Hong Kong John

“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today”, made famous by Wimpy from Popeye. And a Hamburger I was, at least for a day…

Hamburg was a short trip for me; I spent only a day here during my visit to CeBIT in Hanover so made the most of it.  Hamburg is only about fifty minutes away by train from Hanover, with trains leaving several times an hour. There was still time when I arrived at the train station to grab what is probably a local delicacy, though – a raw minced beef sandwich. When I saw this in the window, how could my curiosity resist (far left)?

As it turns out, not only did I not get Mad Cow Disease or acute spleen poisoning, I quite enjoyed the sandwich as well. It also made the train ride to Hamburg even more enjoyable as I had forgotten to bring any reading material.

I had no idea what to expect when arriving in Hamburg, so I felt quite bowled over when I saw a harbour that, at first glance, makes the one in Hong Kong, my home town, look small (Note: Hong Kong is officially a much larger port, but the amount that was visible from the touristic waterfront in Hamburg was impressive). The paths along the harbour are undoubtedly one of the main tourist attractions here, and are littered with lovely little trinkets of maritime history. Did somebody lose an anchor?

Since I only had one day in this beautiful place, there was not enough time for me to go too far off the beaten track. I resigned myself to typical tourism, and calculated that if I got the boat tour around the Hamburg harbour and got back just in time, I would be able to also take the bus tour around the rest of the city and across several of the historic bridges here.

Thanks to a rather helpful tourism website, it wasn’t hard to figure out exactly what I could get up to doing, so I headed straight for the harbour tour. It takes you underneath many of the city’s low bridges. The tour also gives you a glimpse of how open and friendly the people here are, as there were arguably more locals than tourists waving from the tops of some of the bridges as we went by!

Winding through the city’s rivers began in an old industrial section that you can see above – where the ground floors (if viewed from the other side, more obvious) are mostly converted into shops these days. There were so many bridges I lost count, but soon we managed a U-turn at a river fork and the view opened up into the harbour. Instead of moving along it, however, we cut straight across – into the heart of the shipping industry and the dry docks. They were a sight to behold!

Seeing the massive cargo ships in the dry docks – some of them even larger than a footballer’s ego – was a rather humbling experience. Having taken seeing boats in the water for granted (as one tends to do) seeing them in the dry docks was something else, with ten stories and several hundred tonnes of metal bearing down on the tiny tourist boat. Most of the propellers on the backs of these boats, taken in isolation, weigh several tonnes by themselves.

I spent the next twenty minutes with my mouth mostly open and my eyes too focused on watching if something’s going to fall on me to take many more photos, but I soon snapped back to reality as we re-entered the harbour for a lovely view of the city, combining both the old along the waterfront with the new in the distance.

I made a mental note to visit the old fish market later, but I had more pressing matters to get on with; namely getting off the boat as soon as it docked so I could dash to the bus stop and make the tour bus before it left the station.

The tour guide was an elderly gentleman with a hearty laugh and a mighty beard; I thought Coca Cola would have him in an advert in an instant, come winter. Not many good photos at all from behind the glass, unfortunately, but suffice to say the bus tour is definitely worth going on. I got a glimpse of the daytime Reeperbahn, the night life district and eerily lying dormant, waiting for night to arrive.

We also drove through some of the residential district of Hamburg, which is likely to be something most tourists don’t get to do just by walking around. While seeing the homes of some rather famous and rich celebrities, we also came across this gem of a hotel – whose suite is so ridiculously expensive, Madonna has decided it’s acceptable for her to stay there while in Germany. Be forewarned, though…you must provide your own butler!

The bus then drove past the U-Boat museum, which I unfortunately didn’t visit but definitely will the next time I am there. It would be difficult to pass a submarine, have someone invite you in and not take them up on the offer! Back towards the Reeperbahn, we stopped to look at the town hall as well as a few of the more famous local restaurants serving labskaus, which is sort of the result of producing mashed potatoes with mainly meat instead. It used to be the dish of choice with sailors and sea-dog-types in the old days, which is why it is so popular in an important harbour/port like Hamburg.

The bus tour ended shortly afterwards – and the timing was perfect. The day was now wearing itself out and the first signs of sunset creeped in, vague colours peering over the horizon. I walked briskly back along the waterfront to catch a glimpse of Hamburg’s famous fish market. Dating back to the early 1700′s, the fish market was traditionally a place where people would go to bargain with the merchants and fishermen for all sorts of maritime treasures (usually of the delicious variety). Unfortunately, I had forgotten that it only opened on Sunday mornings and as a result I was not able to visit properly. For those who follow after me though, a photo below to guide you.

I made my way back up a gentle incline on the winding road to the right of the above photo, slowly making my way back up to the infamous Reeperbahn. I passed a restaurant on the way showing Hamburg playing Wolfsburg (score 1-3, sadly for Hamburg – although Wolfsburg did go on to win the league) and did not resist sitting down for an early dinner. Perhaps predictably, I ordered not labskaus (which isn’t widely served in regular restaurants, apparently – so when you visit, choose wisely and ask) but a hamburger. According to most sources, the myth IS correct – Hamburgers were originally invented…although not popularised…in Hamburg! So, I was a Hamburger for a day, eating a hamburger in Hamburg. One more cheesy (mmm, cheese) thing to tick off the travel list!

You have to admit – it looks (and was) stonkingly good. Other cheesy destinations I have yet to visit include Frankfurt (frankfurters) and Vienna (wieners, comes from Wien).

Fill up and with time running out, I head back towards the Reeperbahn – and the entire street had completely transformed. Reeperbahn is roughly translated from old German meaning “rope-maker’s way”, and this was easy to understand as ropes to be used in the harbour used to be made here. But any resemblance to its old self seemed to have been completely wiped off the map, as Vegas style lighting and buzzing nightlife descended on Hamburg. Incidentally, in modern times the Reeperbahn is also known by Germans as “The Sinful Mile”. Hmm…

The street and many side streets coming off of it spilled over with night clubs, bars, and strip clubs among other more interesting adult-themed stores. To make matters slightly more uncomfortable, I arrived just after 8pm – which is traditionally (I’m not entirely sure if this time is legally enforced, but either way it seems to be the done thing) the time at which prostitutes are allowed to roam the streets searching for customers.

I did not take many photos as I was slightly uncomfortable with the camera out – it was also a surprisingly unpleasant experience being (attempts, anyway) spoken to by said night-time patrolwomen as I tried to hastily make my way across. A useful note for those like me who perhaps weren’t so interested in the signature activities of The Sinful Mile – apparently, prostitutes only solicit customers on one side of the street, so crossing the road to walk on the side closer to the harbour will allow you to escape from most awkward confrontations. This information was passed on to me by a tour guide, though, so I’m not entirely sure how strictly it is followed. That said, after I realised this it seemed to work for me.

One last thing you should be on the lookout for on the Reeperbahn is the public tribute to the Beatles in the form of an outdoor art installation. The Beatles were prominent in Hamburg for several years leading up to their first recording and as a result the city is in love with the band.

That’s about all I had time for prior to rushing back to the Hamburg train station for my return to Hanover. Hamburg felt like there were many places for me still unexplored, which I suppose is natural given that I was only able to make it there for a day trip! I look forward to returning in the future and taking my time here a little more.