Hamburg – A Beatles and Pretzel Tasting Sojourn

Sol: 250 now…a look at our trip to Hamburg….

We left Denmark and traveled by train and ferry to Germany for a couple days as a birthday trip for Kelvin. We were on our way to visit friends in Belgium and we decided that a little foray into Germany would be a nice way to celebrate Kelvin’s day. 

We arrived in Hamburg in the evening and clunked our way across several cobblestone streets to our hotel. We have been very economical and had not stayed at a hotel for the four of us in nearly six weeks.

It was a colorful neighborhood and on this brisk, cold night several of the natives offered us companionship (well, more Kelvin than the rest of us) and they looked cold too! At least not very well dressed for the weather. Perhaps the welcome crew?

Anyway, after Oakley spent the night in a closet (hey, who says kids have to have their reasons for being unique) we found our way to the City Hall and central part of the city. We took part in a walking tour of the city. It was one of those ‘free’ tours that you ‘tip’ at the end what you think it was worth. 

Our guide, originally from Pakistan, gave us an outstanding tour. His perspective as a non-native was illuminating. I learned things I never knew before or at the least expanded on my limited knowledge about Hamburg.

Did you know…

• that Hamburg as one of the largest ports in Europe and has been for centuries,
• Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany
• that there is a long thriving Red Light District in Hamburg (hence the welcoming committees)
• Hamburg is situated on the Elbe River (a common crossword clue for you Monday puzzlers)
• that you can get the best sausages with a hunk of bread and a big dallop of mustard in nearly every neighborhood
• that the Beatles played here over a two year period in 1960-1962 and did eight hour shows every night for weeks on end…..All this among other things we pondered.

As we wandered around with our walking guide we learned another extraordinary fact was that Hamburg was bombed relentlessly during the 2nd world war. So much so that bombing raids in July 1943 by the Royal Air Force killed over 43,000 civilians and injuring 37,000 more with another million having been evacuated after the raids. It virtually destroyed the city. 

Hamburg is also home to Tesch and Stabenow, the company that invented and produced the gas Zyklon B used in the concentration camps. The owner of the company (Bruno Tesch) was arrested a war criminal, tried and executed after the war in the city. The building of his company has a memorial to acknowledge their role in the war. Bruno tried to deny responsibility for his role but, it came out that he is the one that suggested it to the Hitler and his team. 

Anyway, like the rest of us…Hamburg is much more than it’s worst story and we did find this city to be delightful. Even though many buildings were destroyed there were a lot of unique structures to explore.

Walking around Hamburg one can’t help but notice the enormous port still very much in place and very active. The river Elbe is broad and from a vantage point above you get the idea of how vast it really can be.

A new building opened in January of 2017 called the Elbphilharmonie. This building which is one of the largest and acoustically advanced concert halls in the world, came with a pretty price tag that cost more than the budget allocated (don’t they all) so, it is free to visit for all Germans since their taxes covered all the extra cost.

The beginning budget was 241 million Euros and it ended up being 789 million Euros (that is nearly a billion US dollars for anyone keeping track. It is a marvel to visit and gaze out over the Elbe River. 

We spent a scant 48 hours here before heading to visit friends in Belgium. It was delightful and rewarding. Happy Belated Birthday Kelvin! We made sure he got some German beer while he was conducting his own German pretzel tastings around the city. 

Again, thanks for reading and following along.