Dusseldorf, Germany: Great Pizza in Little Tokyo

Dusseldorf. I can't even begin this post before we all have a collective good laugh at how ridiculous that sounds. Say it with me Du-ssel-dorf. Dusseldorf. It sounds like the name of a retarded wizard. Hahaha... haha... ha. OK. Let's begin. 

Dusseldorf is a city primed for mediocrity. It's seventh in total population in Germany and resides in the less edgy, less threatening north Rhein megalopolis zone. I just made that name up but seriously, take a look at the map of Germany around Dusseldorf. In addition to Cologne there are like 15 other cities in the immediate proximity, a handsome number of which I would consider to be "major," although, clearly not "major players." Perhaps some of these cities should consider merging similar to Winston and Salem. Dusseldorf-Duisburg sounds pretty sexy. 

Dusseldorf has a sorted history, most notably as nomadic outpost for the resistant Germanic tribes refusing to submit to Roman rule. Alright, an unruly crowd- I like it. It grew a little bit but always remained in the shadow of Cologne until the Industrial Revolution when the city really began to take off. As with every city in the Rheinland, it was annihilated during the Allied bombing raids and was rebuilt into a modern center of banking, trade, administration, and service industries. 

But the reason for my brief stopover in Dusseldorf was on recommendation of Niels from Hamburg. Specifically, he recommended to me the Dusseldorf nightlife which is reputedly one of the best in Germany (and certainly better than Cologne). But it wasn't the nightlife that first piqued my interest when I entered the city- it was the strange roundabout on my way to the hostel. I should note that it was a bitterly cold, windy, and slightly rainy day.

Palm trees? Wha? And situated in weird islands made of used tires. First of all, how are these trees not dead? It's freezing in Germany; palm trees won't even survive at my father's place in NC. Second, old used tires? Were they out of rusty anchors and crab nets? But despite my confusion, I was as intrigued as any intrepid traveler would be. "What is the deal with this place?" I thought. Then I thought, "and what's the deal with corn nuts?" followed shortly by, "what the deal with gor-nads!?" Oh Conan.

When I got to the hostel the guy at the desk gave me a cheap photocopied map which, considering I came a whole 30 minutes from Cologne just to see the city and this is the best he could do, almost made me punch him in the mons pubis. But then I noticed that one of the 9 items (only NINE things worth seeing in Dusseldorf- one of which is the hostel?!) was the "best pizza in town by far." I calmed down measurably. I figured, "hey, I could go for some pizza and, if it's terrible, I can always punch him later."

So I put down my stuff and since it was too early to go for dinner I skyped with my mom and sis and got caught up on a little writing and Mad Men. I should note here that the hostel I stayed in, Backpackers-Duesseldorf, was a pretty crappy outfit. They couldn't even spell the city's name correctly. Seems that would be prerequisite number one. But, I'll admit, when I finally made my way to the pizza place, it delivered an exceptionally tasty pie. Not anywhere near Naples standards but thin crust, great sauce, high quality mozz, fresh basil... I was impressed. Sorry the picture isn't as impressive as the pie.

I walked toward the north part of town to check out the acclaimed night life but it seemed relatively quiet. There were certainly an over-adequate number of venues to choose from but I still wasn't really in the mood for a late night outing so I just strolled around for a bit. I eventually made my way back toward the hostel and spotted what appeared to be a near-authentic (as close as you can get in Europe) Mexican restaurant. I couldn't resist stopping in for a Sol and some chips n salsa. And I'll be damned if the chips, salsa, beer, and whole vibe weren't great. The food I saw going out looked pretty good, and check out these menus:

Even if it's only 60% of the quality we get in the States, you can't fault them for trying hard. A+ for effort fellas. Plus, it has to be better than the last Bandido's I ate in (looking at you Chapel Hill).

I went to bed pretty early hoping to get a sold night sleep. Unfortunately, the French crew from way back in Madrid apparently tracked me down and it was the exact same scenario- loud Frenchman partying late, smoking constantly, and yelling to each other loudly at night and in the morning. Not to mention the walls were paper thin and I could hear a group of Germans screaming clear as day in the common room. Ugh.

