Hamburg, 19-21.6.2009

After leaving work early on Friday, about 10am, it began to rain harder and harder until I decided to take cover under a nearby building entrance. Rain had been coming down off and on all that morning, so I unluckily caught one of the times that rained really hard. I waited next to a man in blue uniform who was enjoying the rain as a break from his duties outside and slowly smoked a cigarette. After about 12 minutes and 25 seconds, I decided that the rainfall rate was below the 2mm per hour threshold and chose to press on. Slightly wet, I packed my things, ate some lunch, and soon after biked to the train station with Chris to catch our train to Hamburg.

The train was unusually full. Thinking it would be a good idea to bring our bikes along to Hamburg, we brought our bikes with us on the train. While they did prove useful in Hamburg, the bikes made the boarding process a little slower for us so we could not get a seat anywhere. Thankfully, about half way along the train ride masses of youthful travelers with lawn chairs and beer exited for a weekend of concerts at one of the cities along the way, leaving us with plenty of options for seats.

The next item on our itinerary was to find the hostel that we would be staying at that night. We headed off in confidence after we turned the map in our hands around several times. Our target was a hostel called Meininger’s on Reeperbahn Strasse. Or so we thought. Following one of the main thoroughfares in a semicircle to the west, we did find Reeperbahn Strasse. About that time the rain made us duck for cover under a large tree by a bus stop. We noticed that we had stopped conveniently in front of a strip bar and a sex shop. As the rain lifted slightly, we continued on only to find that we could have stopped anywhere along Reeperbahn Strasse and encountered more of the same. By this time we were wondering, “where exactly was this hostel we booked, and what kind of hostel is it?” We stopped to ask directions at a laundromat and, thankfully, were told that they had no idea where it was, and it was at least not on Reeperbahn. After calling Meininger’s, we got the correct directions and found it without too much more difficulty.

After checking into Meininger’s, we decided to go by foot and see some of the city. I really wished we had ridden our bikes because about half way into the walk it felt like I had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Finally, we did reach the promised land- an Irish pub called Finnegan’s. A decent beer with some potato wedges sure did the soul right.

Saturday, after having a good breakfast of brotchen (like French bread in the form of a roll) at the hostel we decided to go on the “free” tour of the city. There actually was no charge, but tips were encouraged, because that’s how the guides made their coin. I’m sure most of what I learned is now forgotten, but I’m a little more knowledgeable about some churches and shipping companies and the great fire of 1842 and the cholera outbreak and the pirate Kluas something or the other and taxes and I think that’s about it. Our guide was a younger, energetic guy named Mark who got into what he was talking about. I found him funny, but I’m not sure if everyone in the group did.

That afternoon, we rode our bikes around and went through some of the gardens of the city. As we came into the gardens, there was a large group of German sailors in an outdoor amphitheater that were singing songs with accordion accompaniment. Interesting. Moving farther along the fine red gravel path we came to a series of ponds that cascaded down a shallow hill. Crossing the small ponds were large circle stepping places. After walking around the ponds, it just seemed like a serene place to meditate. It started with some balancing yoga positions on the stone circles, and ended with handstands and headstands on top of them.

For dinner, Chris and I found an “authentic” German restaurant. It was called ‘Kartoffeln Kellar’ I think, which translates into Potato cellar. Most everything on the menu had potatoes in it, or was made out of potatoes. Go figure. I had potato dumplings with spinach and crème sauce. Very tasty. And for desert, a potato dumpling with plum sauce. It was a quality experience.

We went to bed fairly early that night so that we could get up for the fish market early the next morning. I got up at 6am and headed for the fish market. 6am felt like 9am. The sun was up and shining brightly and there were people all along a side street on my way to the fish market who were setting up their own tents for something else. As I got closer, I passed a group of drunk guys who were singing boisterously as they slowly meandered down the street. I thought it to be kind of late, or early, I’m not sure which, for people to be out and drunk still, but I guess they could be heading home soon. To my surprise, there was a large old brick building, around which all the vendors had their tents placed, where the party was going on. I heard the music and headed towards it. As I was walking I noticed that everyone was holding a cup of beer or some other drink. There were, in fact, lots of drunk people, and they were still going strong. At about 7am, the band that was playing on one end of the building finished their last song, only to announce that the band at the other end of the building would be starting immediately, which it did. Party on.
Outside, the people were more or less sober. The cobblestone street became packed with people, and sometimes clogged as some groups were held captive by the sales pitch of a vendor. The main goods offered were fruits and vegetables, baked items, fish related items, shirts, and flowers. There were many sales techniques in the market place. For those selling food, samples were often offered, though many didn’t. Of course there was the method of yelling about how great your product is, the stare down method, the wait until they come closer method, and then the auctioning or audience gathering method. I’d have to spend a bit more time there to see what the best method is, but I think they could all benefit from reading “The Greatest Salesman in the World.” They would increase their sales one-hundred fold I’m sure.

Well, that’s Hamburg in a nutshell, or at least some of my experiences with it, though I am sure there are many more sides of Hamburg that could be explored.