They were kind of like a thick crepe, rolled up with cranberry jam on the inside.
This area also houses a graffitied, run down building where squatters have legally lived since the sixties. It converts into a cafe for lunch that serves vegan food. I semi-wanted to go in, but took one look at the outside (and took a photo) and kept moving.
5. The Brand-New Oppresive German Buildings. This area felt so German to me because all of the buildings were exactly the same, with no decoration or anything that wasnt purely utilitarian. It was a sea of concrete, people, and canals. No grass or anything that looks pretty. The city does have a huge park in it, like Central Park sized, but this area was all work and no play. And the city of Hamburg just structured this area, with this "cool new" architecture. I'm no architecture buff, but the sterility of this area wasn't my cup of tea.
6. The Lakes. Hamburg dammed up a body of water connected to the harbor just north of the city, which now has really nice paths around it. I rented one of the city bikes and whizzed around town like the locals do.
7. The Old City. Like any good European town, Hamburg had a beautiful historic area complete with museums and cobblestone pedestrian-only streets. I toured a church there that had been bombed during the war, and instead of repairing the church they left it as a memorial. The inside was completely blackened and hollow. The view from the top of the tower was gorgeous.
My favorite activity in Hamburg was hanging out with new friends. I met a girl in my hostel who was living in Munich and came to Hamburg for the weekend. This girl had a lot of confidence and sass so we got along right away :) She put up a friendly little notice on CouchSurfing asking for someone in Hamburg to show her the city. I was so impressed and surprised to hear that five local Hamburgers emailed her to say that they would be happy to meet up with her. She spent the day with one of them, and I joined up with her and two others for the evening.
We went ice skating at the local rink in the park and played with the penguin-shaped supports for kids learning to skate. I got to show off my little twirls and spins and teach one of the guys who ended up being covered in snow. After warming up with some glühwein, we headed down the street to the local pubs. One of them was literally a grandmother's home converted into a bar, called Three Rooms, and we sat on the old lady's couch playing board games. The local specialty drink was called a Mexicana, which was a shot comprised of tomato juice, tequila and Tabasco sauce. I had to be convinced that my stomach would still be intact after trying one, but it was actually very good. We danced around to live music at an Irish pub, where the singer played one American classic hit after another. I don't know if this is ironic or just dumb, but all of the pubs that we went to were on the Reeperbahn - the street that I swore never to return to. I felt safe being with a group that included guys, especially locals. Clearly it was the place to be, even for normal people. My German got a little workout with this group because the local guys spoke mainly in German, the girl's English was great but so was her German, and then there was me. English with a touch of Deutsch. We did a lot of, "what's that word in German? how about in English?" It was perfect for me because i really wanted to work on my German while I could. On my next trip I'll definitely have to check out this CouchSurfing business because it was a great way to meet locals and make friends.
At my hostel I had another local culture run-in that caught me by surprise. I was hanging out in the bar/lounge area with a huge group of people that were all intensely focused on some sporting event on tv. They were all really into this game so I knew it had to be important, like a championship of some sort. The main source of confusion was that, while everyone was cheering and clapping, I sat there wondering, "What IS this sport??" Of course I couldn't ask someone because I definitely would've been identified as the clueless American. Thankfully I used Google and my knowledgable Facebook friends to figure it out. It was handball, "like water polo without the water." Whew.
In Hamburg I went to the Maritime Museum, since the city is such a big harbor. It was actually really cool - it was ten floors of everything to do with sailing and ships. I liked the part about navigation technology since BC times, and the exhibit on famous pirates. I've been known as the Pirate Queen in a prior life, as a doppelgänger reference, so it seems fitting. I also had to see the Beatlesplatz, which is a tribute to the Beatles and where they played in Hamburg. My other tourist destination was a photography museum that looked awesome but was closed. I ended up spending over an hour flipping through photography books in their gift shop, thoroughly enjoying myself. European commentary through photography is interesting - I found a book that photographed depression in America, which was sort of appalling. I really liked their books on Banksy and his political statements through graffiti.