When I did get up and head out into the city the next morning, my first stop was the Modern Art Museum complex. Right out front there is a giant sculpture of a handgun on the ground. I never did figure out what this was for but the park around the museum was the perfect place to shake off some pent up Frenchstration. Get it? French frustration.

From the hostel it's about a 15 minute walk to the old part of Dusseldorf which is quite small and mostly packed with restaurants, bars, and clubs. Since I neglected to take a photo the night before, here is one of the main nightlife streets in the day- sadly with almost as many people as the night before.

Right in the heart of Dusseldorf is the old town hall, the modesty of which compliments the general so-so vibe of the city. It's not bad, it's just... not the other cities in Germany.

But all hope was not lost for as soon as I left the old town I uncovered three things that really made an impression on me. The first is the striking Konigsallee. I'm not sure if it was just because of the time of year with the autumn colored leaves which made the trees seem as if they had burst into flames, but it was really outstanding. It's also the place where you get the obligatory photo of me and me wearing my new fleece and cap for the first time on the trip!

The next thing that took me by surprise was strolling into Little Tokyo- the Japanese part of Dusseldorf. Apparently Dusseldorf has the largest Japanese community in Germany and third largest in Europe. Why herro there. My interest was certainly piqued. The most imposing feature of this area of town is the Hotel Nikko which boasts several Japanese restaurants, spas, a temple, garden, and some other features I couldn't decipher. It's also really tall.

Finally, and most proudly, it took me all of 16 hours to debunk my map's bold claim of the "best pizza in town by far." When I initially walked through old town I noticed a place boasting pizza di Napoli. "Riiiight" was my first conjecture, however, I peered into the windows and by god if it wasn't a Neapolitan wood fired oven right in the middle of the restaurant. The only problem was- it was only 11am and it was closed! So I resolved to return around 1pm and try out the pizza. And I'm sure freaking glad I did! Not only is it the best in Dusseldorf, it's the best I've had in Europe apart from Naples itself!

Feast your eyes on that beauty. From the edge of the crust in it was perfect. San marzano sauce, fresh fior di latte, thick hand cut spicy salami (closer to a true pepperoni than soppresata picante), and a philanthropic portion of fresh basil! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. At this point in my great pizzadventures, I was able to take one look at the crust and determine two things: (1) they are using a lower hydration dough (likely because of the proper flour availability or price); and (2) because of this they are cooking at a lower heat than typical in Naples. How do I know this? Time for a quick pizza lesson.

Pizzas made in Napoli use type 00 pizza flour, generally from the Caputo flour company. It's milled extremely fine and has a relatively low protein percentage. Because of it's fine mill and composition, it is more conducive to a wetter softer dough, thereby yielding a tender almost squishy crust that should tear apart easily almost like fresh naan. Second, to cook with wetter dough you need a much higher heat, around 900 to 1000 degrees. The higher heat will create little black blisters around the crust, a phenomenon dubbed by the pizza community as "leopard spotting." Here is a good example from Pizzeria Starita in Napoli.

A typical pie in Napoli will cook for anywhere from 90-120 seconds. Hence the rapid rise, soft inner dough, soupy middle, and leopard spotting. These conditions are also why the Napoletanas use so much fresh fior di latte and mozzerella di buffala as those cheeses break down quickly and are thereby not conducive to a longer cook time. The golden crust you see on this pie means it was cooked for significantly longer- probably between 3-5 minutes, and the density of the crust told me it was not 00 flour. Ok, enough with pizza lesson. Despite not being exactly Neapolitan, the pizza was fantastic and if I had more days I'd pull a Naples and eat there for every meal. Have I mentioned I love pizza?

