I have been here one week and what an amazing city this is!  The architecture is truely amazing.  The blend of old buildings with new creates a stunning picture, all with the Elbe or Alster rivers in the background.  There is so much to see in this city alone, that I do not think 3 weeks will be enough to truly enjoy what it has to offer.

Most of my touring is being done by bicycle.  Everyone rides bikes here and it seems that bikes have the right of way in any situation.  Pedestrians and cars both give way to you.  What is un nerving is riding on the wrong side of the road, and with no helmet… they are not compusory here.  Thursday afternoon (14/06/07) I went for a 5 hour bike ride around the Alster river.  This is where I started to appreciate the architecture of Hamburg.  Because it is such a large port, with people from all over the world, the culture has been blended into the streets.  There are no single story houses and the buildings tower into the sky creating an interesting backdrop.  All the buildings have balcony gardens to add colour to their exterior… the buildings are so large that it is difficult to take photos of them. 

Thursday was the last day of sunshine so far… It has rained every day, and, whilst that is slowing my plans for sight seeing down, it has not been bad.  Friday I took short bike rides between the showers and explored the stadium where the soccer world cup was held last year.  It is not far from home.  Joined to that is Volks Park.  Another park of beautiful gardens and winding bike trails that was beautiful to ride through.  Friday evening we had a BBQ in the garden block with my cousins Nils and Steffan.  Both speak english very well.  In true Aussie fashion, as soon as the BBQ was lit, it poured with rain.  Fortunately we were under cover, and drank copious amounts of beer to ward off the wet weather.  It was a great night with thunder, lightning, rain and the BBQ.  It was about a 1km walk home, and the rain was not going to be friendly… we got wet… more beer fixed that problem.  Here, Beer and Wine is cheaper than water.  I bought a litre of water at the train station for 6 Euro.  A good bottle of wine from the shop will set me back 2 or 3 Euro… beer is bought in a 6 pack for about 2 euro… I think I have found my dream country.  I am surprised everyone is not an alcoholic!  Nils and Steffan will take me to the Reeperbahn on Thursday night.  Ina and Gerd think it is too dangerous for me to go alone and so the boys will be my bodyguards…

Saturday… and it was still raining… It was not cold, just wet.  In the end I could not be cooped up inside any more and ventured out to walk the streets in the rain.  Yes it was wet, but I think that added to the appeal of the day.  I went to the local markets first which only operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays, then after lunch caught the S-Bahn train to Altona where they were having street stalls.  This is a flea market that extends for about 4 blocks in all directions.  The rain wasn’t keeping anyone away and the streets were filled with a carnival atmosphere with people selling beer and sausage, and bands of live music…  I stayed there until about 7pm, watching all the people… and yes… it still rained, great big fat drops of rain that could soak you with ten drops… but was great.  Once you were wet, it did not matter any more.  I found a nice summer dress to wear on Thursday night for 2 Euro, and shoes to match for 5 Euro… not bad for an evening outfit!

Sunday… you guessed it… It is still raining.  When I go inside, it stops… when I go outside, it starts…  We caught the S-Bahn to Landungsbruken, which is near the Harbour, then walked through the Elbe Tunnel, under the river.  From the other side of the river, there was a fantastic view of the buildings lining the shores of the Elbe, with the ships cruising into the harbour. I could watch the ships for hours!  We followed the canals of the Speicherstadt, the warehouses for the port.  These are tall red brick buildings with water canals between them.  A bit of Venice in Hamburg!  Every few minutes we were darting in and out of the rain, but still… it added to the atmosphere.  We eventually decided on a Portugese restaurant for dinner… Portos.  The meal was fantastic, as was the beer.  After dinner, another walk along the Elbe, looking at St Michael Cathederal and statues of Bismark… the man, not the ship!

Monday…. yep… still raining.  Today I went to Davidstasse (David Street) on the Reeperbahn (In the daytime… with my uncle).  On the corner of Davidstrasse is Davidwatch, the police station that controls the Reeperbahn.  It is said to be the busiest station in Hamburg.  I went in and introduced myself, and then an officer, Benjamin REUTER was introduced to me… he speaks English.  Benjamin gave me a tour of the police complex and explained their work in the Reeperbahn.  There is an assault on every corner, every 10 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights, their busiest nights.  Benjamin has applied to the WA Police and has been accepted.  He is waiting for his visa and is expecting to be in Australia by September.  We exchanged details for when he arrives in Australia.  Further, he has invited me to accompany him on patrol on Friday evening in the Reeperbahn.  Apparently this is a rare privelege.  I will call him Friday evening to ensure he still has authorisation.  Everyone in the police station was very keen to talk to me and I spent a couple of hours exchanging job details with them!

