The Port City & The Capital City

Hamburg:

To acquaint ourselves with this massive port city we plotted a course to wander along from our hotel to the tourist info place. What a way to be introduced to Hamburg –firstly the gritty, arty, grungy streets nearby gave a dirty version of Newtown (Sydney) feel and then we happened to stroll down into the seediest, dodgiest part!  Drunks, brothels, police, graffiti and rubbish (think Kings Cross x 100) were what we came across before reaching the port and being amazed by the sheer size of stevedoring, so much part of the city.

We were the ultimate tourists the following day by joining Hamburg’s version of a City Sightseeing bus-you know the one-double decker, open top, fire engine red.  The city is such a jigsaw that we though the best way to see it was to cruise around tourist style.  We did the whole 90min or so loop first without hopping off and got a great feel for the city, being exposed to more than just the scruffy side.  We ended up choosing an interesting area to wander around and low and behold came across a beer festival by the lake.  So with water views, local beer, casual chatter and cheesy live jazz music (yes there was a saxophone) we saw a different face of Hamburg.  To end the day we meandered back through the botanical gardens-a mass of lush green grass, beautiful blooms, and enchanting hidden gardens.

Maximising our final few hours in Hamburg on the morning of our departure we embarked on the 7.6km route around the Aussenalster-the outer of the Alster Lakes.  Aside from the usual morning joggers and dog walkers it was a quiet and pleasant way to start the day and to end our time in Hamburg.

Berlin:

After navigating our way out of the behemoth that is Berlin Hbf, finding our hotel without clear directions and noting that the hotel was right next door to the Australian Embassy we made a beeline for the must see museum of the capital-the Pergamon Museum.  The plan was to zip around the museum then head to a recommended restaurant for dinner.  This plan failed due to a number of rookie errors.  Firstly, the museum was ma-hass-ive!  You could easily spend half a day at least looking at all the archaeological treasures dug up from the metropolis that was Pergamon, Greece/Turkey not to mention the 360 degree, 25m high panorama. (see this for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergamon) .Then secondly, the restaurant was all booked out so after hours of traipsing around the museum then traipsing around town looking for food we collapsed into bed, exhausted but excited to explore further.

Quite intrigued by modern Berlin we took a cycle tour to see the ‘eccentric and uncensored sides of Berlin’.  For about 5 hours we cruised around the ‘burbs exploring public land use such as squats, rave clubs & street art, the effects of the Berlin Wall on architecture and how an old airport can be turned into an open space.

In an effort to see all the major attractions in Berlin we attempted to take ourselves on a walking tour (thank you Lonely Planet Germany for the guidance).  Unfortunately the heavy rain grossly hampered our efforts and dampened our spirits.  We did manage to see a bit of the Berlin Wall near Potzdammer Platz, the holocaust memorial and the Brandenburg Gate (including the money making capitalists dressed up in Soviet & American military attire getting cash for being in people’s photos) before seeking shelter in a massive Harrods style shopping arcade.  Also in true tourist style we were part of the ‘out of place, rain drenched and cash strapped’ crowd just looking rather than buying!  After a mad dash down to Check Point Charlie in the rain, we headed to the Reichstag where the sun finally shone.  We actually went up to the dome of the Reichstag for some great views too.

To take advantage of the (finally!) blue sky we took a stroll through some lovely areas including Gendarmenmarkt-a lovely beautiful square with beautiful buildings and the Bebelplatz-also some beauties but darkened by the fact that this is where the infamous 1933 Nazi book burnings took place. We finished the day in a great little eatery which has been around since 1621 and apparently has fed ‘everyone from Napolean to Angela Merkel’!

What stay in Berlin would be complete without a visit to the Eastside Gallery?  We set out early in the morning to be beat the tour buses and crowds to see the longest remaining stretch of the wall (about 1km) still standing but covered in murals.

Here is the link for some more photos :)