Hamburger Heaven

Last week I had my first international business trip since moving to Copenhagen...a whole 30 minute flight away to the city of Hamburg, Germany. It was my first time to Hamburg, so I was quite excited - especially for the opportunity to see all my fellow program mates again after 9 months apart, as we gathered for a week-long training camp. I will not bore you with the details of the training (it was even a bore for me), but interestingly, it caused an odd situation - over 7 days in Hamburg, I only saw the city in the light of day for one single afternoon. Most of the time I was cooped up in a hotel, and I did not even leave the hotel walls until the third day. Given that situation, I must report that Hamburg was quite beautiful after being covered in two fresh snowfalls, but I cannot properly convey how nice it was given that it was often too dark to take pictures. Fortunately, Hamburg avoided the super heavy snowfall that plagued the rest of Europe, but it was still a mess of snow, slush, and freezing cold.

All of Hamburg was awash in the Christmas spirit, as evidenced by the Christmas markets present around every corner of the city. Christmas markets exist across Europe, and was described to me as a place to drink mulled wine while shopping for things you don't need. The Hamburg model follows the American street fair model - the market is simply an excuse for Germans to drink booze outside in public under the guise of yuletide spirit. Stands that sell glüwein and other hot liquor beverages are about every 25 meters apart, separated by a multitude of food vendors and a sprinkling of vendors selling crap you don't need.

Every once in awhile, Santa and his helper fly across the market and up to the big Christmas tree, then proceed to back it up in reverse over the market again. I really love how Santa has to use a crane lift to get into his sleigh.

The best thing I ate in Hamburg - a bag full of mini beignets. It made me forget about Dunkin' Donuts quite quickly.

For those unaware, Hamburg has quite a nightlife. I don't have any pictures except for this one - an upwards view of the WWII bunker that I went to a dance party in. A fair amount of time was also spent in the Reeperbahn, the city's nightlife and red light district. I didn't get a chance to see the special street that only men are allowed to visit due to my ill-fated decision to continue talking to a pretty Hamburger (yes, they are called Hamburgers) I had met outside a bar. I did, however, get to see the many, many prostitutes that walk the streets. It was quite shocking to find out that prostitution was legal, and many of them were in fact quite pretty. The key to spotting them and avoid accidentally chatting one up is to look for the fanny packs they all wear. All in all, my last night in the Reeperbahn was probably one of the most fun nights I've ever had. A big thank you to the DJ at Rosie's, the sole reason we did not head back home until 7:30 AM.