Food! I haven't forgotten to tell you about my food adventures. The craziest meal I had was at a Curry Queen. I thought it was an Asian takeout place, but no. All they served was curry wurst. I shouldn't have been surprised because currywurst fast food restaurants are everywhere in Northern Germany. Lucky for me, they had a veggie curry wurst and it was awesome.
I had a romantic candlelit date night with myself at a former gymnasium turned into an Italian restaurant. There were bars and beams still in the huge, open restaurant. The couple sitting next to me were from Boston and they kindly invited me on their boat this summer :) they were very sweet and parent-protective of me, traveling on my own. I think I've done okay :)
And finally, I had to have a franzbrotchen. This is a smushed croissant-looking pastry filled with cinnamon and raisins. It's only found in the city center of Hamburg and I saw them all over, so of course I ha to try one. Super good.
Copenhagen comes next! I know it's been THREE DAYS since I blogged last, according to my parents, but I appreciate your loyalty, dear follower. One more blog to come.
Love,
Melissa
1. The Gayborhood. Similar in feel to the gayborhood of Philly, this area has lots of nice restaurants and cafes. My hostel was located here. I found a cute cafe and helped myself to poppyseed cheesecake and a cappucino moments after I arrived. I was seated next to two very friendly men.
2. The Vegas/Red Light District. WHO KNEW this existed in Germany, but I found it the hard way. It was a street full of neon lights and venues that were not rated PG. After my cheesecake, I wanted to find the Beatlesmania museum, which was supposed to be located a block from the subway stop in this district. It was still in the afternoon and everything that I read says that it's safe even at night, just stay on the main roads. In fact, my guidebook only recommended bars and clubs that were located in this area. I thought for sure I'd be fine. Oh. my. god. I took three steps out of the subway station and almost ran right back down onto the train. But no, I was there to see the Beatlesmania museum. (The story here is that the Beatles signed their first record deal in Hamburg and played at a few venues here that put them on their way to fame.) Well, after walking around an area for a few minutes that I swore to never return to, I couldn't find the museum and got back on that subway. It turns out that the museum closed six months ago and I endured that anxiety for nothing. Gah. If you really want to see what I saw, google Reeperbahn. That's the name of this infamous street. It's pronounced similarly to Raper-bahn, oddly enough.
3. The Harbor. After I escaped Raperville, I made my way to the water. It sounded calming, and it was. Hamburg is the second biggest port in Europe and top ten of the world, so this shipyard was HUGE. And beautiful all lit up at night. There's a tunnel built under the river that was constructed in 1911. I wasn't going to jeopordize my safety twice in one night, so I opted not to go down there, but it looked cool.
4. The Hippie Zone. This is the up-and-coming area of Hamburg, supposedly, because it's the place where all the young people live. It's conveniently located between the Red Light District and the University. I had breakfast at a cafe there, that served awesommeee pancakes. They were kind of like a thick crepe, rolled up with cranberry jam on the inside.
This area also houses a graffitied, run down building where squatters have legally lived since the sixties. It converts into a cafe for lunch that serves vegan food. I semi-wanted to go in, but took one look at the outside (and took a photo) and kept moving.
5. The Brand-New Oppresive German Buildings. This area felt so German to me because all of the buildings were exactly the same, with no decoration or anything that wasnt purely utilitarian. It was a sea of concrete, people, and canals. No grass or anything that looks pretty. The city does have a huge park in it, like Central Park sized, but this area was all work and no play. And the city of Hamburg just structured this area, with this "cool new" architecture. I'm no architecture buff, but the sterility of this area wasn't my cup of tea.
6. The Lakes. Hamburg dammed up a body of water connected to the harbor just north of the city, which now has really nice paths around it. I rented one of the city bikes and whizzed around town like the locals do.
7. The Old City. Like any good European town, Hamburg had a beautiful historic area complete with museums and cobblestone pedestrian-only streets. I toured a church there that had been bombed during the war, and instead of repairing the church they left it as a memorial. The inside was completely blackened and hollow. The view from the top of the tower was gorgeous.
