Scott's Adventures

Time to see a bit more of Germany, and after a week in Marburg, Jule and I headed north to spend the weekend in Hamburg. After 3 to 4 hours on the train, we arrived at Hamburg’s Hauptbahnhof to be greeted by Martin, a Linköping’er who took the night train over from Lille in northern France. We spent the sunny day getting to know the city, starting with the impressive Speicherstadt area, a part of town near the harbour full of warehouses. Here we visited an impressive miniature world exhibition before taking a walk along the grand harbour front. Here we took a lift deep down underground to reach the Old Elbe Tunnel. This was certainly something unique, built around 1910, there is a lift to transport cars down to the tunnel then subsequently be lifted back up on the opposite side. Not quite as efficient as the tunnels of today but nevertheless quite an unusual thing to see.

This evening we headed down to the St. Pauli neighbourhood with Silke, Till and Jurgen, more German friends from Sweden. The six of us spent some time at a Hamburg specialty, the ‘beach’ bar. Set up on the harbourside, the outdoor bar has quite a beachy feel, set up with sand, trees, deckchairs and the like. Was nice to be there as the sun was still up, then later rug up with a blanket as it cooled down outside.

A visit to Hamburg isn’t complete without a trip down to the Reeperbahn. Guided by Till, we ventured into Hamburg’s Sin City, the party district. After some 50 cent shooters, which included Tabasco and tomato juice, we headed to a cool bar to enjoy the weekend nightlife. A great first day in the city, a good first impression was certainly made.

Another Hamburg must is a Hafenrundfahrt, also known as a harbour tour. One of the biggest ports in Europe, we spent an hour or so cruising the waterways seeing the city as well as its industrial heart from a nautical perspective, complete with an informative and entertaining guide. Quite well timed, since as we returned to port the dark clouds were rolling in, and almost as soon as we stepped on to shore, the downpour began. After braving the elements, we ventured to the Jungfernstieg area, where there is a nice lake right in the inner city. After enjoying a lakeside lunch, trying not to get attacked by the ducks, the rain returned, and we managed to get reasonably soaked this time around.

Once the rain cleared, it was over to Town Hall Square, which was playing host to the European Beach Volleyball Championships. With free admission, we took advantage of this bargain price and joined the crowd. Was quite an entertaining few hours, some high quality games and exciting rallies. We saw the women’s finals, where the Germans took home the gold, so that created an exciting atmosphere in anticipation of the said result. Norway scraped through to take silver and bronze, with the day culminating in the obligatory champagne spraying. Combined with the music blaring in the breaks and the entertainment by the Nestea dancing girls, it was an entertaining afternoon.

If a visit to Hamburg isn’t complete without a trip to the Reeperbahn, then a weekend in Hamburg isn’t complete without two trips to the Reeperbahn. Saturday night saw us enjoy the late evening sun with some beers down at Jungfernstieg, and not before a quick pit stop at Konrad’s, off we went again to the heart of Hamburg’s nightlife. This time around though we did things right, and after a bit of bar hopping, a few more 50 cent shots and the obligatory late night kebab, at 5am it was time to call it a night. Or was it?! Not in Hamburg at least, where a Saturday night visit to the Reeperbahn goes hand-in-hand with a Sunday morning visit to the Fischmarkt (Fish Market). Half an actual market, half an after party, we managed to enjoy some quality cuisine, particularly the fried potatoes with fried egg on top, followed by some more dancing, this time with some old-style rockers. Stumbled out of there sometime after 7am and made it home sometime around 8am. A really fun night/morning taking part in this unique Hamburg experience.

So of course, after such an adventure, some sleep would be the next logical step, right? Well, as we came home, our hostel roommates were just getting up and getting ready to face the day. So they took this opportunity to fill us in on their whereabouts over the past five months of travelling. Quite interesting, but perhaps not the best time to talk about it. Okay, so they left finally. Peace and quiet. Rest. But no, not for too long. Since it was such a beautiful day outside, Jule thought it would be foolish to waste it away with something as ridiculous as sleep. So let’s call it a 3-hour ‘nap’, before we were up again and getting ready to enjoy some more Hamburg sights.

All jokes aside, I was glad though for the wake-up call, since there is more than enough to see in Hamburg, especially given our short time frame. We headed next door to a fantastic photo exhibition at the Deichtor Hallen, before travelling to the City Park to meet Till for a game of Kubb. For those not lucky enough to have experienced it, Kubb is an old Swedish game with Viking origins, which involves throwing sticks towards each other, well at least at each other’s wooden blocks. A little hard to describe, but in any case quite a fun way to enjoy the sunshine and each other’s company on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the park. Soon enough we were joined by Silke, Jurgen and Konrad, as well as Guillaume on his way back from France, so it was a great chance to catch up with a lot of Linköping’ers at once and reminisce about the good old days back in Ryd.

After finally getting some decent rest, we had one more day to enjoy the city and all its offerings. Given the previous three days efforts though, Monday was spent wandering through the city at a snail’s pace, with coffee, shopping, lunch, shopping, and coffee, before finally working up the strength to climb the tower at St. Michelis church. Not before attempting to save 50 cents on the admission fee, only to be caught out by the eagle-eyed cashier who noticed our Hamburg Card had expired. An extra 1 Euro 50 lighter in the pockets, the three of us ascended the mighty tower, to be confronted with a fantastic 360-degree panorama of Hamburg and her sights. Just as well, it wouldn’t want to be ordinary considering the effort expended climbing up there. Attention citizens of Hamburg: don’t waste your money on a gym membership, just climb the tower every day.

Finishing our visit the way it began, with a wander through and a beer at the Speicherstadt, it was time to trek to the Hauptbahnhof to Jule and I to head back to Marburg and Martin to take the night train back to France. Was great to have the Tri-Nation team back together again for a few days, and even better that Australia doesn’t compare to France and Germany in soccer so I could stay out of those heated discussions! Above all, another fantastic weekend, Hamburg – eine Perle!