a travel blog by renata green
Hamburg is home to Europe’s third-largest harbor. This might give travellers – like for instance cruise ship passengers – the opportunity to explore the city on a layover. For them, I’ve put together a perfect itinerary for up to 24 hours in Hamburg.
This very popular category on my blog is designated to transform a layover into a short extra vacation.
This Way to the Whole Story ->“The sun reflects strongly off the puddles, so don’t forget to put sun protection on your knee pits”, orders Ute pointing at my bare legs as we start walking on water off the shores of Cuxhaven.
I already did, but under her strict eyes, I repeatedly do as I am told. I do everything Ute marshals. The next four hours, she will guide me together with about two dozen other hikers into the tideland off the shore of Cuxhaven. My life will depend on her knowledge and sense of orientation, after all.
We will be sort of walking on water – so I better listen to my leader.
This Way to the Whole Story ->Let me guide you through Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city and self-proclaimed Gateway to the World. Personally, I took the slogan of my hometown very literally and became a globetrotter and travel blogger. Hamburg’s maritime charm and traditional cosmopolitanism will delight you and you will be enchanted by seductive views that will whet your appetite for undiscovered shores. Germans call this wanderlust Fernweh – loosely translated to aching for distance.
While international tourism to Germany is increasing, visitors rather stick to the clichés like beer and Lederhosen in Munich and a cruise on the Mosel River, or they hang out at the hip capital Berlin – instead of enjoying Island Hopping in Germany.
I guess that’s the reason why many people think Germany is landlocked. They don’t think about long coasts, two seas, and about 80 islands.
However, that’s exactly what Germany’s north has to offer – and many fascinating phenomena like the tideland that comes with it. As a matter of fact, Germany’s shoreline is longer than the Portuguese one.
So what are you waiting for? Join me on my island hopping…in Germany!
This Way to the Whole Story ->In the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of people left Europe for the Americas in search of a better life – choosing a migration route through North German ports.
As a counterpart to the arrival halls in Ellis Island, several museums in German cities remember the adventurous journeys of the emigrants in transit.
This Way to the Whole Story ->“So, by which ferry did you get here?” asks the chubby little lady and her accent gives her away as Southern German. “Well, I came here walking”, I beam at her, still thrilled by my hike from the mainland to the island of Neuwerk.
The lady looks over the rough sea where the huge waves are rolling towards the shores of Cuxhaven. She frowns and shakes her head and is, obviously, thinking I’m trying to tell her a cock and bull story.
Little does she know: Visiting the island of Neuwerk, the way is most definitely the goal!
This Way to the Whole Story ->Hamburg has always been unique – on many levels. Hence, it’s only logical that much of the best street art in Hamburg is quite different from the murals you get to see in other cities.
So, put on your most comfortable shoes, polish your camera’s lens, and let’s explore all those grand murals that are embellishing the walls of Germany’s self-proclaimed Gateway to the World.
This Way to the Whole Story ->