“Endure enough storms and you’ll learn to sway when they’re inbound.” -Old Sean
A Return to Hamburg
After a few days in Berlin, I’ve arrived in Hamburg, Germany. For this visit I began visiting Hamburg somewhat late in the day, so I didn’t get my start exploring the city until early next morning.
Back during university, I visited Hamburg with an old friend of mine named Mikhail. The two of us had just left Turkey to explore Northern Europe, taking trips from Hamburg to Frankfurt to the Amsterdam.
The last time I was visiting Hamburg, I had spent it like a college student. Mikhail and I hopped from bar to bar, party to party and hostel to hostel until we were thoughouly burnt out. By the end of it, I had very fond but very blurry memories of the city.
A Revisit
Sadly, this visit to Hamburg was a bit of a letdown. The skies were overcast and dark during my entire stay. Streets and alleys were grimier than I recalled and there are quite a few more people snoozing on the pavement.
I assumed my memory was propping up the city with nostalgia and the overcast weather was dimming my spirits, but I still felt underwhelmed. Without Mikhail urging me throughout the city and with no personal interest in local parties, Hamburg was a rather slow rotation.
Wandering Hamburg
After dropping my backpack off at a hostel, I started my trip through the urban port.
The first place I visited was fairly distant. I decided to start at the edge of my geographic itinerary and circle my way inwards. First, I checked out Baaken Park, which has a small playground area and raised series of platforms for viewing Hamburg’s impressive shipping district. The park is an artificial and new penninsula park created with sand from the Elbe River.
However, the area was under construction, so I ended up walking along the edges of the canal, a sole human on an empty spit of land.
The Canal District
As I walked back towards the city center, I entered some of Hamburg’s canal-and-shipping districts. The city has a proud heritage as a major port for Germany. Many of the old shipping and storage sites have been gentrified into a canal district for museums.
For this visit, I made a point to swing by the various unique museums of the area. Mikhail and I had explored a couple during out last visit, making this a found walk down memory lane.
The International Maritime Museum of Hamburg is likely the most famous, a solid brick building housing various devices, artworks, models and uniforms harkening to Germany’s naval history.
Also nearby is Automuseum Prototyp (Car Museum Prototype), a fully-chrome high-end vehicular musuem focusing on vintage German racing cars. A couple of canal over, there’s also Miniatur Wunderland (The Miniture Wonderland Museum) which hosts a vast array of model railways constantly expanding to include new global sites.
Finally, I swung by Traditional Ship Port Sandtorkai, the vintage sailing vessel lounging in a narrow canal space.
Unfortunately, I was early. Way too early. Since most of my work contacts are in China, I often have to operate at strange hours for staff meetings. Since I had already been awake at 4 AM, I started exploring Hamburg long before the sun had risen. Therefore, I continually passed museums well before opening hours.
Other Museums for Future Visits
Though I’ve never personally visited them, this area is also home to several other museums I’d someday like to see. This includes Speicherstadtmuseum (warehouse and trade-port museum), Spicy’s Gewürzmuseum (a museum on famous imported and cultivated spices), Deichtorhallen Hamburg (Museum of contemporary art) and CHOCOVERSUM by Hachez – Hamburgs Schokoladenmuseum (an interactive chocolate-making museum.
The only thing currently open I wished to see was Mahnmal St. Nikolai, The Monument of St. Nikolai. This semi-destroyed church façade is a hollowed shell of a building surrounded by abstract, narrow statues. The church was destroyed during air raids in WWII, though the structure has been reinforced, with a museum and viewing platform added.
I decided I would have to loop back to the museum district later in the day. For the time being, I instead wandered back towards Hamburg’s main plazas and central buildings.
Hamburg Town Center
Back in Hamburg’s central area, I finally saw the first signs of the city waking up. Cars were rumbling on the roads, walkers were moving about with umbrellas and café shops began opening.
I got myself a coffee and some breakfast pastries as I continued to walk. It took a certain amount of acrobatics to manage my drink, food and umbrella all at once, but I managed. I spent some time splashing around in front of Townhall Rathaus, stepping in close to see the city decorations and statues.
I continued plodding around as the rain’s tempo steadily increased. I was forced to brace my umbrella and store my photography gear back in it’s case while walking. Whenever I reached a photo-zone, I had to hunt for a protective awning before using my camera.
I continued to slog along, cutting through puddles in a set of blessedly water-tight boots. I passed several sculpture-fountains and hiked through Ballindamm Promenade. I peered across the water at Binnenalster Lake, hoping to see Alsterfontäne’s huge water spray. But rain was moving in too heavily, and the view was obscured.
A Weathered Defeat
Finally, I had to call it an early day. The weather wasn’t improving and even my boots were starting to have trouble with the puddles. I spent a couple of hours waiting in a small crêpe restaurant, hoping the rain would let up.
Sadly, the downpour continued. My clothes began taking on a distinctly unpleasant wet-human smell. I wandered back to my hostel, changed and accepted I would be doing paperwork for the rest of the day.
Second Chance Visiting Hamburg
The following day, the morning started out clear. I was able to walk through Große Wallanlagen Park, which follows Hamburg’s old city walls. The scenery was extra bright and green, refreshed from the recent rain. I walked past Hamburg’s notorious red light district, Reeperbahn Street and got breakfast near Fischmarkt Hamburg (Hamburg Fish Market). I was working my way towards the U-Boot Museum Hamburg with it’s Soviet Submarine in the canals when angry storm clouds began rolling in again.
Caught in another downpour, I slowly retreated. I hopped from one building to another whenever the rain slacked, but the rest of the day remained soggy. In the end, I returned to my hostel after lunch. I was due to take a bus to Kolding, Denmark in just a few hours.
Out Again
While this visit to Hamburg was slightly disappointing, I was happy to be out of the rain and back on a dry bus. Sometimes, weather foils plans and circumstances cut into entertainment. It’s just a part of traveling. Accepting such realities helps a person role with the punches later in life.
My company is considering sending me back to Hamburg after I finish my Denmark photo assignments, so I might get another chance. But if not, I’ve technically completed the full work-tourism-photography itinerary, even if it was mostly the exterior of attractions in the rain.
For now, I’m off to Denmark.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written June 5th, 2018
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Skog Å Kust Watertight Day Bag
Everyone should have a day bag. My favorite is the Skog Å Kust Watertight Bag. It’s easy to sling over my shoulders and lets me walk without fear of m devices getting damaged in the rain. Better yet, I can go swimming with electronics whenever I need to. It was very handy during rainstorms while I was visiting Hamburg.