By this point it was time to make my way back to the hostel and collect my things. I was on my way to Amsterdam to meet (and stay with! :D) an old friend from graduate school Abi and her husband Wes. I had been to Amsterdam before on the tail-end of a 2.5 week trip that included seeing a ton of Germany and visiting my ex's lovely and awesome relatives before Oktoberfest and Budapest with work buddies and then a few nights partying in Prague. Needless to say the last time I was in Amsterdam I was exhausted, tired of booze, and also getting a little sick. This time I'd be heading in as refreshed as a Wanderlust traveler can be and looking forward to a far different experience.

Bonus photo: the waterfront of the Rhein where all the Dusseldorfer's relax and soak in the rays during the summer.

Cologne, Germany: Tower of Power

As far as Germanic cities go Cologne (or Köln in German) has the distinction of being both one of the oldest Germanic cities and one of the newest. The city was originally founded by the Romans in 50 AD as Colonia and it became the capital of the region known as Germania Inferior and the most important trading city north of the Alps.

In the middle ages its strategic trade route location allowed those in control of the city to exert influence and it was made a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire in 1475. The surge of wealth and power into Cologne thereby translated into a beautiful city- a flourishing mix of Roman and medieval architectural influences. Then, as with many German cities, Cologne was targeted in Allied bombing raids during the spring of 1942. The raids wiped out nearly 95% of the old city center and drastically reduced the city's population. 

Thankfully for Cologne residents, their most prized structure, the Cologne Cathedral (or Dom) survived the bombings. The rest of Cologne was rebuilt albeit not in the medieval style, but rather in contemporary styling. The result is a modern city with a vibrant culture, especially in the way of art and music, however, when you ask the people of Cologne what you definitely need to see the answer is always the same: the Cathedral. 

And, yes I admit, it's a grand structure. And climbing to the top for a view of Cologne is the "must do" tourist experience. But surely there has to be more to this city than just the Cathedral right? Despite any information to the contrary, I set out to see for myself. My first impression of the city quite literally jumped out at me as I was crossing the street- a wandering juggler waited for the green walk signal and then began his show right in the middle of the crosswalk!

Sadly he was killed by a Volkswagon shortly thereafter. But within a few minutes of fleeing the scene, Cologne's next impression presented itself even more forcefully. As I was walking down the street to one of the remaining medieval gates I noticed this sign in a window.

But I do! Ah! Finally somewhere that agrees with what I've been saying to everyone else in Europe for the past 8 months! Ha, kidding. But within my first hours in Cologne I've deduced two things: (1) they love English; and (2) the preferred method of attempting suicide is street juggling. This is my kind of city. I did eventually find the old medieval gate, the Hanentor gate, which now stands in the middle of a square. So it's probably more of an "arch" than a "gate" but why split hairs?

Nearby you can also locate the remnants of a portion of the old Roman wall. If you read the York post, this should look strikingly familiar. Seeing all of these Roman ruins in such uniformity all across Europe really brings to life the grand scale of Roman impact during the days of the Empire.

Walking along one of the pedestrian modern looking shopping streets I spotted a familiar site in Germany: the remnants of a bombed out church. This one has the structure more or less intact, however, they have elected to forgo rebuilding it opting instead for leaving it as a memorial. It's a bit of a chilling monument, literally a stone's throw away from a McDonald's.

By this point I'd wandered around through nearly every pedestrian street (and believe me they're not worth posting a picture) so I figured, what the hell, let's climb that tower. About 3/4 of the way up I discovered that one of (or possibly both of) the following is true: (1) the top of the tower is REALLY high up; and/or (2) after 7 months with no consistent exercise and a diet of foreign relatively unhealthy food and a near-constant stream of booze, I am woefully out of shape.

Horrifically, I was not among those huffing and puffing the most- and I can honestly say that given my experiences on the road these months I most certainly should have been. But I made it, sweaty and all. And true to all the hype the view from up there was fantastic... only, since you're IN the one really essential thing to see in Cologne there isn't much else to look at. This was probably the best shot I got- right through the mid-morning haze.

So after you've had your fill of the paltry Cologne skyline you'll then come to the same realization I did- son of a bitch, now I've got to walk all the way back down those stairs! Actually it wasn't that bad- the most annoying thing was the slow pokes in front of me. Seriously people, shake a leg! I've got more boring streets to wander around in, and the downstairs is the easy part!

