Sunday, 23 July 2006
Early morning, we were wakened by the conductor telling us that Berlin was 25 minutes away. The train arrived in the Berlin Hauptbahnhof at about 6:10. I had to wait there for about an hour eating breakfast, before the first train to Hamburg pulled in at about 7:10.
Though Hamburg was about 300 kilometres away from Berlin, the fast ICE train made the trip in about one hour and a half. In the main station, I had a trying time purchasing a Hamburg metro pass, because the staff only spoke German.
I first took the S-train to Landungsbrücken, a very pleasant quayside filled with people. About a kilometre of walk brought me to the fish market (Fischmarkt), notable in Hamburg every Sunday morning from about 5:00 to 10:00. At first, there were mostly souvenirs, clothes, plants, etc.. But continuing further in, I eventually hit some seafood sellers. The interesting thing was that often fruits were bought in large baskets--prepackaged by the seller and containing various types of fruits. Each basket cost about 10 Euros.
Coming back, I made a diversion to Reeperbahn, which in the daylight looked quite peaceful, but the abundance of beer caps on the ground was a telltale sign of its unruly nights. St. Michaelis Church was also nearby, as well as a park with a giant statue holding a sword.
The U-train took me to the Rathaus square, which was dominated on the north by the historical town hall, and on the south side by a line of snack stalls. Few hundred metres to the east of the Rathaus were St. Petri and St. Jakobi churches. North of the square was a beautiful canal, with coffee stores on the west side. The canal led the way to the Binnenalster, a lake with a fountain in the middle. All crowded, all shimmering, under the searing summer sun.
The final stop was the Damntor train station, and the shores of the Aussenalster was just a short walk away. Beside the fact that the willow trees lining the shores greatly hindered the view, the water was dotted with sails and boats, and along the shore was quite a beautiful park filled with walkers, joggers, or cyclists. The walk took a bend, and I left it and headed for the Hamburg main train station past noon.