Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: andrewc on 29 April, 2019, 08:36:32 pm

Title: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: andrewc on 29 April, 2019, 08:36:32 pm
Off this weekend for a last minute short break.  Nothing planned or organised yet.     Suggestions for what to see & do welcome.    Music , art, culture, food & beer. 



Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 29 April, 2019, 08:38:51 pm

Minuture wunderland!


J
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Canardly on 29 April, 2019, 09:01:41 pm
Reeperbahn


Beetles tour. Curryworst is an essential.
Danish schnapps/Aquavite (Malteser Cruis from memory). German towns often have a red line painted on pavements to guide tourists. Cosmopolitian city.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 29 April, 2019, 09:05:35 pm
#1 attraction already mentioned, you need to book a slot in advance but it's easy to do.

Quite a spread out city with a docks almost right in the middle.
Get a public transport ticket, the best bits are the elevated railway and the river boats.
If you're lucky a decent cruise ship or transatlatic liner will be in, I managed to see the QM2 leaving.

What to do all depends on what you like,
bombed out and intact churches?
Sleaze?
Football?
leafy suburb walking?
parks?

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlB7bV6RdTovhM8pK9bI4C_d5saIWw
too much to remember, I seem to have 14 pages from my German Lonely Planet photoed, as I was on a longer trip into Scandinavia it was a bit clumsy to carry the whole book on the trains.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: andrewc on 29 April, 2019, 09:23:47 pm
Reeperbahn


Beetles tour. Curryworst is an essential.
Danish schnapps/Aquavite (Malteser Cruis from memory). German towns often have a red line painted on pavements to guide tourists. Cosmopolitian city.


I'm trying to ignore my fathers national service stories of weekend leave in Hamburg....       The Beatles ?  I'm from Liverpool!  They're for tourists..  Definitely not football (OK, I'm an atypical Scouser)


Museums, galleries, old streets, classical music or jazz bars, just nice places to walk around.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: ian on 29 April, 2019, 09:35:24 pm
Try one of their eponymous meat and bun combos.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Vernon on 29 April, 2019, 09:46:46 pm
+1 to the Minatur Wunderland - we lost a Saturday Evening there.
Apparently it's the Hamburg International Music Festival at the moment. I don't know if any tickets are available  for anything on this weekend. The Elbphilharmonie was not finished when we where there, so I can't opine on it.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Clare on 29 April, 2019, 09:49:28 pm
Minatur Wunderland is brilliant, see how many naked models you can spot.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: thingamagoop on 30 April, 2019, 09:19:41 am
Essential: Take a tour to the harbour, try to get a serious one (not the small ships). Speicherstadt is nice, the new Elbphilharmony, the Ships and Submarine at the Landungsbrücken. Reeperbahn is more for drunk idiots nowadays, but u can of course walk through....
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 30 April, 2019, 10:20:33 am
One of my brothers-in-law lives in Hamburg so I've been there quite a lot - sadly he's not much of a culture freak so can't help much there.  We were last there at Christmas.  It's really lovely and fantastic city - I love it.


A cruise to Heligoland is a very good thing - it's the chief dock city of Germany so dockland stuff is very good as others have mentioned.


The parks around the large Alster lake are great for an afternoon walk.  There is a stupefyingly large statue of Bismarck somewhere around there - which stunned me in size but germans tend to go 'meh' they're all over Germany - so there you go.  I thought it was the biggest statue I've ever seen.


The Fish market on a Sunday morning is a good tradition with Live Music, fish sandwiches and  - umm - drinking ;) - though that's not compulsory.  The Reeperbahn is nearby, seeing as no-one has mentioned that ;)


When people describe it as having lots of open space - you can blame the RAF for that quite readily.  So also some sobering reminders and commemorations about carpet bombing in WWII (big church you can walk up to the steeple to see he sights nearby the main memorial).  If you read some accounts it can be quite creepy walking along the Hauptbahnhoff and imagine the road melting in the 1943 firestorm.  :-\


If you fancy going further afield, Kiel which maybe an hour's drive away is well worth a visit.  You can also drive to the seaside on the Ostsee no so far away.







Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 30 April, 2019, 10:25:19 am
Also - tip - you might think Germany being one of the strongest economies in the world is down with all the modern electronicy stuff.


