In October, Jeremiah and I spent 10 days in Berlin and Hamburg. I have been dreaming about visiting Germany for years, so it was so great to see it in the peak of autumn. My favorite part of the trip was visiting Hamburg - a riverfront town that has beautiful architecture, canals, and unique food.
Some facts about Hamburg:
- Was a part of the Hanseatic League
- It is situated on the Elbe River
- The second largest city in Germany
- The Beatles launched their careers here by playing in the city
Some highlights for us:
- Miniatur Wunderland: Have to thank past Yelp reviews for this unexpected, quirky find. This is a model train attraction that is one of the largest in the world. But it's more than trains - it's entire civilizations rendered in miniature form. We spent a couple hours wandering through the exhibits. If you ever visit, be sure to watch the small airplanes departing at the miniature airport, and also look out for the easter eggs of tiny model citizens partaking in nefarious activities. While there, we saw a skinnydippers, and a 'whodunnit' murder scene (complete with an underwater car).
-St.Michael's Church: The largest church in the city, with an incredible view at the top. Baroque-style, it has seen its share of notable citizens over the years (Johannes Brahams was baptized here), and more than 2,000 of them were interred in the crypt in the basement. Climb to the top, and stay for the Evensong service and crypt tour.
-Desserts: Franzbrötchen (a croissant-like pastry often stuffed with cinnamon and chocolate) should be a thing that people in NYC line up for. And I pretty much had my own religious experience after trying rote grutze (red currant fruit dessert served with cream).
-Vier Jahreszeiten: They have really big rooms that are bigger than most NYC apartments, cool toiletries I could never afford on my own and an old-school elevator (like in Grand Budapest Hotel). They also serve amazing rote grutze.
- Fischmarkt: On Sunday mornings around 4am, just after last call, many locals and tourists head over to the fish market to get some post-partying grub near the harbor. The fish is fresh, the music is still going, and there are even some fish auctions going on for those ambitious to start their grocery shopping early. The sunrise is really beautiful with a fish sandwich in one hand and a beer in the other.
So many posts!! Your trip to Germany is like my upcoming trip to Argentina. I've spent so many years studying Spanish and Latin America-- I'm excited to use my Spanish and experience another culture. Can't wait to hear of your next travel adventures. :)
ReplyDeleteArgentina? That's amazing! I'm so excited for you and can't wait to see photos. I've always wanted to visit the Southern Cone area.
ReplyDeleteFunny story - Jeremiah wasn't able to use his German-language skills all that much in Germany (granted, he's conversational but not quite fluent yet) -- as soon as people picked up on the accent, many would often would speak English back. I'm sure if we traveled further away from the bigger cities, it would have been very different.
Yeah I can see that. On both of Miles' trips to Argentina he was able to speak English in the city, but with the other students he worked with he had to rely on hand gestures and Spanglish. He's been told that he has to learn Spanish before he graduates... we'll see if that happens. :)
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are amazing, it must have been breathtaking in person.
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