At the bottom I figured that since I paid to go to the top, I might as well give the interior a shake as well. I'll admit, it's an impressive edifice. But at this point you, dear reader, must be burned out on reading about and seeing pictures of churches. You can only imagine how woefully tiresome I find them, ha. But here you go anyway... actually, you know what? Screw that. Instead of the whole inside, here is a cool picture of sunlight coming through a window and striking an altar.

God, is that you? Oh, light particles ejected from a nuclear fusion reaction taking place millions of miles away, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. Never mind. One really cool thing about this church- they actually had a painting of Santa Claus. REALLY! Look on the left.

Outside the Cathedral I was distraught. It's barely noon and already I've taken a picture of the Cathedral, climbed the tower of the Cathedral, and gone INSIDE the Cathedral. What the hell am I supposed to do with the rest of the day? I was on the verge of throwing myself in front of a train at the nearby Hauptbahnhof when the enchanting chords of a familiar melody struck my ears. I spun about looking for the source of this momentary elation and when I had located it I thought surely my eyes were deceiving me- but no!

Behold- a midget/dwarf/little person (not sure what the PC term is these days) playing "Under Pressure" on a flute with chimes on his ankles that jingled as he stomped his little feet. I was overjoyed. I can tell you with absolute honesty dear reader that I sat and wept tears of happiness and gumdrops and puppies. It was magical.

A few minutes later he started playing a U2 track so I ran over and dropkicked him in the chest which sort of ruined the mood. I gave him the rest of my Bosnian lek and made my way across the square and behind the Cathedral where I came to discover that the priests in Cologne must love drinking. Because only drunks would feel the need to throw up a fence here:

Even our little musical friend with the broken sternum could clear that barrier. Laughing at the silliness and futility of the people of Cologne restored my spirits sufficiently to continue my walk. And I must say, I'm glad I did because my next stop was the Hohenzollenbruke, or as I like to call it, the "Bridge of Broken Hearts and Wasted Locks."

The name should be self explanatory, but since my international readership is on the rise, allow me a brief explanation. Young lovers travel to this bridge and attach a lock with their initials to the metal grating alongside the bridge. They then toss the key into the frigid deathly waters below to symbolize the permanency of their love. Only these are young lovers and, according to the Bureau of Statistics I Just Made Up, 93.7% of all such relationships end in disaster (although not all in train or bridge related disasters).

Ergo, you saucy minxes, the name I've christened. Every now and then you'll come across a combination lock- an idea I absolutely love. Instead of "we're lovers for life!" it's more like "we're going to give this an honest try." Practical. There was also one really cool lock in the shape of a turtle. Does that mean they are taking things slow? Or that slow and steady wins the race? Or that they just love turtles? Or maybe they hate them which is why they chose to leave that lock? I'm confused.

By the time I had finished thinking about the turtle lock I had walked across the bridge and back and was standing in a park staring up at the tail-end of the Dom, not to be confused with staring at the tail-end of a man named Dom, which I continue to steadfastly deny. 

From here you can walk along the water and peek over at all of the overpriced tourist-trap restaurants jamming up the greenspace. According to my map I could follow this road more or less all the way to the south gate of the old city. But I hadn't gone more than a few hundred meters when I spotted something than devastated me more than having to end the life of a charming midget:

A Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf!... that's opening December 2012!!! Do you remember the scene in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith when Darth Vader first awakens to learn Padme is dead? This is precisely what I did when I saw that sign.

Speaking of the south gate, I'd show it to you but I think you'd be less impressed than you will with the store I saw along the way. This is more directed to my female readers, however, to any of my male readers who have encountered this, I proffer the same. Have you ever felt you didn't have enough "donkadonk" in that badonkadonk? Well, you my dearest readers are the most fortunate of all because your humble Wanderlust host has uncovered... this!