My favorite activity in Hamburg was hanging out with new friends. I met a girl in my hostel who was living in Munich and came to Hamburg for the weekend. This girl had a lot of confidence and sass so we got along right away :) She put up a friendly little notice on CouchSurfing asking for someone in Hamburg to show her the city. I was so impressed and surprised to hear that five local Hamburgers emailed her to say that they would be happy to meet up with her. She spent the day with one of them, and I joined up with her and two others for the evening.
We went ice skating at the local rink in the park and played with the penguin-shaped supports for kids learning to skate. I got to show off my little twirls and spins and teach one of the guys who ended up being covered in snow. After warming up with some glühwein, we headed down the street to the local pubs. One of them was literally a grandmother's home converted into a bar, called Three Rooms, and we sat on the old lady's couch playing board games. The local specialty drink was called a Mexicana, which was a shot comprised of tomato juice, tequila and Tabasco sauce. I had to be convinced that my stomach would still be intact after trying one, but it was actually very good. We danced around to live music at an Irish pub, where the singer played one American classic hit after another. I don't know if this is ironic or just dumb, but all of the pubs that we went to were on the Reeperbahn - the street that I swore never to return to. I felt safe being with a group that included guys, especially locals. Clearly it was the place to be, even for normal people. My German got a little workout with this group because the local guys spoke mainly in German, the girl's English was great but so was her German, and then there was me. English with a touch of Deutsch. We did a lot of, "what's that word in German? how about in English?" It was perfect for me because i really wanted to work on my German while I could. On my next trip I'll definitely have to check out this CouchSurfing business because it was a great way to meet locals and make friends.
At my hostel I had another local culture run-in that caught me by surprise. I was hanging out in the bar/lounge area with a huge group of people that were all intensely focused on some sporting event on tv. They were all really into this game so I knew it had to be important, like a championship of some sort. The main source of confusion was that, while everyone was cheering and clapping, I sat there wondering, "What IS this sport??" Of course I couldn't ask someone because I definitely would've been identified as the clueless American. Thankfully I used Google and my knowledgable Facebook friends to figure it out. It was handball, "like water polo without the water." Whew.
In Hamburg I went to the Maritime Museum, since the city is such a big harbor. It was actually really cool - it was ten floors of everything to do with sailing and ships. I liked the part about navigation technology since BC times, and the exhibit on famous pirates. I've been known as the Pirate Queen in a prior life, as a doppelgänger reference, so it seems fitting. I also had to see the Beatlesplatz, which is a tribute to the Beatles and where they played in Hamburg. My other tourist destination was a photography museum that looked awesome but was closed. I ended up spending over an hour flipping through photography books in their gift shop, thoroughly enjoying myself. European commentary through photography is interesting - I found a book that photographed depression in America, which was sort of appalling. I really liked their books on Banksy and his political statements through graffiti.
Food! I haven't forgotten to tell you about my food adventures. The craziest meal I had was at a Curry Queen. I thought it was an Asian takeout place, but no. All they served was curry wurst. I shouldn't have been surprised because currywurst fast food restaurants are everywhere in Northern Germany. Lucky for me, they had a veggie curry wurst and it was awesome.
I had a romantic candlelit date night with myself at a former gymnasium turned into an Italian restaurant. There were bars and beams still in the huge, open restaurant. The couple sitting next to me were from Boston and they kindly invited me on their boat this summer :) they were very sweet and parent-protective of me, traveling on my own. I think I've done okay :)
And finally, I had to have a franzbrotchen. This is a smushed croissant-looking pastry filled with cinnamon and raisins. It's only found in the city center of Hamburg and I saw them all over, so of course I ha to try one. Super good.
Copenhagen comes next! I know it's been THREE DAYS since I blogged last, according to my parents, but I appreciate your loyalty, dear follower. One more blog to come.
Love,
Melissa
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