Ode to Hamburg

General Information about Hamburg
Take a look at Hamburg and let me be your guide
Hamburg related links

Hamburg

Hamburg is covering ,including his outskirts, an area of about 753 square kilometres, already since the 15th century. The most interesting part is, that an island located within the Elbe River (about 120 km from Hamburgs city) belongs to the city as well. Known as the "Tor zur Welt" ("Gate to the world", for the non-germans) Hamburgs harbor is the link between the city and the oceans. But, don't think that Hamburg is located at the sea itself, it is not. Until the Elbe River runs into the North Sea, there are still about 100 km to go. Thanks to the harbor, one of the biggest in Europe and the biggest german one, Hamburg has become a most interesting trading place and meeting point for different cultures. It offers everything one would expect from a harbor city: Extensive nightlife, cultural entertainment, museums of various kinds, theaters and it is the city where "Cats", "The Phantom of the Opera" and " Buddy Holly" all meet at the same time. :-)

The virtual visit

I think it would be a great idea to go to Hamburg right now, so come on and join me for this trip! Let your imagination fly away with you...

We are arriving by plane, it's a beautiful, sunny day and the first thing we get to see is the city itself, with the Binnenalster up north, and I bet now you are really looking forward to the landing on Hamburgs airport.

Let's take a cab from the airport to go to a hotel in the city, shall we? If you don't want to do just that, you will need approximately 20 mins to take the subway into the city to see all the attractions Hamburg has to offer. Well, let's go! On our way we already pass by one of Hamburgs attractions, the Heinrich-Hertz Tower. After this cab drive and through the various traffic jams we encountered - don't you wish it wouldn't be weekdays? -we have reached the hotel. After a splendid meal, called "Labskaus" (typical Hamburg, I'd say), I think we should move on to get our first experience with Hamburg and it's people. Since we are already in the city, let's take a look at the Townhall, the sixth in Hamburgs history. Do you like it?

Oh, I have just taken a look at my watch, it's already getting early evening, should we go down to the harbour and take a boat ride down the Elbe River? Come on, you won't get seasick it's virtual! :-) So there we go, passing by the harbor industry, watching the shore and suddenly this absolutely amazing picture rises in front of us, so different from what you saw from Hamburg before: One of Hamburgs interesting districts, called Blankenese. But the trip goes on. After a further while, the boat stops and we get off. It's a beautiful old town, and just in front of one of the builduings we meet this couple in their traditional clothing.

But it has gotten late now, time to get back and start enjoying Hamburgs nightlife. We get back at the harbor and so we take the next street up to the famous worlwide-known "Reeperbahn". You didn't know about it yet? Well, now you do! Alright, after a short walk, we are there. Just across the street is a now deserted place. Too bad you didn't arrive earlier, a huge fair is taking place four times a year, but it has just been finished a couple of days ago. To see it you will have to come back later. :-(
We are moving on, walking down the "Reeperbahn", what a long history this road has. Already in the last century, the people in that particular district of Hamburg found ways to get the last money out of any sailors arriving at the harbor and enjoying their time off the sea. Well, by now we have reached the end of the street and I am wondering if you are as hungry as I am. You are? Ok, then let's take a right into the "Große Freiheit", another famous street. It has been part of various movies, at least within Germany. Quite a strange place, don't you think? But don't worry, I know my way around here. Just on the left there is a great place to eat, "Miami Vice". I guess that's the place in Hamburg where you can get the most authentic thai food. And that is not just my opinion! It doesn't look like a great place from the outside, but it truly is in the inside. So let's take a look.

Have you enjoyed it? Hope you did. It's already early in the morning by now, you see I skipped some of our experiences, leave them up to you and your imagination. Too bad it's weekdays, because every Sunday morning the Fishmarket is taking place really close to where we are now. Well, maybe when you get back to see the fair? Let's take the subway back to the hotel and get some sleep, I guess we both need it after this exhausting but hopefully interesting trip through Hamburg. When will you come back?

I have been trying to find some more information on Hamburg within the web itself, so here are some links I found:

• Hamburg: Everything you need to know, and yes, they have done it in english.
  
• The Congress Center: Need to know which Congresses will take place? Here you go.
  
• The official Hamburg Website: This one is official, but they haven't figured out that german is not spoken worldwide yet. :-)