We landed in Hamburg to a light drizzle. The city was almost asleep or at least the part of town on our way to the hotel was and it wasn't even 9pm! The day's wandering had sapped me of energy. I simply wanted to get lost in the softness of the bed that was awaiting me in the hotel. The city reminded me of the tony neighbourhoods we are used to seeing in English movies, replete with well-kept lawns, red brick houses and roads lined with trees on both sides. Such a delight from the mismanaged urbanisation back home.
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| Swans at the Hamburg Zoo |
We decided to check the restaurant just around the corner from our hotel. To our surprise it was an Asian restaurant in this northern port city and it was pretty full with patrons. There was some Bundesliga match playing in the background. We ordered some food and got down to discuss our plans for the next day. Maybe we were just famished or the food was amazing, but it tasted just so good. Who would have imagined such great Asian food so much up north?
My friend had office work to attend the next two days while we were to be in Hamburg so the days were left to me to explore the city on my own. The next morning was misty and it caught me praying for the rains to take a break. I had decided to visit the Hamburg Zoo, for want of a better option and for experiencing western zoos for the first time. Again, the day passes came to the rescue. The Hamburg card makes such travel pretty cheap. Our hotel was next to the university so the area was pretty young. I grabbed what turned out to be a yummy sandwich at the station shop before taking a Metro to the Hagenbeck Zoo.
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| Cherry blossoms. |
The thing about European cities, especially the western ones, is that nothing's really far from a Metro station. You really don't need your personal vehicle to commute. And everything is so punctual! The Zoo was right across the station and I was one of the few visitors dropping in so early. It was a great sight to see not only parents with kids but also old couples visiting the Zoo for an outing. The Zoo was like no other I had ever seen in India, though this statement is just me stating the obvious. The superlative variety of animals from EVERY continent on Earth just leaves you stunned. There were so many new species of which I had only read or seen on NatGeo. The best part was most enclosures were open and modelled to resemble the natural habitat of the species concerned.
There were miniature mountains for the Ibex and logs and ponds for the bears. Jackrabbits and deer were let free to wander about the Zoo. The Arctic section was the piece de resistance. An entire section of the zoo was constructed to mimic the polar regions. There were ice cold pools for the walruses, penguins, seals and ice structures for the polar bears and emperor penguins. That was surreal! I doubt I would ever get to see all these animals in their original habitats though this was consolation enough. |
| Walrus at the Arctic centre |
All the roaming around obviously made me hungry and I relished a serving of crepes with caramel and Irish liqueur. Since I had covered the entire globe by afternoon and it still wasn't evening when my friend was to get free, I decided to visit the coastal part of the city. I had read about it online during my research. I decided to take a bus only because I wanted to try every mode of public transport the cities had to offer. The ride was more than comfortable save the occasional cry of a baby on board.
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| BlankenSee |
Treppenviertel or this part of town called BlankenSee is a completely different setting from your port-sy Hamburg city. It's located on the coast and looks down on a cliff. That's the USP of the place. The hill side right on the coast. There are tony little houses along the hill side, with winding staircases. The scene is right out of a fairytale. I grabbed a pizza and some local apple pie before heading down the hill. The houses are really pretty. On my way back, I went shopping in one of the supermarkets. That I realised was one of the best decisions I made. You get all stuff really cheap. You should really reload your supplies of yoghurt, juices, chocolates. And you are ready to go wandering again. Always remember to buy from supermarkets wherever you are in Europe.
It was already evening by the time I was done with BlankenSee. I decided to spend some time at the Mönckebergstraße at the lake. That's the main shopping district. The place is full of people, eating, shopping, sitting in the steady and strong breeze blowing. That's one place you should wander about. The architecture is really stunning. There's also an obelisk commemorating those dead during the world war.
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| Hamburg city coastline |
My friend was already back at the office so I had to make a quick dash too. We decided to go the the Landungsbrücken to take a ferry ride across the Elbe. I had read a lot about Hamburg port area at dawn and the multitude of colours the sky is seeped in. The ferry number 62 to Finkenwerder was what was the most recommended. That gives you a superb view of the entire city coastline. The sun wasn't setting for the longest time. I was really keen to see the city at night. On the return journey from Finkenwerder, it was dark, lights had come up and the air was cold. The strong breeze was ice-cold. Literally cutting across my face like a knife made of ice. Thankfully my friend had carried an overcoat which I donned and stood atop the deck alone to click the city.
Before retiring back to the hotel, we gave a quick visit to St. Pauli. That's the red light district of Hamburg. More than anything else, I absolutely loved the slice of chicken salami pizza I had at a Pizza Hut outlet there. That was the best pizza I had had till date. Or probably I was simply extremely hungry. There was also the Hamburger Dom, which is a tri-annual fair but there was too big a queue to venture in.
I skipped dinner elsewhere because I wanted to try Sushi at the Asian restaurant near our hotel. This was the first time I was having Sushi and it was gross! Notwithstanding, the day was over. Tired I entered bed, planning my next day.
