Hamburg, Germany

For Thanksgiving weekend, we set off for Hamburg so we could celebrate the holiday (a couple days delayed) with Alana and Adam. We celebrated Christmas with them in London and thought it would be fun to do another holiday with them in Germany!

We arrived in Hamburg Friday evening. Adam met us at the airport and we set our for their flat. We dropped off our bags and then went to their neighborhood Christmas market for a proper German market meal - bratwurst (currywurst for Shane) and gluhwein (mulled wine). We loved the neighborhood market atmosphere - lots of people, Christmas lights and holiday cheer. After our meal, we headed towards the city center to check-out some of the famous Christmas markets. I was nervous that the markets were not going to be open but we got lucky that they were set-up the weekend prior. A co-worker of mine, Darren, was also in Hamburg and he joined us at the markets. The German Christmas markets are quite impressive, we were happy to experience them!

The next morning we grabbed coffee and breakfast at a local spot and took a stroll along the canal. Alana and Adam live right on the water - the view is spectacular - and pedestrian paths run along the canal for people to enjoy.

After our walk, we headed towards the city center and stumbled upon a Christmas parade - seriously, Germany loves Christmas. We grabbed lunch in the city center and then went to check-out the port. The company that I work for recently shipped cargo to Hamburg so I was a bit overly excited to see the port in action. We walked through the Old Elbe tunnel - a 426 m long tunnel located 24 m below the surface under the river Elbe - and caught a glimpse of Hamburg from the other side of the river.

We crossed back across the river, via the tunnel, and joined up with a walking tour. The walking tour was through the St. Pauli area of Hamburg and started at the Old Elbe tunnel, went through the famous Fischmarkt and then up to Reeperbaun. Reeperbaun is a red-light district and known for its nightlife. Along the Reeperbaun, we made a stop at Beatlesplatz, a memorial for the Beatles who started their career in Hamburg, and the Herbertstrabe. The Herbertstrabe is a side street that has women in windows for customers and has a strict policy of no women viewers and no phones. Although women cannot be forbidden to go down the street, the women in the windows are known to throw items and shout at the women who choose to walk down the street. The sun went down towards the end of tour, and it quickly turned freezing cold, so Adam, Shane and I opted to cut the tour short and head back to the flat to help Alana with the Thanksgiving prep.

When we arrived back at Alana & Adam's, Alana was in the kitchen working away and the place smelled amazing. Alana had prepped during the week for the meal and had everything organized and ready to go - I was so impressed. I jumped in to be Alana's sous chef while Adam and Shane watched football, not the American kind.

Alana's Thanksgiving was fantastic! We started with butternut squash soup, moved on to salad and then had turkey with mashed potatoes, stuffing and green bean casserole and finished with pecan pie - all homemade! Adam's coworker and his wife and sister joined for the feast and told some entertaining stories about his time in the U.S. It was great to meet them and share Thanksgiving traditions.

On Sunday, we grabbed brunch with Alana and Adam before catching our afternoon flight back to London. We loved visiting Hamburg and being able to spend time with them!

    

Krakow, Poland

After work on Friday, Shane and I headed to the airport for a weekend in Krakow, Poland. We arrived in Krakow shortly after 10pm and met our airbnb host at our apartment just off the Old Town Square.

As we were walking to meet up with our host, we passed through various pop-up markets with vendors selling a variety of food and drink. We were excited to see so many people out and about despite the freezing temperatures. We dropped our bags in the cozy flat and headed out ourselves to check-out the scene. We wandered into a bar/pub off the Old Town Square that took us back in time a bit - old building, old furniture, old bar. We later found out that the place we came across served some of the best chocolate desserts in Krakow. If only we had known when we were there!

The next morning we were up early to catch our transportation for the tour of Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp from World War II. The tour was tough but we are glad that we did it. The tour started at Auschwitz I and continued on to Auschwitz II - Birkenau. Auschwitz I was originally a small work camp for Polish political prisoners that turned into an execution camp  in 1941. Due to the magnitude of individuals brought to Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II - Birkenau was constructed. Compared to Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II - Birkenau was massive.

During the Auschwitz I portion of the tour, we toured the barracks, the shooting wall, the hanging post, the holding cells used for prisoners prior to execution and one of the small gas chambers. There were also displays of the belongings taken from the individuals brought to the camp, as well as hair of the individuals brought to the camp that had yet to be sold or burned prior to the liberation. Our tour guide told us horrific stories of forced labor, inhumane medical experiments and executions.

During the Auschwitz II portion of the tour, we visited the memorial, viewed the barracks and saw the ruins of the gas chambers and crematorium. The gas chambers and crematorium at Auschwitz II - Birkenau were destroyed by the Germans just prior to the liberation in an attempt to hide what occurred at the camp. Auschwitz II - Birkenau was divided into a men and women's camp. The men's barracks were constructed of wood so only the chimney's of the barracks remain; the women's barracks were constructed of brick and still remain intact. We heard more horrific stories about the concentration and execution camp.

Out of respect for the victims that lost their lives, or battled for their lives in the horrible conditions, we only kept pictures at the entrance to each camp and the memorial at Auschwitz II - Birkenau. Over 1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered at these camps.

(entrance to Auschwitz I)

(entrance to Auschwitz II - Birkenau)

After our Auschwitz tour, we were in need of a drink so we decided to do a food/vodka tasting tour. Our tour consisted of the two of us, two German police officers and our local Krakow guide - it was a great group! The tour included stops at four spots - all of which involved a vodka tasting and two of which included a food tasting. Our first stop was an old restaurant where we tasted our vodka in one of the typical Polish fashions - with herring. The vodka was a bit harsh for our liking. Poland distills their vodka less than American's. Our next stop was a small vodka bar and we tried flavored vodka's - one sweet and one spicy. I preferred the sweet, Shane preferred the spicy. Our third stop was a restaurant where we ate gherkins, bread and lard (Polish butter) and bigos (Polish stew) along with our vodka. Our last stop was a speakeasy establishment where we had vodka-based cocktails. We really enjoyed the last stop and stayed for another cocktail with the two German police officers. They were interested in hearing our opinion on US politics (Donald Trump) and gave us great advice of things to do and see in Germany and the rest of Europe.

The next morning we woke up early so that we could explore the city. We grabbed breakfast off the Old Town Square and then strolled through the market.

 After the market, we hopped in a horse-drawn carriage for a quick tour of the city. The carriage was lovely! It was filled with warm blankets and it was nice to be out of the wind and the cold for a bit.

After the our carriage ride, we were back to walking, and headed to the castle. The castle is quite magnificent and perfectly positioned looking over the city.

After walking around the castle grounds, we headed to the Jewish quarter and had a dumpling lunch. The Jewish quarter is also known for its flea markets so we perused around those as well before heading back to the flat to grab our bags and catch a cab to the airport.

We loved Krakow. The city is beautiful - and it was cheap - what's not to love?!