It rained heavilly for the rest of the day with no opportunity to go outside.  We spent the afternoon at home… You would not believe it, but the sun decided to come out at 8:00pm at night…It was still raining, but there was sunshine.  The sun was still shining until it set, just after 10:30pm.

Today… Tuesday…  Guess what… NO RAIN!!!!  The sun is shining and it is warm again.  I have walked down the street, enjoying no rain.  This afternoon, I am going to Altona (I think) for a spot of retail therapy… Tomorrow we are going to the town where my father grew up.  I cant remember the name right now, but it is about 35 kilometres from here. A nice drive…

Until then

Cass

The days are now flying by and I find I have just over a week left here before I start to head back home.  The weather has not been kind and is severely restricting a lot of my movement…  Today, thankfully, the sun is shining again… for now… and I have ventured outside again.

Wednesday 20.06.07 - We travelled to Högel, the town where dad grew up. This involved driving on the Autobahn as Högel is about 150 kilometres away, not 35 as I previously believed… Whilst I am not unaccustomed to travelling at speed in excess of 200km/hr, I found the autobahn somewhat unsettling in the fact that it often narrows to a single lane in each direction, forcing you to overtake vehicles on the wrong side of the road, with very little room to manouver… I also found it a trifle unsettling, that even though we were travelling at this speed, cars were overtaking us! As we approached the town of Heidi, the autobahn was closed by police and we were forced to take quite a long detour. Apparently a cow had escaped from the local abbatoir and was wandering somewhere along the autobahn… I can understand the closure. At these speeds, there would be very little left of the cow or the vehicle if they collided.

There was not too much to see in Högel… it consisted of a pub, where dad grew up, and a couple of houses. All up, it was less than a kilometre along. We walked the distance, just to say that we had been there, and to have a break from the car. Sadly, the pub was closed… Next we drove to Friedrichstadt, also known as ‘little Holland’ because of its canals and close houses. We had lunch here, which included the long waited for beer, and it started to rain again. We then visited Hattstead near Husum. Another pleasant country town.

Being on the Autobahn is like being on a ride at the fair. It is fast and furious. There is no getting off until the ride stops… It was great!!!

Thursday 21.06.07 - St Michael Church - Hamburg…

This church is probably the most famous in Hamburg as it towers above the city and can be seen from almost anywhere. It is a great landmark if you are lost. Inside the church it is beautifully sculpted with trimmings of gold… for 3€ you can climb the tower… believe me this is not for the feint hearted or the unfit! The climb was worth it though as from the top of the tower you have an uninterrupted 360 degree view of Hamburg and the Elbe River. Even with the day overcast and rainy, the view was magnificent. In 1906, the church burnt to the ground and was rebuilt. In 1943, it was bombed, and rebuilt. Today it stands as the tallest monument in Hamburg. If you don’t like climbing stairs there is an elevator that will take you to the top… but why miss a challenge?

Thursday night was my night out with Nils and Steffan, my two cousins. We went… somewhere… I think near the Reeperbahn… We ate at an asian restaurant ‘B with a nice bottle of wine… Next was a club lounge, where a few cocktail drinks evaporated before our eyes… ok… so maybe we drunk them too… then it was off to a bar for beer… I think you can work out how the night ended…. It was raining quite heavily and we decided the best thing to be doing was drinking indoors… Fortunately because of the rain the bars were not so crowded. It was a great night out with much eating, drinking and laughing. And we got very wet… This was my first view of Hamburg after sunset!!!

Friday 22.06.07 - Reeperbahn

I started my day with touring the Hamburg Rathaus… another famous icon in the city. The Rathaus is like a town hall… there is one in most areas. Altona also has a Rathaus that is very nicely decorated. The Rathaus in Hamburg is breathtaking… painted ceilings, marble pillars, gold trimmings, and still in use… I took a tour through the building that was meant to be in English but ended up joining the wrong group and got the tour in German instead… With my head still buzzing from the alcohol of the night before, this did not seem to be a problem… maybe I just need to stay drunk to understand everyone?

