The Saturday City: Hamburg

The Saturday City: Hamburg -

Every time I mention a city hearing with glowing enthusiasm, I get a bit skeptical. I've learned that expectations often leads to a place to disappointment. Places get so much built up in your mind that the reality often does not live to your imagination. And so, when people told me how amazingly wonderful Hamburg, Germany was, I heard them, then immediately changed the subject.

When I finally arrived in Hamburg, I wondered if it would be as good as everyone says it is. The Germans I had told me that it took a great city was

Well, I can tell you that the rumors and hype is true - .. Hamburg quite wonderful

I only spent may have a couple of very quick days in this city, but that was long enough to see that Hamburg is an energetic city with a lot of hassle. People are done in motion and things here. observed sitting in the main square of the city people go back and forth made me want to come back. The energy, determination in people walking, and the rest of the sidewalk cafes amidst the bustle alluded to a versatile and vibrant city.

While I only had a few days in Hamburg (not enough time to even scratch the surface), I managed to find some interesting things worth:

Hamburg harbor - Hamburg is a port city and the third largest port in the world. Not surprisingly, Hamburg history and growth is tied to its shipping and transport industry. This place is the best way to get the big yards to see, walk along the waterfront and have an excellent seafood dinner. You can also take a boat trip on the Elbe. If you take a water taxi, you can go the same route, take the private tours, but at a fraction of the price

The Reeperbahn -. Hamburg's most famous street is the Reeperbahn, the red light district is home to the Hamburger. The eclectic mix of bars and restaurants along with strip clubs and erotic museums means that you will see a diverse group of people here. This makes people watching at night on the Reeperbahn interesting, to say the least. Most of the pub tours around this area

Hamburg Fish Market -. The open-air market, adjacent to the historic fish auction hall, Sundays 5:00 to 9:00, so you have to get up early to see it. But despite its early hours, it still buzzes with activity. Here you can get some amazing local seafood, do some taste testing, watch the fishmongers at work, and buy some other types of food for the delicious meal that you are going to want to cook later.

Hamburger Kunsthalle - With over 700 years of European art history inside, this is an impressive art museum. It has pieces of medieval altars to modern paintings and highlights include masterpieces by Rembrandt, Caspar David Friedrich, and Edvard Munch

St Michael's Church -. Baroque church is the signature landmark of Hamburg. The church was originally built 1648-1661, but has been since destroyed several times and was bombed during to be rebuilt after the Second World War. The interior was renovated in the original elegant Baroque style. I highly recommend it for a good view of the city, to climb the tower. Skip the vault though, as they are not worth the admission. simply read history of the Church before the ticket gate

Alster Arcade -. Hamburg is known for shopping, and the elegant Alster Arcade is one of the trendiest shopping streets around. The historic Arcade is inspired by Venetian architecture and lit by wrought iron lamps at night. Most of the shops here are high-end retailers, but the setting is beautiful, even if the prices do not

Take a trip around the lake -. Alster sits in the center of Hamburg, where boat tours depart through the city's canals. Most tours take a few hours, and you. Around the lake and along the canals that run through the city I found the tour informative, but after 2 hours on a boat, I was ready to get out. In the future, I would opt for the faster 50-minute tour takes

a hike Take -. There are a number of good hiking tours in the city. There are a few out of New Europe, leaving every day at 11:00 am from the town hall and enter basic information about the city. There are also some bizarre walks, as the red light tour of a 18th century prostitute out that to teach you about the history of the area.

Unhook the student quarter of Schanze - to be the hip place in Hamburg, has many of the best restaurants, shops, and bars. It is one of the major night clubs in the city and is also home to some amazing restaurants. I love baked

especially the one devoted to potatoes, the Museum of Hamburg History -. This museum was gigantic, and the 0 minutes I was there certainly was not enough to see the whole thing. I would plan to spend at least 2 hours if you go at all. And you should go, because the museum is a detailed history of Hamburg offers, its early inhabitants, and its place in German history. I learned a lot, and as a museum snob, I walked away very impressed

Park Planten un Blomen -. Next to the museum is a park, which is nice to walk through fields with many small gardens, a creek to relax in and pretty flowers. It is actually a part of the largest park in Hamburg, called "Plants and Flowers", which goes all the way up through the center of the city of St. Pauli Street. There is a large park, and from one end to the other on foot can take a good part of an afternoon to complete. It is easy to escape from the bustle of the city here and relax a little. There is also a world-class Japanese garden.

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I will definitely return to Hamburg. I owe the city a lot more time, and I promised my couchsurfing host, I would go and see the famous Hamburg nightlife with them. The hype of Hamburg's real and well deserved. While the city for the most part not as nice as in other European cities, it is is fun, energetic, diverse and foodie city people told me it would be.

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