Hamburg - you have my heart

There is something about Hamburg that sparks such joy in me anytime I visit. The salty wind wrapping around my hair, the bustle around the harbor, the imposing Rathaus, the Pflaumenkuchen at Edeka... They are all puzzle pieces that fit together into close-to-my-heart memories.

The first time I visited Hamburg was in September 2023. It was such a spontaneous decision, fueled by cheap Flixbus tickets and convenient timing - the plans were made less than 24 hours prior to the departure time. Maybe the city left such a strong impression on me because it gave me a glimpse of what asserting your free will can offer: the feeling that life does not have to solely revolve around routines, that you can do literally whatever you envision and that nothing truly matters in the end: the good, the bad, the ugly - all fade away eventually, except for the present moment. We all are fleeting present moments...

I get utterly enthusiastic when travelling, possibly because of my insatiable hunger for the unknown, and probably because I get constantly reminded of how small I am in this whole wide world.

Getting back to Hamburg, I still can't grasp how much we managed to see in such a short time. Because the city was 4 hours away (further than we had ever travelled by bus), it felt like an exquisite trip and, since we didn't really have a lot of money, we tried to get our money's worth transportation wise. Another disclaimer I feel I should give is that it is one of the first trips we have ever made, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. My Hamburg memories are behind colored lenses maybe, but everything felt so different compared to what I had previously seen (since my travels had been limited until then).

Fueled up by adrenaline from the lack of sleep, we reached Hauptbahnhof at around 8:30, grabbed a sandwich and wandered around the town square, Rathausmarkt. Right there, there is a Jacobs café, from which we drank a very good warm chocolate, for which we returned in the two visits succeeding this one. When we reached the St. Nikolai Memorial, I remember feeling very moved about the church's site, as well as the small museum beneath the remaining tower. The view was quite immersive, as you could see the water twisting through the streets.

We walked around some more, briefly saw St. Peter's Church, and played around with a paternoster lift in Slomanhaus, which is a continuous (and therefore walk-in) and slow-moving elevator. The building is a corporate office, but it was quite empty so we stayed for a bit.

The Elbphilharmonie overlooking the harbor remains a vivid memory, as the rays of the sun were jumping from one mirror to another. Taking the boat as a public transportation mean also felt surreal to me. The clock tower at the St. Pauli Piers is near Elbe Tunnel, which was rather interesting to walk through. The atmosphere in the tunnel was a bit damp and dark (although this was to be expected, since it is a tunnel after all), and I was relatively happy to go out of it.

After a quick Lindt fix, a schnitzel sandwich and a well-deserved afternoon nap, we did a nighttime cruise, and watched how containers were unloaded from a ship - cool, right? I was ecstatic. At the supermarket, I saw 15 cm long corn puffs for the first time and Schwip Schwap juice. (Fun-not-so-fun-fact: I remember forgetting to buy a toothbrush, so that night I frantically tried to cover my teeth with toothpaste in the dim-lighted shared bathroom of the accommodation. But I was so happy, smiling at myself in the mirror, that it did not matter. However, I don't think I have forgotten any of these items in any future trips.)

7:30 am the following day found us at Miniatur Wunderland, where we spent around 3 hours filled with kid-like joy. My thoughts oscillated between: "this is so cool!" to "I wonder when I will ever get the opportunity to travel to these places in my lifetime". The moving pieces of the tiny buildings and other elements were exciting. Franz Hans, an adorable stuffed seal, then joined our family.

Although quite overwhelmed and with a light headache, we visited the Maritime Museum - 8 floors telling a remarkable water story. I can't wait to visit it again someday, and be even more receptive to it. We also had so much fun posing in the museum and testing the interactive parts of the exhibitions. I was then claustrophobic for the first time in my life in the U-boat, and quickly passed through it.

Hunger caught onto us, and we landed at Erdapfel Hamburg, where we had the best loaded potatoes - I am salivating only at the thought as I am writing this. At last, an eye-opening experience was the blind walking tour at Dialoghaus, which was guided by person who was blind since birth. It's weird how complete darkness gave me the perception of having the ceiling right beneath my head.

With a full head and heart, as well as a fresh perspective of life - that I hadn't consciously untangled - I returned home, eager for the next adventure. Hamburg really sparked in me the desire to travel more and further, and drench myself more often with the bucket of "freedom of choice" that any mind possesses, but whose existence is easily forgettable. For me, Hamburg remains a lesson of spontaneity, that I hope will continue to guide me.