Immersed in Hamburg
I loved Hamburg when I first visited, but that was almost a decade ago. With so many cities to visit, it’s difficult to justify going back already. However, over the last year or two, the decision on where we travel to is based on not having to prove we have no virus by taking a test just before we travel. I can’t bear the heartache of being at the point of packing and then finding we can’t go. Instead, visiting countries that accept fully vaccinated visitors is the way to go. Hence my third visit to Berlin last year.
So a perfect excuse to go back to Hamburg, a city I barely recognise. We stayed in the highly residential Hohenfelde area where unusually, there is more art (pictured) than graffiti. I spent a bit of time around HafenCity which completely wowed me last time. Then it was up and coming, now it has arrived with 5000 inhabitants and plenty of sights to see and coffee to drink.
The new concert hall, Elbphilharmonie, is stunningly situated on the water and I love The Coffee Museum. It’s more coffee than a museum as it’s near impossible to navigate the tables and chairs to get to the exhibits but it has a delightful shop too. Mainly I love that it has cafetieres.
We started with Otto Burger so I could just have some fries but the beloved could still enjoy a meal. Having been ill for a few days and unable to face good, I was just glad to have gotten through the journey without incident and was building up my appetite through tiny portions of food I could tolerate. Fries are often my starting point for this. It was really warm in Otto, mainly as it was packed and we were lucky to get a table but I managed to spend an hour or so here. Undoubtedly buoyed by actually being away again.
The next morning I enjoyed a refreshing, healthy breakfast at Nord Coast before the Haffencity jaunt and then a boat to Finkenberger. We couldn't resist a peek at Aldi here and then to Edeka, another supermarket next door.
Back in the city, we managed to bag a fantastic window seat to see the sunset at The Coffee Shop. This was after a couple moved so we could take that seat which made me smile broadly under my smile. This warmth is everywhere in Hamburg, including at U Wall, where we had our obligatory holiday Thai meal. My appetite is almost back now and Thai is another comfort food for me.
The next day, I recognised the Elbgold logo when we had coffee in what seemed like an industrial estate on the cusp of renovation. It was a beautiful sunny morning to sit outside and take in the rays.
Other coffees enjoyed at Death Espresso with its fantastic branding where I wanted to buy ‘stuff’ but didn’t and Black Delight.
We thought it would be fun to visit our old neighbourhood on a Saturday evening. We were wrong though. Reeperbahn was much more touristy than when we stayed here last, although much developed. We struggled to find a restaurant with a food type we hadn’t eaten in the last couple of days. Then when we are too starving to walk and almost gave up, we came across Trattoria Palermo. Only in mainland Europe do I see inexpensive Italian restaurants. We were surprised that none of the staff wore masks - as was the Hamburg requirement, in this tightly packed restaurant but we were able to eat. Afterwards, I was bemused that they wouldn’t take card payments. We hadn’t had to resort to cash anywhere thus far. In the end, they succumbed.
Determined to get the Hamburg trip back on track, we spent the last hour or so of our evening enjoying the nighttime riverside views before heading back for our light night at the hotel.
The following day, it was time to get on the train to Copenhagen. I look forward to another return visit to Hamburg soon.
March 2022
