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!
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