Hamburgers in Hamburg

Alright, well I didn't actually eat a hamburger in Hamburg...but I did hang out with some Hamburgers!  And this is the story...

One of the teachers at my friend Rae's school was driving up to Kiel the same time I had to go to Hamburg so I did a mitfahr with him, and got to experience the Autobahn!  There really is no speed limit...but it was also pouring rain the entire trip so we didn't go very fast at all.  Arrived in Hamburg and my friend Evan, another Fulbrighter whom I met at orientation met up with me and we grabbed some lunch at Frau Moeller- very cheap but very delicious.  Then we went back to his flat and I got to see a bit of the outside of the city, and then around five met up with Paul!  His dad works for a shipping company (hence the Hamburg location) and they have a lovely flat overlooking the Alster, the big lake in Hamburg, very close to downtown.  Had some dinner and then ventured to the other side of the city to meet up with some other Fulbrighters for some predrinks before we headed downtown to some bars.

I had no idea how big Hamburg was!  So of course, when I woke up on Saturday morning, I read the Wikipedia page to discover that Hamburg has 1.8 million people.  I always knew it was the second biggest city in Germany, after Berlin, but for some reason just did not think it was that big.  Hamburg is also the second largest port city in Europe after Rotterdam.  How's that for some fun facts?!

Did some sightseeing on Saturday- visited the beautiful and ornate Rathaus and climbed the tower of the St. Petrikirche.  Unfortunately I am writing this blog post on a friend's computer, so I can't attach any photos- but per usual, if you are friend with me on Facebook, you can see all of them there!  For dinner Paul cooked up a nice pasta with homemade sauce (he is such a good cook and made my abilities...or lack thereof, look so pathetic haha) and then we ventured out to the same predrinking location as the previous night, but better stocked this time!  The night before, we had gotten super lost on the way, so we were excited to know our way there for Saturday night... but nope.  We got lost again.  Ended up taking a cab to the flat because we couldn't be bothered to continue working.  This is the problem with relying on your iPhone for absolutely everything in America, and then moving to Germany where your iPhone only works via wifi :(

Finally made it though!  And we succeeded in a truly Hamburg Saturday night-- barhopping along the Reeperbahn (infamous for its red light district- the second largest after Amsterdam I think- and which women are not even allowed on certain streets) and then ending the night around 6am at the Fischmarkt with some fresh fish sandwiches!  Let's just say, raw herring is not my cup of tea after a night of drinking.  I always aim to take part in the city traditions though! Finally ended the night at the final night of the Hamburger Okotberfest in a massive beerhall with a crazy band and just as many old and middle-age drunk people as young people our age.  Andddd called it a night around 7am.

Took approximately the entire day of Sunday to recover from the long night.  Now I understand why everything in Europe is closed on Sunday- they all stay out way later than us!!  Paul and I walked around the entire Alster though just as the sun was setting so that I could at least mark off one accomplishment for the day.  An almost five mile walk though was probably not the best thing for that day though, as I was dying by the end.

Monday was my final day in Hamburg.  Paul and his dad left early for work so I met up with some of the Fulbrighters a little later and we walked on the Reeperbahn during daylight- so strange!  And climbed another church tower..St. Pauli I think?  I noted in a previous post about how sad it was that we made a bunch of friends at Orientation but then all had to move all over the country, but as the same time, it's pretty neat, because you can go basically anywhere in Germany and have a contact!  When I was abroad, we always had to stay in hostels when we travelled, so the costs added up quickly.  This time around though, I've stayed in a hostel only for the first night in Cologne.

Caught my train back around 3:45 and was welcome by a sunny Muenster!  So all in all, had a nice time in Hamburg.  It was my first time in northern Germany- and I'll be honest and say I'm a much bigger fan of southern Germany than northern.  The cultures aren't too different, at least from what I've experienced, but they're different enough that I can have a bias.  The Hamburger dialect is also a bit strange- there were some people I heard that I couldn't understand at all.  And as I noted earlier, the city is HUGE.  Too big for my liking actually- but that's one of the reasons we travel right?  To figure out what we do and do not like!

So again, apologies for the lack of pictures in the post.  I'm finishing up day two in Ireland, which will be my next blog post for when I get back- I'm sure that post will also be more interesting, as it will be closer to the heart since already, this visit is bringing back so many memories from this summer!