At about 9:00pm, I headed into the city to watch a water fountain display, where they light up the jets of water and make them ‘dance’ to music… It was to start at 10:00pm. At 9:30, the heavans errupted with a clap of thunder, and it pored with rain again. I stayed under shelter until the rain abated 45 minutes later, and caught the end of the light show… Then… off to the Reeperbahn to meet up with Benjamin for a tour with the Davidwach

Upon entering the station, I was greeted like an old friend, with everyone welcoming me and patting me on the back… This was a worry… what was I in for? Benjamin introduced me to the chief who merely smiled at me and told me to enjoy myself… After signing the necessary paperwork to waive asny comepnsation for injury (again… what was I getting in to???) I was teamed up with Benjamin and his partner Nina for the night. They immediately apologised that, because of the rain, the Reeperbahn was quieter than usual, and they were not expecting too much trouble… I won’t go into too much detail, but the night was anything but quiet… there were drug busts, stand offs with gangs, calls to assist others, patrols of the prostitute district and more… by 2:30am, I was given a lift home by my blue light taxi… I could have stayed for the entire night if I had wished… Fortunately I was still in one piece, but I could now understand the need for the paperwork. Davidwach is the busiest police district in Europe… and they only patrol 1 sq km… It was a fantastic opportunity and I made many new friends this night.

The weekend was quiet. My aunt is not well, it was still raining, and little opportunity to venture out doors again. Sigh… The weather is forecast for rain for the next week. I am glad to have worked out the train network. It has given me much freedom, and after proving to my Aunt and Uncle that I was capable of looking after myself and finding my way home again, I have been left to my own devices for exploring the city. I still find problems with the language, but there are ways around that… and everyone understands what beer is!

Here is to more exploration… and sunny days… and beer… and ice cream… until next time… in the rain…

Cass

PS Cathy… Sorry… read the comments… forgot to close them… all done now (I think!) Having a great time and will fill you in on all the details when I get home!!

This place just doesn’t slow down!  I have been here 3 weeks, and there is still more to see and do!  This last week has been pretty busy, even with the rain…

Monday 25.06.07…  After attending the local district and updating the journal I attended the Alster River… Very nice.  So nice in fact that the first thing I did was find a local watering hole where I could sit on the banks of the river and watch the boats drift by whilst sampling the local brew… Ah… there is something about holidays that makes drinking beer in the middle of the day… well, normal.  Besides, everyone else had the same thought as me!  The intention was to have a quiet ale, then walk around the banks of the river and view some of the splendid houses built here.  No sooner had I finished the first beer, then the heavens opened up again for an afternoon of rain… sigh… nothing to do but have another beer… whilst sampling this, the view of Gucci, Armani, and other shops was just too much… a spot of looking at that which you can not afford was in order… besides, it was not raining in the shops and there were many arcades to explore… and there was ice cream.  The evening was spent with more festivities and beer drinking at home with my cousin, Steffan attending for dinner… and a promise to take me on a pub crawl of the Reeperbahn on Friday night…

Tuesday 26.06.07

First up was a trip to the Hamburg airport… Not for me, but for some friends travelling for a couple of weeks to Russia.  Then it was off to the garden block for a couple of hours.  My uncle Gerd had injured his back and was unable to mow the lawn… considering the amount of rain we had had over the last couple of weeks, I offered to mow it for him.  Considering the free accomodation and meals I was being given, this was the least I could do in payment.  It was also good to get out in nice weather for a change and do something physical… did I say nice weather… doh… no sooner had I finished mowing the lawn then the storms rolled in.  These were not little showers of rain that you could dodge and hide in shops… this was a full blown storm that covered Germany with gale force winds, thunder and lightning.  It would have been interesting to find a sheltered spot down at the harbor and watch the storm, however, the Elbe flooded and most of the port area was not accessable.  We travelled into Altes Land (old land) by car in an attempt to get out of the house.  The rain was so intense it was difficult to see the road.  We stopped for coffee and cake and got soaked in the run from the car to the cafe…It was still good though and worth the drive in the weather.  The storm raged through the night and into the next day…

Wednesday 27.06.07

Today we were going to go to the zoo, but with the storm still raging outside we changed our plans.  By now we were getting very inventive with things that could be done without getting wet.  There was no point in travelling to any other part of Germany to escape the weather.  It was no different anywhere else.  Instead we headed to the Speicherstadt where Minature Wunderland occupied one of the warehouses.  Minature Wunderland is a railway track incorporating minature replicas of major cities from around the world… there was Hamburg, Las Vegas, Swiss Alps… all done in minature, with over 700 trains roaming around on tracks… sounds boring?  Not at all… Houses regularly burst into flames and required the immediate attendance of the fire brigade, which would attend with lights and sirens from all over the warehouse, car crashes were regular, requiring police attendance, ships sailed in the harbour and docked into port… It took us well over three hours to wander around all the displays.  Upon exiting, the storm was abating, but it was still raining.  We had built up a hunger, visiting all those cities, so it was off to the Zipplehaus for a bit to eat… and beer, of course.  The news that night showed the extent of the storm… Yep… it was a good one.