No - take cash - it's astonishing how few places take card payments.  Though their favourite steakhouse - Blockhouse - does.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Canardly on 30 April, 2019, 10:31:41 am
The wunderland referred to above looks pretty amazing.
https://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exchange/about/image-film-wunderland/
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 30 April, 2019, 10:49:25 am
The Museum of Hamburg History is reputedly good also - Hamburg has an interesting history, being a major Hanseatic league city and the last independent German city to unify with the rest of the country (about 17 years after the 1871 unification iirc) - I haven't done this, but must do next time I'm there, but the reviews are excellent.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Salvatore on 30 April, 2019, 10:54:44 am
If you don't want to blow your budget on camping gear, stay away from Globetrotter.  Near the Industrial Museum.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: JenM on 30 April, 2019, 11:02:16 am
I was there a few weeks ago:

Hamburg Elbphilharmonie - pick up a free ticket from the visitor centre and travel up to the walkway half way up the building, good views of the river.

Hired a bike and cycled along the riverfront and around the Alster Lake

Enjoyed the Museum of Work at Barmbek and next door the best outdoor shop I have ever come across - Globetrotter. Thankfully I had no space in my bags for anything else.

Wouldn't necessarily recommend the Deutsches Zollmuseum (Customs and Taxation museum).
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Basil on 30 April, 2019, 11:43:19 am
If I were going to visit Hamburg, I'd do it in December.  Then if anyone asked me if I'd done anything at Christmas, I could reply.
"Bar! Hamburg!

Sorry.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 30 April, 2019, 02:36:41 pm
Now I wish I'd thought of that back in December.  :-D


Actually, New Years Eve is supposed to be the best, though presumably rather hazardous thing to do.  We left on the 30th but the Supermarkets were already selling explosive howitzer shells fireworks to five year olds as we left.
Traditionally, everyone apparently walks down the street and just lobs fireworks in the air at random.  Supposed to be quite a sight, presuming you survive. 
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Auntie Helen on 30 April, 2019, 05:21:35 pm
Miniatur Wunderland definitely!
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: andrewc on 26 May, 2019, 10:54:59 pm
Pictures from my visit here.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewclark/albums/72157708773527421   If you want a slideshow  there is a button at the top right.


Didn't make Mintaur Wunderland.  Maybe another trip.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Aunt Maud on 27 May, 2019, 10:14:52 am
Boating on the lake and drinking beer in the sun.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 27 May, 2019, 12:32:59 pm
I'm seeing heavy, serious architecture made by solid, wealthy, industrious people. It says "sombre northern protestants showing their respectability". (Or is that just the photographer?  :o ;))
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 27 May, 2019, 05:36:20 pm
Wot no Hummelmen? ;)


Looks good - you certainly packed it all in.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: andrewc on 27 May, 2019, 10:22:29 pm
I'm seeing heavy, serious architecture made by solid, wealthy, industrious people. It says "sombre northern protestants showing their respectability". (Or is that just the photographer?  :jurek: ;) )


Do people associate me with "respectability'?   :jurek:      I really hope not!
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: andrewc on 27 May, 2019, 11:25:29 pm
OK, brief trip report.     Loud group of thuggish looking Liverpool scallies at the airport, on the plane & checking into my hotel.  Luckily that was the last I saw of them. 
Hotel was Ibis Budget.  Spotlessly clean, better bathroom than a Travelodge.  Thin, hard mattress & no bottle opener in the room.  Adequate buffet breakfast.


Day 1.  Out of the hotel & wandered into the city centre & the big square in front of the Rathaus.  On to the Binnenalster & a walk around the expensive shops.  I've a weakness for posh watches & there were plenty on display.  Lots of little streets & shops with lovely window displays, an art form in itself. 
Down to the river / docks area through lots of huge red brick warehouses, reminding me of parts of Liverpool, then a walk along the river.  It was a bit squally, rainshowers & dramatic cloudscapes.  Past the astonishing Elbphilharmonie, I'm a big classical fan, but there was nothing I wanted to hear on this weekend  :(    Lots of historic ships on the river.  One restaurant had people queuing down the street, I went to the one next door & had a good meal of Pannfisch. 
Away from the river & I ended up on the Reeperbahn, which was full of stag & hen parties.  I saw a sign saying "weapons forbidden", which didn't encourage me to stick around. A short distance on there was a phalanx of riot police on standby, so I guess some sportsball might have been happening.   


Back to the hotel, out again for Schnitzel with a couple of beers, then back to the hotel for  bottle of beer in my room.  I suspect my days (nights?) of exploring late night dives are in the past  :(


Day2.  The Culture Day.  The Hamburger Kunsthalle & the Kunst und Gewerbe museum.  Both fantastic, I'd never seen any German impressionist stuff before. Lovely.  Gorgeous furniture & the Frankfurt Kitchen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_kitchen


Finkenwerder Scholle in one of the many restaurants near the train station.