I like these retail outlets big, and I cannot lie. Best yet, they were having a sale. Ok, ok. Here's something historic I guess: the towers of a former fortress near the last remnants of the old city wall. I thought it was pretty cool looking or whatever. "Is there also going to be a picture of the old city walls?" Pah! No. But you can check it out on flickr if you want.

Other than a park, narrowly avoiding a juggling suicide mishap, and a ham sandwich, that was pretty much my tour of Cologne. You see why everyone harps on the Cathedral so much? So, I already know the logical progression of this psychological-paranormal conversation we're having right now. This is when you say, "if Cologne was a one day affair, what the heck did you do for the other two days you were there?"

Damn you're persistent. But I like that about you. Well, a deep subject, the first day I more or less crashed. I was too worn out from Dresden, Berlin, and Hamburg to do much. And in case you hadn't noticed, I had been been doing more than my fair share of partying. I was saturated, I arrived late, I did nothing. That was day 1. Day 2 you just read about. And day 3... well, here's what happened to day 3:

There's a great track by Dirty Vegas about burning the candle at both ends which seems appropriate. I went out for drinks with new friend Harmony from the "Facebook Socializing Extravaganza" of the night before (i.e. we all sat in the same room on our computers/phones and messed about on the internet) as well as a cat from Maastricht whose name was frankly was a bit too irritating to remember, along with his person.

It was a bit of a dead night in the city (opposed to what I don't know), so we ended up just drinking. And the more we drank, the more Harmony and I became annoyed by this dude. Actually, annoyed isn't quite the right word but incensed is too strong. Anyway, we ended up at a bar where there was nothing going on (take your pick) so we started mucking about with a candle while he was rambling on and on until finally we had created a mess.

We decided to leave (before being kicked out) but the night was strong enough to limit my activities for the subsequent day. What I did accomplish: (1) watching 7-8 episodes of Mad Men; (2) 1 Wanderlust entry; (3) 3 cities worth of photos uploaded; (4) 2 naps; and (5) one OUTSTANDING pizza at a nearby joint that I went to simply because I was starving and it was close and open. Look at this, REAL basil. Unheard of in these desolate parts.

The next day I beat a hasty and early retreat to Dusseldorf for a day and a half at the recommendation of Niels. I knew I wouldn't have the gumption to hit the Dusseldorf nightlife as hard as it deserved but I figured it was worth poking my head in. Besides, as with many things, the most important part is just showing up.

Bonus photo: the view from my bed at the hostel (which is one of my top 3 or 5 hostels I've stayed at, and I'm becoming a serious expert on them).

Hamburg, Germany: We Make Party

My trip to Hamburg was a long time coming. I made the decision to visit Hamburg in my third week of traveling when I met Niels and Trung in Porto. They sold me on it in about 5 minutes. So for nearly six months I've had Hamburg in the back of my mind. When I was in Berlin I sent Niels and Trung a note about when I was planning to visit and Trung very graciously offered to host me. And before we get into it, I should just note that Trung's couch is outstanding. 

Rarely on my trip have I found it more than just slightly inconvenient to not have a phone. Honestly we rely on mobiles too much- it's quite easy (and enjoyable) to shun them and drop off the grid. Although, I know that's a bit of hypocritical statement considering I have facebook, email and this blog ha. Anyway, meeting Niels in the crowded Hamburg train station at a specified time (but without picking a location) was one instance where I could have really used a phone, or just better planning on my part.

Look at that place. And all of those signs underneath the big Philips logo is the location of a second concourse! Fortuitously I figured out which platform Niels would be coming in on and he spotted me as his train rolled in. From there we took another train to Altona, the really nice neighborhood where Trung lives. Since Niels could only be in town for one night as he had an event to attend in his home town of Bremerhaven, we decided to channel our energy for a full-on night out. Trung cooked us some chicken curry and we played some FIFA 2012 to mentally prepare. 

