This December trip to Hamburg was really for Christmas markets, but the nautical theme really dominates any agenda and menu here and I came away thinking of reasons why it’s different to other German cities I have visited.
Christmas markets and food
We’d come to the conclusion sometime last year that if it’s a Christmas market you want, the Germania is the place to go. Spectacular pictures of the main market at City Market pretty much sold this on its own and at night it was a stunning collection of lights, overlooked by an empiric looking town hall.
It does seem to be an ever-present that these markets have a hut for Christmas tree decorations, always with a queue, there will be some stalls for wooden chopping boards, some for hats and a decent scattering of stalls for food and drink. Hamburg’s are no exception. Probably the point of difference in Hamburg is the percentage of refreshment was much higher than Cologne, Düsseldorf, Berlin and Munich where I’ve visited before. Also a first to me here was the Santa Pauli red light-themed market on the notorious Reeperbahn. I am virtually certain this is the only Christmas Market I have visited replete with dildo stall and viagara hut.
Hamburg’s street-food of tradition, however, is a fish sandwich given its proximity to the River Elbe and ultimately the North Sea. This is expressed through salmon stalls at all the markets throughout town, usually with whole sides being smoked nailed onto a wooden board on a open fire. Smell is the largest use of the senses on this expedition. However, the best tasting fish sarnie was at Bruecke 10, a permanent pitstop selling a variety straight from the waterfront including kipper, herring, salmon and prawn. Works wonders with a beer, though I’m sure it’s better in the warm.
Nautical themes
Bored of markets, it’s virtually impossible to avoid picking up an education on Hamburg’s role as Germany’s main cypher to the sea. The Maritime Museum is by far the most imposing of these, with ten floors of exhibits taking in a history from the Middle Ages. A few noteworthy Nazi uniforms and Bismarck era hats apart, it’s noteworthy how much of the exhibition is of non-Teutonic artefacts.
It reminded me of a discussion I had with a German colleague some time ago that the state hadn’t built an empire because it has never had a great navy to organise conquests, mainly a result of being almost landlocked. Personally I think this is just a little disingenuous: Nazism apart, I’ve experienced Germany’s global role to be more of a economic lynchpin and political consensus builder than a unilateral aggressor or a policeman.
Given this, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised the U Boat we came across largely by accident was Russian. This museum boat was a good 30 minutes entertainment wriggling around a terrifyingly claustrophobic tin can from the 1970s. Inevitably, I copped an embarrassing blow in the back of the head from a stray door handle and booted a few bulkheads in frustration.
The Opera House, in a similar style to the Nautical Museum, though with a massive contemporary sail-shaped adornment was one thing we missed that would have rounded off a visit to Hamburg. Again inescapably sea-themed, it would have been nice to round things off with something breathtakingly modern, but again in step and a link with a couple of hundred years of sea-bound tradition.
miketaylstravels 