Day 3.  A walk around the entire Alster, in wet & windy conditions, lots of big expensive housing , and the fortified US consulate on the way back.   A beer & then a pizza for lunch & I was rather tired, so back to the hotel for a lie down.  Evening meal at a Block steakhouse, which was OK if not imaginative.


Day 4.  A final few hours walking around before picking up my bag & getting the train to the airport.  I got the wrong one & had to double back  :facepalm:   Luckily I believe in large safety margins.


Overall impressions.  A clean, safe & interesting place for a long weekend.  However there are still people sleeping under bridges & in shop doorways.  A lot of people begging for money near the station.   People seem very obedient, waiting patiently for lights to change at pedestrian crossings even if no traffic is visible.  Far more visible police presence than in the UK.    Lots of big brick buildings near the docks which reminded me of home.   Others closer to the city that reminded me of the place I live in (Myrtle Gardens https://municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/liverpools-interwar-multi-storey-tenements-building-an-a1-community-in-a-properly-planned-township-of-flats/ )



Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 28 May, 2019, 10:02:28 am
Your comments on Sportsball just reminded me - when I was there in December, a friend of my brother-in-law was desperately keen to talk to me in broken English (sadly my German is almost non-existent) about Kevin Keegan of all people!  After a WTF moment, I recalled from the dim-distant past that Keegan actually signed for Hamburg FC about 40 odd years ago.  Very random!


Sounds like you saw Hamburg right enough.  Down by the docks, we had a little momentary fun spotting where swastikas had been concreted over on some of the silo-type buildings. We are always stunned by how clean it is compared to the UK (the station aside, which is grubby) and yes Germans do seem sticklers for following rules like don't cross until the green man is on - I'm not sure but jaywalking may be illegal there.  We went to Vienna recently and all of that 'German-ness' in those terms seemed doubled there - it was spotless! And same, I felt like a dirty felon crossing the road just when it was clear and not when it was 'allowed'.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: andrewc on 28 May, 2019, 10:13:21 am
I was in Vienna in November https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewclark/albums/72157702549648541
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: caerau on 28 May, 2019, 11:07:54 am
Outstanding, looks like you had a bit more time there than we did - our trip to Vienna was rather ruined by flight cancellations (our tour operators used Lufthansa but it was subcontracted to BMI - oops)
 - I am still a bit surprised we actually managed to get there at all - but when we did manage to arrive we were sleep deprived in a way I've only experienced on an Audax.  We did manage a full day at the Schonbrunn Palace though - that was pretty cool.
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: FifeingEejit on 28 May, 2019, 11:11:18 am
I saw a sign saying "weapons forbidden"

I remember seeing similar signs there, and noting that the weapons in the pictures are the same ones you see at UK Border Posts as being banned from the country...


The size of the port and it being just there impressed and amazed me; between Hamburgh and Rotterdam the vast majority of imports to and exports from Europe go through there, many of the wee sea going ships are heading for Immingham and other UK ports...


Your comments on Sportsball just reminded me - when I was there in December, a friend of my brother-in-law was desperately keen to talk to me in broken English (sadly my German is almost non-existent) about Kevin Keegan of all people!  After a WTF moment, I recalled from the dim-distant past that Keegan actually signed for Hamburg FC about 40 odd years ago.  Very random!

I had a few football related WTF moments in Sweden and Norway as I was wearing a fleece that mentioned Dundee on it, which automatically made people want to talk to me about the 1987 UEFA cup final, Jim McLean and Scottish footballs descent in to rubbishness in general.
The area around St Pauli's ground was deserted when I was there though.

Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 May, 2019, 11:29:21 am
I'm seeing heavy, serious architecture made by solid, wealthy, industrious people. It says "sombre northern protestants showing their respectability". (Or is that just the photographer?  :jurek: ;) )


Do people associate me with "respectability'?   :jurek:      I really hope not!
Nah, just solid!  ;)
Title: Re: Hamburg. What to do ?
Post by: Salvatore on 28 May, 2019, 11:45:57 am
Your comments on Sportsball just reminded me - when I was there in December, a friend of my brother-in-law was desperately keen to talk to me in broken English (sadly my German is almost non-existent) about Kevin Keegan of all people!  After a WTF moment, I recalled from the dim-distant past that Keegan actually signed for Hamburg FC about 40 odd years ago.  Very random!


I was living in Germany when Kevin Keegan signed for Hamburg. One of his first games for HSV in 1977-78 was the in the European Super Cup against Liverpool. Liverpool won 6-0 at Anfield, memorable (if for nothing else) for the headline in Bild, quoting KK: "Liverpool made mincemeat (Hackfleisch) out of Hamburgers."