Niels and Trung had initially planned for us to meet some of their Hamburg friends at the Hamburg Hofbrau House (same as in Munich), however, it was absolutely packed when we arrived. Not wanting to ruin our status at the auxiliary Hofbrau Cafe, it was unanimously decided to venture straight to the infamous Reeperbahn. Within 5 minutes of arriving at the first bar the unthinkable happened: shots of Mexicanas were purchased. I didn't even have time to politely decline! What the heck! But, to be fair, these were really good. After a few quick rounds and some local beer, it was time to walk the streets of the Reeperbahn but not before getting a group photo!

I love that I still look somewhat tan. Before we dive in, here's a bit of info about the Reeperbahn. During the 17th and 18th centuries the street was home to the rope makers- a vital ancillary industry in a city whose heart and soul was shipbuilding and import/export. These days it's Hamburg's nightlife center. It's also the city's red light district, occasionally referred to as the sinful mile. It was once home to Europe's largest brothel. If you've been to Amsterdam you've no doubt taken a stroll through the red light district. 

That should give you a base idea, however, the Reeperbahn is like Amsterdam on crack. It's beyond overwhelming. Whereas Amsterdam's red light district seems quite orderly and almost pleasant with the intersecting canals and bars and coffee shops interjecting here and there, the Reeperbahn is a massive amalgamation of bars, clubs, brothels, and those little red booths. But unlike Amsterdam, the prostitutes are also roaming the streets as well, tugging on your jacket like hounds nipping at your heels. Beyond the bars and clubs, just walking around is an event unto itself. Here is one of the calmer side streets.

I really had no idea that it would be this crazy. Actually, it makes me think of starting an event: the Reeperbahn Run. Everyone dresses in shorts and a tshirt and tapes 5 euro notes to the front of your shirt. The goal is to run through the Reeperbahn and past the prostitutes as fast as you can. The person with the most 5 euro notes still taped to his/her shirt at the end of the run is the winner. There may be some casualties. In case you are curious, here is one of the largest brothels along the Reeperbahn.

After soaking in the sights and sounds we stopped by the 99 cent bar where, yes, everything is 99 cents. Shots, beers, everything. As you might imagine it was packed. Across the street there were a number of clubs and we decided on this one which Trung was standing outside of. And despite the name, it was just a regular club. Seriously.

It was still (relatively) early when we left the club and I immediately spotted a winner: the Matt Dillon Saloon. It was aptly set up like an old western saloon offering one size draught beers and shots of whiskey. The bartendress was cute and sung old American country songs in a (staggeringly great) country accent. It was a great taste of home. 

We got to talking and I think I rudely spent the entirety of our time there chatting with the bartendress instead of our party. To the point where she stopped serving other customers and I stopped drinking, ha! Apparently she was equally fascinated by my story as I was at how a German girl could sing with such an outstanding accent. In any event, the guys finally drug me out of there and we headed off to the next bar. But... not before I knocked something very very important off my bucket list. 

When you saw "Hamburg" in the title of this post, and be honest, was the first thing that popped into your mind "hamburger?" I remember back in elementary school we had a discussion about what foods are "American." The first two things in my mind were always pizza and hamburgers. We were told that, no, pizza comes from Italy and hamburgers originally came from Hamburg, Germany. 

Evidently there is a quite a bit of disagreement among scholars about this second statement. From a bit of quick and cursory research, there are 6 or seven claims of the invent of the hamburger, nearly all of which are in America. There are also claims that the style of grinding beef trimmings into a "steak" and serving it originated in Hamburg. One of the more commonly accepted of these is that the hamburger was invented at Louis Lunch in New Haven, CT (I've eaten that burger and it's pretty good), but frankly it doesn't matter. I'm in Hamburg. They have hamburgers. I'm eating one damnit!

And what better place than Hamburg's most famous late-night burger joint, Hesburger. It was actually really good- the basic "Hesburger" is very similar to a Big Mac, which admittedly and somewhat embarrassingly, I've never ordered. Reinvigorated I was ready to soldier forth to the... fourth... no fifth bar. We ended up a little bit out of the main part of the Reeperbahn, much to the relief of my nerves. 

