Hamburg

Looking out to sea

Okay, I’ll come out and say it now: I didn’t eat any Hamburgers in Hamburg. Feel free to leave now, if that’s what you were here for (or go look at the one I ate in Cologne the day before I went to Hamburg).

I’m going to just straight to my accommodation at Hotel Bremer Hof, a short walk from the Haptbahnhof, in the dodgy direction ;) My single room was € 40.00 per night for a single room with bathroom. No breakfast, but there was free wi-fi! :)

Orange! So very Orange!

The impressive light fittings

View.

After a brief settling in period, I hopped on the U and S Bahn and took a look around…

Floaty signs

A young man was recently stabbed and died on this platform

I loved the name ‘Schlump’!

Reeperbahn, pronounced “Raper-barn”… all the strip clubs and sex shops and brothels are along the Reeperbahn stretch of road above this station

Tinny little U Bahn Trains

In the Budnikowsky store I set off the alarm and had to pull everything out of my backpack to prove I wasn’t stealing stuff. And interesting conversation where I only knew the word “tache” (bag) of the German :) In the end it was the bag itself that was setting off the alarm, so they desensitised it for me. I’d gone in to get new earplugs as I’d lost mine along the way…

I had lunch by the water, a cider and a Fish and Chips…

It was quite strong!

The Germans have their fish in little bits. Kid friendly?

I then used my all day public transport ticket to hop on a ferry rather than paying for a guided cruise ;)

German U-Boat

Building shaped like a boat

The Ferry company provided these handy maps on the tables on the deck.

Oh, let us sling our jackets like we’re in a catelogue shoot

Water police station

A two-way, outdoor escalator. Oh you Germans!

I went to St Nikolai, an old church that’s been burned, used as a landmark by the bombing allies, and now is a memorial to wars.

Went up the elevator inside the church shell

Like Cologne, most of Hamburg was rebuilt after World War II

Back on ground level the next morning, and I found the Scientologists!

More wandering ensued…

Took in a museum of crafts and design…

Wearable Tent

Apparently, this is for when it gets to over 50 degrees in Tokyo.

My next kitchen

After a late lunch, I found myself in search of football, being the first day of the World Cup and all!

And off to the FanFest for game two…

Aussie….

Which quickly brought me to the end of my stay in Hamburg! Found a laudromat in the Reeperbahn area the next morning, then hopped onto my train to meet Rish in Berlin at 2pm!

Aye, more Haupbahhofs!