A few days with a Hamburger

I took a direct regional train from Hagen to Hamburg on Sunday afternoon. I had not made a reservation, so I was afraid I was going to have to stand the three hours of the train ride, but luckily I found a seat. I think at one point I was yelled at in Greek by some lady. It may have been German, but I am not sure. She was telling me to move my stuff so she could be more comfortable, I think. And then she started reading a magazine in Greek.
Torben lives in Hamburg. He was also an exchange student in Mexico, but did not live near me. I saw him several times throughout the exchange year.
Even though I had told Torben I would meet him on the platform I left because I desperately had to go to the bathroom after drinking a whole water bottle on the train. So, I lugged my 50 pound suitcase up the stairs then found the bathrooms walked down the stairs, only to find that it costs 70 cents to use the bathroom. I did not have 70 cents. So I had to lug my stuff up the stairs again to say hi to Torben and then ask to borrow 70 cents, because that´s the kind of guest I am. (Please note that I said hi, hugged him and said it was nice to see him before I asked for 70 cents.)
We drove to Torben´s house where his mother prepared a traditional German meal complete with pork, dumplings, kraut, and gravy. Delcious. Two of Torben's friends came over for dinner and stayed and hung out for a while afterwards. I just sat there because they were speaking in German most of the time and I wasn´t really paying attention.
Monday Torben and I walked around Hamburg's center. It is a port/harbor city. We went into what would be the equivalant of the town hall and found an exhibit on those who were persecuted during the Nazi regime. All of it was in German, of course, but Torben translated most of it for me. Most of the exhibit was about homosexuals, but it exteneded to Jews and other minoritites.
We walked by a church that was bombed during World War II and then never repaired. We sat outside of the church and had a drink, but if this had happend 70 years ago we would have been sitting inside the church.

Some scenes from Hamburg



Then we went to a mini museum where there are a lot of model cities including Hamburg and Las Vegas. There is a partof Scandanavia and Switzerland. I thought it was really nice, a bit tedious to look so closely at the mini fiures, but really neat. There is an amusement park scene where someone is bent over throwing up and in the mountains of Switzerland there is a strategically placed Milka cow.
After the museum we ate a a cute little French restaurant, where their specialty is, of course, crepes. We both had a crepe with cheese, ham, camelized onions, and spinich. He had an egg on his as well.


Then for dessert we had a crepe with carmel apple and ice cream. It was both perfect and delicious.


Tuesday was a lazy day, but got really exciting at night because Torben and I went to see the musical Tarzan. To say I really enjoyed it would be an understatement. I loved it. I thought the acrobatics were amazing and fun. The gorrilas came down in the audience on bunji cords and the swung from the walls. When the ship sinks at the beginning of the story they have a really cool under water scene where the actors are hanging and swimming. Even though it was all in German I really was enthralled with it and I bet it would be good in English as well, so if anyone has the opportunity to go to it, GO!
Wednesday, Torben and I went to the driving range at the golf course. I used to play gold all the time when I was younger. I hadn´t played in a while, but I thought I could get back into the swing of it (nopun intended). I was wrong, very wrong. I had either really been out of practice or been swinging incorrectly my whole life: probably both. I whacked some of them pretty far, but I also created some huge divits as well. We also had a putting contest. I lost. I had a good time, though. I think this has prepared me for the Vincent Golf Outing this year.


This is what I look like after I swing.


And this is what you're supposed to look like.

We finished golfing and got ice cream. I must say, one of my favorite parts about Germany is that they have hazlenut ice cream. I absolutely love it, so that´s what I got.
Torben´s parents invited two of their neighbors over for dinner that night. It was fun to meet more people. They cooked out on the grill and had salad and bread and bread spreads. Torben´s dad is a wine lover (me too!) and so he brought out different kinds of German wine and I got to try a white Pinot Noir. He explained to me how it could be a red-white wine, but I forgot.


One of their neighbors has an Apple laptop that is 10 years old! It was pretty sweet to see it. It still works, but the battary doesn´t, so if he wants to use it he has to plug it in. He can connect to the internet with it as well. He also had a brand new Apple laptop, and that was also cool to see.

Thursday we went for a harbor boat trip.



Thursday night we went into the Red Light District of Hamburg. This district has lots of sex shops and erotic dance clubs and such, but it also serves as the place where the hippest bars are located. After doing a little bit of dancing, Torben and I walked through the Red Light District and saw all its lights and attractions. We walked along side this older couple briefly and a bouncer at theclub thought that this couple was one of our parents and offered us a discout if we entered together. We declined the offer.
Then we get to the part where there are a lot of prostitutes. They are all wearing fanny packs. Earlier in the day Torben had made some comment of giving me a fanny pack and leaving me in Red Light District. I didn´t quite understand why, but after I saw these ladies it all made sense. I am happy he didn´t give me a fanny pack and he didn´t leaveme there by myself.
Friday we went for a long bike ride through a huge cemetery. Apparently if you look at a map of the city of Hamburg, you can always find this cemetery because it´s so massive.


Men working in the Kitchen, the way it should be. Asparagus is in season right now and I find it a huge thing in Germany. I can't recall seeing so much stuff for asparagus ever in the United States. We had a delicious dinner of asparagus, potatoes, ham, and Dutch sauce (No one is quite sure what makes the sauce Dutch, but it's tasty!)

Friday night we went to see Angels and Demons with Tom Hanks. It was a good movie, as usual, the book was way better. Luckily both of us had read the book so it gave us something to talk about afterwards. Also right before the movie I introduced Torben to some of my favorite people Ben & Jerry!


Saturday night we went met up with Kate, my future roommate in Hamburg. Kate has spent the past year studying in a small town about 30 minutes from Hamburg. So Torben and I met up with Kate and her friend and spent the evening hanging out in a park talking. We got to see some interesting things like drunk, angry Turkishmen.

Sunday morning we went to the Hamburg Fish Market. It happens every Sunday from 5 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., more or less. We went at about 7 a.m. They sell Hamburg souviners, fruit, fish, meat, candy, and jewelery.
I left Hamburg that afternoon to meet up with Kate on a train to go to her new appartment in Berlin.