The rest of the night, as best I can recall, proceeded as follows: cuba libre, meeting Irish dudes, cuba libre drinking game, forgot how to operate straw, broke straw in frustration, cuba libre, new bar with curtains as wallpaper, Super Bock, rock music, dancing to Smashing Pumpkins, does that girl have one leg?, Super Bock, Rage Against the Machine, burned by cigarette, Super Bock, can't finish this Super Bock, Niels: "we have to have one more drink," in a cab, Trung's not answering the door, yay couch!

I awoke a few hours later to Niels returning and crashing. I have to tip my hat to the man because after getting in at 7am, he left the apartment at noon to go back to Bremerhaven for an event similar to Oktoberfest where he would be drinking beer out of 1 liter steins all day. Frankly the best I could muster was summoning the strength for a few hours stroll around the city. I really am starting to get old. 

The first destination was the port. Hamburg has an illustrious history as a great port and shipbuilding city. These days it's the third largest port in Europe and the eighth largest in the world. And, it's glorious. I once reminisced to Kev about the spectacle that is the Istanbul port- well my friends, Hamburg is almost equally majestic... in a giant container ship sort of way of course.

But the really cool thing about Hamburg is the canals. They snake all throughout the city and according to the tour I took the next day, Hamburg has more bridges than Amsterdam, London, and some other bridge-laden city combined. But pretty much everywhere you look is water.

My favorite part of the city is the Speicherstadt, which roughly translates to warehouse city. For a great portion of it's history Hamburg was a customs free (tax free) city, which obviously made it a hugely popular port. This right was conferred by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I in 1189 (via an allegedly forged document). In 1266 Hamburg became part of the Hanseatic trading league. It remained as a "free imperial city" until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 when it became a sovereign state known as the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. To this day it's referred to as HH.

During German unification in 1871, it was decreed that Hamburg could no longer keep it's tax free status, however, a compromise was made. The compromise stated that any trade within the city was to be taxed but anything outside the limits, including the area known as Kehrweider would remain customs free. The only problem- there were no docks, warehouses, or other shipping facilities built in Kehrweider. No problem- simply evict everyone living there and start building! 

It seems absurd but that's exactly what happened. The Hamburg government evicted some 20,000 people, leveled the place, and began building the "warehouse city." The area was under construction from 1883 to 1927. The result was a fascinating series of canals, docks, warehouses, rails, cranes, and any other ancillary structures needed to support an industry of that size. There is a really cool cross section of what Speicherstadt looked like on wikipedia. These days, the warehouses still stand but have been converted into art, music, restaurant, office, museum, you name it space. Looking up and down the canals from the bridges is almost spooky.

The cool thing about the canals in Hamburg is that they are prevalent even in the downtown business district, butting right up against nice office buildings. I hope the current is strong in the summer or Hamburg would be Mosquitopolis.

In addition to its illustrious history as a world port epicenter, Hamburg also has a tragic history as a result of the second World War. In July 1943 the Allied forces laid waste to Hamburg in a series of bombing raids. The most damage was done by firebombs creating a large conflagration which, due to the winds, resulted in a firestorm sweeping through the city. The flames were something like 500 feet high. Around 42,000 civilians were killed and around 90% of the city was destroyed. Among the many structures destroyed in the raids was the imposing St. Nicholas church. The city left it in a state of ruin as a reminder of the tragedy of war.

As you can see, the only remaining free standing structure is the church tower. Another impressive edifice of Hamburg which survived both the bombing raids and because of the Great Fire of 1842 (more on this later) which burned the old town hall, is the new Rathaus. It was completed in 1897 and survived the bombings largely because the Allied bombers used its steeple as a guiding point for locating other targets.

Nearby you have the Rathausplatz where one of the main canals joins up with the Binnenalster (small lake). There are swans which inhabit this area of water that are bigger than most dogs. They are protected by law- you can't kill, attack, or even insult the swans and hope to escape punishment from the vigilant Hamburg authorities. I'm not sure how you insult a swan sufficiently enough to warrant retribution, however, I did whisper to them that their feathers looked mangey. They were appalled.

