Hamburg(er)?

Port area, Hamburg, Germany

As mentioned before, one of my main goals when I chose to take this co-op position in Germany was to learn more about the culture and history of this country. Not only I want to travel to different countries in Europe, but I also want to travel more around Germany as well; something I am still figuring out how to do given the amount of time (it goes by way faster than I thought). This being said, I decided to go to Hamburg in mid-October with a friend because I really wanted to explore this city. Whenever I ask a German what city is a must-see they always mention Hamburg and not Berlin. The curiosity as to why this city is so dear to the Germans arose and I just had to visit. 

Old Town Square

One of my good friends is studying in London for the semester and she wanted to visit Germany. Going to Hamburg is actually free for me because I have the student ID card of Leibniz University which is extremely convenient. So in the end there was nothing to talk about: we were going to Hamburg.

We both arrived pretty late on Friday so we decided to have dinner and rest to take advantage of the next day and explore the city. We stayed at a hostel called MAC City Hostel where we had one room for the both of us and it had a very good location. The hotel had breakfast included and it was very clean. Staying here was really nice, it felt more like a hotel than a hostel to be honest so I highly recommend staying here if you ever vist. It is only one stop away from the Hauptbahnhof (this is the German word for main train station in each city), which is where I arrived. Since I have a German friend who lives in Hamburg I asked her where she suggested for us to go. She suggested a nice area full of restaurants we could choose from for dinner. The stop when taking the U Bahn (the public transportation system) was called “Sternschanze” in case you ever find yourself in Hamburg. Dinner was great and we were able to catch up and plan what we wanted to do the next day. 

We had booked a free walking tour at 11am in Spanish because, as I mentioned in the previous posts, I believe this is a good way to start exploring any city. Our tour guide’s name was Veronica and she was from Madrid, Spain. We were a very small group (only five people) so since the beginning the tour was already very personal and we got to talk to Veronica (or Vero as she preferred to be called) a lot. Veronica studied architecture in Spain and then moved to Rome. Her sister lived in Hamburg and when she went there one summer to take German courses, she met a guy who now is her boyfriend of three years. She now lives in Hamburg with him and does the tours as a part-time job. 

Chilehaus, one of the buildings showed during the tour in what is now the financial area of Hamburg. 

I was excited about the fact that she was an architect. A city like Hamburg has been through so much, especially since it was one of the main cities controlled during the Second World War. This meant that a lot of the history the city had to offer could be portrayed through the styles and details of the different buildings. Veronica gave us a quick summary about the history of Hamburg before starting the tour. She told us that since she’s an architect she tends to focus on the little details a lot; something I ended up loving. However, she mentioned it was okay to say something if she was talking too much about it. As we started the tour, we were able to see the main buildings and sites and it was amazing how much had happened in the city. The Second World War, the conquests from different kings and a big fire that destroyed many of the buildings of the city; there was so much to know. You could see how every event in history had affected the city somehow and it was interesting to see an old, classic building standing next to a really modern one. It now made a lot more sense because due to the reconstructions the city needed after the fires and explosions that came with the Second World War, many buildings standing currently are not the original ones whereas there were some that survived all these events. 

Town Hall, Hamburg

The tour ended up being amazing and it had been the smallest group I had toured with so far. I really liked this because it gave me the opportunity to talk a lot with the tour guide and she gave us personal recommendations of places to go and things to do. We even ended up exchanging e-mails for whenever I come back to Hamburg or she comes to Hanover. I love how these experiences open the door to continue meeting more people along the way; it’s what I love the most about traveling. 

Another big thing I noticed during my stay in Hamburg was the fact that I knew so much about the German culture already. My friend kept asking me questions about why they do this or that and what this means or that, and I was able to answer her and explain to her why things were the way they were. This was the moment in which I realized that I was finally adapted more or less to the German culture and, like I mentioned in my previous post, how much I respected and loved it. I even got to teach her a few words in German. 

Yep. Pretty much how I felt the first few weeks in Germany so it was safe to say I was pretty proud of myself for being able to understand most of the German words that I heard when we walked around and know all of these little things about Germany. This trip to Hamburg was what confirmed this for me. 

Essentially, we walked around a lot and really got to experience the vibe and history of Hamburg. There is no better way to describe Hamburg than as the city that has it all. Its port, its bridges and canals, the food, the history, the architecture….it truly has a bit of everything so my advice if you ever come to Germany: visiting Hamburg is a MUST. To convince you a bit more of this I compiled a list of “fun facts” I didn’t know before coming to Germany and I thought whoever reads this post should know. 

(Source://icosnap.com/10-interesting-facts-about-hamburg-germany/)

10 Facts about Hamburg, Germany

  1. Hamburg is a city-state located in the northern part of Germany. In other words: yes, it is cold. It was pretty cold when we went there. However, put on a good coat and you'll be fine. It actually made all the walking easier because it wasn't too hot to walk around for 3 hours and a half. 

2.  Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany (first is Berlin). But preferred by most of the Germans and people I have talked to that have visited both. 

3.  There are over 100 clubs and music venues in Hamburg. After a long night, people then go to the famous fish market. It’s true. Hamburg is home to many venues and it is very much alive during the night. The fish market opens at 5am and closes at 10am so it is completely normal to go eat there after a night out in the city. 

4.  Many refer to Hamburg as Germany’s ‘Gateway to the World’. The port was something that continuously made Hamburg a city everyone wanted to have access to. 

5.  There are about 1.8 Million living in the city of Hamburg.

6.  The term ‘Hamburger’ originally derived from Hamburg. This was something I had thought of before going given the fact the name of the city of Hamburg but was not sure. The Americans did not actually come up with the idea. This term was derived from one of the dishes served in Hamburg called “Frikadelle”. When the Americans saw how this was prepared (it looks like a big meatball), they added the bread and salad (or whatever they preferred) and called it Hamburger. Makes sense right? 

7.  The Miniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway in the world.

8.  Hamburg has over 2300 bridges. It is actually the city with most bridges in Europe (and more canals than Amsterdam and Venice combined). It is the second city with the most bridges in the world (after New York City). 

9.  The Planten un Blomen park has the largest Japanese landscape gardens in Europe

10.  Hamburg’s official name is ‘Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg’ meaning the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. This name reflects its history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League. Hamburg was actually a sovereign state before the Unification of Germany (which occurred in 1871).

(Source://icosnap.com/10-interesting-facts-about-hamburg-germany/)

 Visiting Hamburg made me realize there is so much of Germany I want to see. Now I'm reaching that point of the semester where I realize there is less than two months left of my stay here in Germany and to be completely honest, I am in love with Deutschland...I don't want to leave. Although there is little time to visit the main cities in Germany, I definitely want to come back because it is truly a beautiful country that deserves to be explored one step at a time. So now you know there is more to Germany than just going to Berlin. Research a bit before you come if you’re ever planning on visiting because you may be amazed as to how much other cities have to offer as well (and this includes Hanover)!