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Hamburg: The Most Underrated Great European Destination

1/15/2019

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Germany's 2nd-Largest City Defines Bohemian Hip, Offers Plenty to Do  
Hamburg view from Elbphilharmonie
Hamburg is a port city that is busy with boating activity and filled with canals and bridges.
By John Roberts

A bike ride is always a fun option for us when we land in a new city, and Colleen and I found a well-reviewed company offering tours around Hamburg during our summer visit. The sunny skies and warm temperatures made it an ideal time to be outside, and we intended to take advantage of the conditions to see as much as we could during a weekend visit.

We had already spent our first morning taking a run and then walking around Hamburg, visiting the Planten un Blumen botanical park, HafenCity and its sprawling waterfront area and the various Central City neighborhoods.

After those busy hours, a quick lunch of pizza and a beer and a short afternoon nap, we were refreshed and ready for our bike ride. We arrived at Hamburg City Cycles in the Bohemian St. Pauli neighborhood to join our guide, Nico, and eight other riders. We got our bikes, helmets and set off to explore Hamburg.

Nico, who has been in Hamburg for 26 years, says he finds it funny that when he talks with visitors from all over the world about Germany. Tourists seem to know very little about Hamburg, the country's second-largest city with almost 1.8 million people.

Nico asks a few of us what we know about Hamburg. We prove his point with scant facts to bounce back to his query, and he is somewhat bemused at our general ignorance. But he's also quite self-assured in claiming that Hamburg is at least the equal of much better-known destinations in his country, like Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt.

He's not kidding. We had been in Hamburg for not even a full day and were already under the spell of its charms.

Here are some of the things we learned and places we visited during our full 48 hours in Hamburg.
HafenCity in Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg features more than 2,300 bridges, including this span in HafenCity.
The Details
You already know it's the second-largest city in Germany (by population) behind Berlin's 3.5 million residents. But did you know that Hamburg is filled with canals and waterways that slice through the city, and thus, it has more than 2,300 bridges? That's more than Amsterdam and Venice can count combined.

The Port of Hamburg is vital for commerce in the region and throughout Europe. It is the third-largest container port in Europe, and the facility also features three cruise terminals.


The Beatles spent almost three years (1960-1962) performing regular gigs in bars and clubs in Hamburg 
while honing their act before bursting onto the worldwide scene. The group played night after night for tiny sums of money while sleeping on couches and in storage rooms (next to toilets) in some of the dingiest dive bars in the city's famous Reeperbahn red-light district in St. Pauli. From humble beginnings, eh?
Planten un Blomen Park in Hamburg, Germany
We made sure to stop and see the roses after our run though Planten un Blomen Park.
Planten un Blumen Park
A large portion of Hamburg is set aside for green space (almost 15 percent of the acreage), and this pretty park is a highlight. We ran through the 116-acre beautifully lush and landscaped park that features a large rose garden, Japanese garden, botanical garden and tropical greenhouse.

It'
s a special place to go for a walk, run, bike ride and for families to bring kids, especially on a sunny day like we enjoyed.
HafenCity in Hamburg, Germany
I was struck by the red brick warehouses and the endless maze of canals that define HafenCity.
HafenCity
The Elbe River runs through Hamburg, and HafenCity is a development project that revitalized the port area and brought new life to the waterfront when it began in 2000. The urban district is still being developed from a "Masterplan" and includes a mix of residential spaces, shopping, restaurants and entertainment. The anchor of the project is the marina and Elb-philharmonie Hamburg.

The development quarter elegantly blends modern facilities within the existing historic space to create an attractive combination that is unoffensive.
Elbphilharmonie music hall in Hamburg, Germany
The Elbphilharmonie music hall helps define the skyline of Hamburg.
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Elbphilharmonie is an architecturally stunning music hall that sits at the waterfront at the edge of HafenCity. You can't miss the distinctive building that has an eight-story-high red brick base that is topped by a several stories of curvy glass construction that is meant to resemble a sail.

You can book tours that bring you through the building, buy tickets to a concert or get a ticket  to just go up Europe's longest escalator on the way to the viewing deck. (It was free when we went, but you do need to get a ticket because it's a popular attraction.)

The views over HafenCity and Hamburg are worth dealing with the crowds to venture to the top for a few photos.
Hamburg City Beach Club
It's not your typical beach resort, but Hamburgers make do with a favorite stretch of sand at the Hamburg City Beach Club, a fun place to enjoy the sunset and shipping activity in the Elbe River.
St. Pauli Piers (Landungsbrucken)
As we finished up our bike tour, we still had a couple hours of daylight left and wanted to get one last stop in for a meal and craft beers while we enjoyed the sunset. Nico suggested that we might like to check out the St. Pauli Piers because there is a beach club among the plenty of restaurants and bars with a wide selection of beers located right along this popular landing spot on the Elbe River.