From there it was time to call it a day. That night, Trung fixed some pizzas at his apartment and we more or less just chilled. Eventually we made it down to a cafe near his place for a few beers and some solid tunes but that was about it as we had done about a week's worth of partying the night before. The next day I embarked on the free tour of Hamburg (somehow I've gotten my typical routine all backwards).

It was at one of our first stops, St. Peter's Church, that I learned about the Great Fire of 1842. Apparently it was started at a tobacco factory near the main canals by a disgruntled employee and spread rapidly throughout the city. Nearly 25% of the old town was destroyed including the original St. Peter's. The church was eventually rebuilt (and survived WWII) in more or less the original medieval style.

After the Great Fire and in the late 1800's when Hamburg was growing as an extremely prosperous port city, most of the large shipping companies built huge accounting houses in one of the districts destroyed by the fire. It was here that all of the bookkeeping was done. Accountants these days have a tough gig but I think it certainly beats grinding out computations on ledger by hand in one of those places. My favorite of these huge buildings is the Chile Haus, so named for the owner of the company's dealings with Chile.

Designed to look like a ship, it is clearly the most unique and inspired of the accounting houses (and also apparently the most photographed thing in Hamburg). Crap. As I write this my computer is running out of battery and there are no plugs downstairs in this hostel. So... here's the rapid edition. Some canals with cool reflection:

This small canal behind St. Nick's is where the Great Fire of 1842 began. It's also one of the few places in the old part of Hamburg that retain the original Dutch style architecture. The water level rises and falls around 3 meters (9 feet) with the tides. It was low tide in this picture.

Hey! A nice day in Northern Europe. Enjoy:

All over Germany you will find these: Fritz-kolas. It's just a regular cola but it's made in Hamburg. I think it tastes very very very similar to RC, but what do I know.

At the very end of the Speicherstadt you're able to get a really awesome picture of where the canals finally converge. And... so here it is:

From there I walked to the Binnenaslter which is the small lake in the middle of town. Along the way to Binnenaslter, I had the following thoughts:

"Walking the streets and seeing the leaves fall it reminds me of the change in seasons and, therefore, the changes in me during this trip, the two of which have seemingly overlapped to perfection. In the spring I was being reborn into a new world- eager to experience anything and everything I could, it was all about the future. In the summer things happened so quickly and I lived every day in the moment- it was all about the present. Now it's the fall and I find myself reminiscing on what has transpired in my life, the trip, and how I've changed and grown- it's all about the past." 

I contemplated these things as I headed from the hauptbanhof toward the lake. It's odd yet seemingly appropriate how this trip has gone. From initially struggling to process my past life and start a new life, to living for the moment, and finally here I am reflecting on things. I find myself nearly constantly contemplating the past- as I've done many an autumn day. Although this time is different. So much has happened in the past year, hell- the past 7 years, that there is more than enough to ruminate on. It's both my favorite and least favorite part of the autumn. You think about all the happy great moments, but equally about all the ones you wish you could change.

Anyway, at this appropriately reflective lake you can get some great shots of the important buildings (spires) poking up around Hamburg. Also, this would be a lovely place to pack a picnic- or if not here then at the big lake very nearby.

Like that photo. Here you go: obligatory photo of yours truly.

Here is one last one of the lake in case you didn't believe me:

And finally, I worked my way around toward the train station to head back to Altona. Nearby I located a currywurst shop. It seemed relatively price reasonable so I ordered one. Whoa, I was not prepared for what I got... it was huge! Enough for 2 or 3 people!

My last night in Hamburg I bought some wine for myself and beer for Trung for being such a great host. It ended up being a very chill Sunday evening- drinking a little wine and beer, having a schnitzel and some fried rice, and watching The Avengers on his massive TV. After the past weeks in Germany, a nice quiet evening was exactly what I needed. In fact, I was hoping to get a few more in the future. Next up: Koln (Cologne) and Dusseldorf, my last two stops in Germany.