Thursday 28.06.07…

A peak out the window… and no rain, well, compared to the other days, there was very little rain.  I caught the S-Bahn to Reeperbahn and from there made my way to the St-Pauli district… not too far to walk.  I went to the Museum for Hamburgische Geschitchte… in simple, a museum of Hamburg history.  This was an excellent museum as explanations were given in English as well as German.  I spent about three hours in the museum (ok… it was a big museum!!) and by the time I came out… NO RAIN… not even drizzle!  The afternoon was spent at the local zoo.  This zoo is said to be on par with the Berlin zoo.  It is privately owned, and the animals are not kept in cages, but rather enclosures with moats around them.  It was a great oportunity for photos!

Friday Reeperbahn… pub crawl…

It is cold and rained all day… I met Steffan and his girlfriend Maya in the Reeperbahn.  What is it that makes one think they can do a pub crawl in the Reeperbahn?  The night started casual enough… one beer, one bar… but as the night went on, I swear the beers got larger and larger!  Well, they do serve them in half litre glasses… to say we were slightly intoxicated is an understatement… and we only made it to 5 bars… By the end of the night, Steffan was wanting to sing Karaoke, and beer was starting to look like the enemy…  I made it home in one piece though and thought nothing of it.  It was a great night with live bands, entertainment in all directions… beer everywhere…

Saturday 30.06.07…....

Oh my god… crawled out of bed… then crawled straight back into it again…  the hangover from hell was thumping in my head and screaming to get out… the thought of food, especially if it was going to be raw herring, was unthinkable… I managed a cup of coffee before deciding to gracefully retreat for another couple of hours and hope like hell that the pounding in my brain would abate… the light show behind my eylids was quite impressive!  I finally surfaced at about 2:00pm, much to the amusement of my Aunt and Uncle who decided a bit of fresh air would do me good.. besides… it wasn’t raining.  Their idea of fresh air was a harbour cruise on the Elbe… I looked doubtfully at the choppy water… my god… would I be able to spend a couple of hours on a rolling boat with the remainder of the hangover from hell?  Yep… I did manage.  Actually it was very good and my hangover rappidly disappeared, leaving me with a very enjoyable cruise on the Elbe.  After that, we went walking through the Reeperbahn, with my Aunt laughing at my feeble attempts to explain where we had gone the night before…  She has a wicked sense of humour…  With a sideways glance at me (who was just starting to liven up by 6:00pm), she bought us cocktails made of rum, lime and brown sugar… I am not talking about little ones… they were big glasses.  With a grimmace I took the first mouthful… It was like glass.  With a grimace, I finished my drink… it took about half an hour to get it down, with my Aunt laughing at my attempts… nice.  I crawled into bed early with the intent of recovering and getting a good night sleep.  I lay awake until 2:00am… 

Sunday 01.07.07

We got up early so that we could catch the fishmarket at the harbour.  They don’t just sell fish there!  The markets start at about 5:00am and only go to 9:30am.  The entertainment is with the stall holders, who will do almost anything to get you to buy from them.  Half the crowd has just stumbled out of the night clubs of the Reeperbahn.  Beer is flowing freely and the food is wonderful.  You can buy almost anything here, but it is great just watching the crowd… and it is so crowded that you can not move, but are merely pushed along with the crowd… It is hard to explain the atmosphere in writing.  I would suggest if you are ever in Hamburg, to get up early on Sunday morning and experience it for yourself. 

The afternoon was spent strolling around parks and gardens, and eating ice cream.  The weather, believe it or not, was fantastic.  For the evening, we met with my cousin Nils, and went out for dinner.  After that, a local brewery… Yep.  More beer.  Good beer!!  It was another great night out in Hamburg!  And this time, still daylight when we got home at 10:30pm….

Monday 02.07.07

This is my last entry from Hamburg.  I start my trip home on Wednesday and will be in Australia on Friday morning.  I know some people will question my decision to stay in Hamburg for the whole time, but in all honesty, this place has so much to offer that it could not have been appreciated in two or three days.  The opportunity I have had to catch up with my family has been fantastic.  My cousins and I have forged new bonds of friendship and we had many fun nights out.  I know I have not written much about those nights, but they were family times and I think of little interest to anyone else.  Just know that I had a fantastic time in Hamburg.  The rest of Germany can be explored at another time. This city is enough to be a country in its own right.  The culture here is amazing.  I take home with me many fond memories, and the feeling that I have come to know this city as best as I can….  Until Australia… Goodbye for now.

Cass