"Perfect!" Colleen and I said in unison.

We were drawn to Hamburg City Beach Club, which features a sandy beach space (imported sand dumped along the river banks) and a cool vibe with music and outdoor seating on stools and benches. It's working pretty hard for that Bohemian beach vibe, and that was fine with us.

We ordered up a couple of massive juicy burgers, sides of fries and cold beers to settle in and watch the ships sail by in the river while the sun was setting.


It was an ideal way to end our whirlwind time in a favorite new city: Hamburg.

Have you been to Hamburg? What did you enjoy? Share your tips in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,
JR
Picture
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The Best of Cologne, Germany: Classic Cathedral and Cold Kolsch

9/19/2014

3 Comments

 
Cologne Cathedral,
Our walk through the city of Cologne delivered a range of new discoveries. Two of our favorites: Cologne Cathedral and Kolsch ale.
By John Roberts


I love to gather a bit of knowledge when I wander around this world and interact with other cultures.

Most of the time it happens by accident -- I somehow absorb a tidbit or two while simply strolling around gawking at stunning old churches or castles in Europe, for example. Many encounters send me scrambling to Wikipedia to learn more as soon as I can get a good Internet connection.

Other times, I listen intently to a tour guide who aims to impart some crucial detail to me. My visit to Cologne was one of these times.

It's easy to pay attention, of course, when the subject is beer.

In Cologne, when it comes to beer, it's all about the Kolsch.

But we waited until the afternoon (I know, such restraint!) to start our sampling . . .

During our Viking River Cruise on the new longship Viking Mani, we stopped in Cologne for a day as we cruised the middle Rhine region. We spent the morning touring the fourth-largest city in Germany, checking out the city squares, buildings at world-famous cathedral. Cologne, located on both sides of the Rhine, was heavily bombed in WWII, liked many other major cities in the war.

The cathedral was hit more than a dozen times by bombs but was still standing even after the rest of the central city was destroyed. Construction of the church began n 1248 and was not completed until around 1880. (Work stopped in 1473 and was not resumed until 1842.) The structure contains record amount of stained glass, much of it centuries old and that was removed from the church during WWII to keep it safe.

Picture
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral features Gothic architecture. The UNESCO World Heritage site is Germany's most-visited landmark with 20,000 people a day stopping by.
YOU KNOW THE NAME, COLOGNE . . . 

The city also is the birthplace of the fragrance eau de Cologne (water of Cologne), which was created in 1709 by Johanna Maria Farina. The blend of citrus oils, alcohol and water was created to help offset the very bad smells of the city at the time. The perfume was a sensation and very costly, accessible only to the upper class. The site of the original shop (below) still exists as the world's oldest fragrance facility.   

Farina in Cologne, Germany, the oldest fragrance shop and birthplace of cologne.
BACK TO THAT KOLSCH BEER! 

After our tour of the city sights, we aimed to settle in for some brews and a soccer game with residents. Our flavor to savor! We had heard about Kolsch and wanted to grab a few cold ones to tide us over before dinner and a late-night brauhaus crawl. All told, we had 10 of these 7-ounce tasty brews by the end of the day over the course of two drinking sessions -- a stop at a pub to watch Bundesliga soccer matches and the beer tour later in the evening. We sampled five kinds of Kolsch, and all were satisfying.

What you need to know about Kolsch drinking in Cologne:

1. The amber-colored ales are served in a special glass, the slender 7-ounce stange, so the beers stay cold.

2. The name Kolsch, German for from Koln (Cologne in English), is protected by law for beers that come from in and around Cologne. The directors of the Kolsch breweries signed the Kolsch Convention in 1986 to preserve its integrity. Kind of like Champagne in France.

3. The brews are served between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit and contain about 5 percent alcohol by volume. 

4. There are 26 varieties of Kolsch, with the oldest and best selling types including Gaffel, Fruh, Reissdorf and Peters. 

5. Kolsch is served in brauhauses (and bars, too) by Kobes, or bar staff. The specific Kolsch brew houses serve nothing but their own brand. Simply grab and seat and wait to be served. They know what you want. It's regarded as improper to try to flag down a Kobe. They will serve you as soon as they can.
Peters Kolsch house in Cologne
Peters Brauhaus in Cologne features hops garlands in the decor.
6. The Kolschs will keep coming. You don't have to ask. Kobes wheel around the brauhases with carousels full of glasses. When you are done drinking, simply place your coaster over your glass. They'll keep track of your tab with tally marks on the side of your coaster at each round.

7. Note: They go down nice and smooth, especially the first couple. If you're not careful, that 5 percent ABV can kick in quickly, and you might be surprised to learn you are struggling with your balance when rising from your seat. We paid about 1.90 euros per glass.

You'll truly love the festive atmosphere and delicious beverages at these German brewhouses.



Cheers!

JR
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