We arrived in Hamburg Thursday afternoon and decided to relax, rest, watch movies and catch-up with our hosts for the evening. On Friday, Liya’s Aunt and Uncle showed us around the city – lots of walking. First stop was at the harbor and port. Hamburg has a huge port – probably one of the largest in Germany. Here we had the opportunity to go underground and visit the Elb Tunnel which connects both shores of the harbor. Cars, bikes and pedestrians frequently use the quarter-mile passage and oversized elevators to complete their commute. Afterwards, we headed into downtown where we marveled at Hamburg’s beautiful and grand Town Hall and surrounding square. We had fun people watching and taking lots of pictures to capture the sights. Next, we headed to a small Chinese restaurant where we had noodles with roasted duck – yummy! After lunch, we walked for another hour or two around town and treated ourselves to a cone of delicious gelato at one of the malls. Mango for Liya, caramel for Ben.
The next morning, we joined David (the son), his girlfriend and cousin downtown where we explored and visited more of the sights. We first participated in a tour at the Rathaus (Town Hall). Highlights included painted photos of 17th century senators and lavish conference rooms with beyond-impressive decor. Afterwards, we had lunch at a Turkish restaurant where they grilled different kebobs of meat on an open charcoal grill. David introduced us to Germany’s Fritz-Cola – apparently, Germany invented Cola and sold the rights to the States. It was nice and refreshing but our first choice will remain Coca-Cola. We walked in old town for a couple of miles then had an afternoon coffee break at the ubiquitous Balzac Café – an environment and coffee offerings comparable to Starbucks. Germans like their coffee sweet – too sweet for Liya’s liking. After coffee, we walked around downtown and admired the beautiful and luxurious automobiles going through a popular boulevard. We saw everything from BMW to Bentleys to Lamborghinis. Without one of our own, we indulged ourselves in something more fitting to the budget and similar appeal – gelato. Yes, more gelato. Choices this time around were Kiwi for Liya, and a double scoop for Ben with pinnapple and raspberry. We gave it a `Yumm-o’ a la Rachel Ray. With our sweet tooth satisfied, we hopped on the metro to catch a movie a few miles down the road. We decided to see what Matt Damon could do in Bourne Ultimatum, and we are happy to report back that we enjoyed it. Being one of the only forms of media seen or heard in English aside from CNN might have played a role in our satisfaction of the film, but who knows. Following the movie, we headed the bar to have a cocktail to complete our full day in Hamburg.
After a short night of rest, we got up early to experience Hamburg’s famous Sunday market. Similar to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, vendors showcased seafood, fruit, flowers, clothing, candy, traditional pastries, and other goods. If you were in the market for pet rabbits or pigeons, this place could accommodate you as well. Hamburg’s market is HUGE and full of life, activity and character. We enjoyed Germany’s version of the donut and fresh pineapple under a sky of blue.
We found Hamburg to be a comfortable city. We accredit this to its similarity to our beloved Portland and Seattle – weather, harbor, market, love for sport, shopping and coffee. This made us realize how much we appreciate the Pacific NW and everyone there. So this is a shout out to all of our friends in Portland and Seattle - love you guys!
On our way to Amsterdam, one of the rail lines was closed temporarily due to “Police discovering a WWII bomb on the railroad track ”. Haha – kinda. So instead of a 5 hour trip, it was a 7-hour trip to Amsterdam from Hamburg! AHHHHH!
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