Hallo!
It’s been a long time coming for our first post. During our first few weeks, we have gotten settled in, learned the local transit systems, and settled into a routine. Here are some of the highlights from our trip!
Cultural events with the Universität Hamburg
Campus tour – On the first day, we were given a tour of the Hamburg University campus, where we learned about the history and significance of the buildings. We learned about the heavy bombings that happened in Hamburg during WWII, and about which buildings were rebuilt and which ones survived. We also learned about the historical Jewish neighborhood stretching alongside the campus, and the Jewish church in the middle.
St. Michel church – Our university contacts took us to the top of the church, where we had a 360 degree view of the city center. We were able to clearly see the historical buildings, the churches scattered throughout, and the famous landmarks such as the Speicherstadt and the Elbephilharmonie. We climbed down 453 stairs (we were too lazy to climb up them) where we got to see the clock and bell tower mechanisms inside.
Caught in a rainstorm – We were taken on a guided city walking tour, and it started raining right when we met up. Soon, it developed into a heavy downpour. We took shelter when we could, but we soldiered on. We toured the Rathaus and the shopping district of Jungfernstieg, but the rain was unrelenting. Finally, we decided to end the tour early, and decided to dash like madmen for the train station. During this trek, we got entirely soaked, and the three of us struggling against the pelting rain with an inside-out umbrella would have been great cartoon material.
Fun things we’ve done
Reeperbahn festival – This is a big, annual music festival with multiple different sites, venues, and events across multiple days. There were food and drink stalls, indoor and outdoor stages, and vendors selling cool art and merch. There was a Canada House takeover, hosted by CIMA, and all of the bands playing in this venue travelled from Canada. It was pretty cool to see a building covered in Canadian flags while being abroad. All the bands put on amazing shows!
Cruise parade – The cruise festival was packed with people. We stood on the pier for an hour and a half, watching giant cruise ships back up into position, and then move forward in the parade at painfully slow speeds. The event had good energy, though, and it felt nice to be a part of the camaraderie. The night ended off with a firework show, which made the long, cold night worth it.
Beach trip – We travelled to Lübeck to see the beach, which was an hour and a half away. The water was so clear, green, and we sat by the pier watching the people. The weather was really nice as well, and we were disappointed we didn’t pack swimsuits. However, on the trip back, 2 trains back to Hamburg got cancelled, and we were jerked around from platform to platform, so by the time we got on the train, there were three trains’ worth of people packed into one.
Those are some of the highlights from our trip so far. Next post, we will talk more about our experiences in school!
Tchüss!
Cindy, Kristen, Sophia