Hamburg: Sara Eats Blue Food and is Introduced to the Cruel World of Claw Machines

My Sunday in Hamburg started bright and early at 6am. My friend and I really wanted to go the Hamburg Fischmarkt, but it goes from 5am-9:30am, so we had to get an early start.

We decided to take a longer route there, so that we could ride the ferry in. The ferry we took was decorated as an advertisement for the Lion King, so you know, that was worth getting up early for in itself.

Awkward angle for a panorama

I know what you are thinking when I say that I went to a fischmarkt. "But Sara, you are a vegetarian (A world's most awkward award winning one, at that), why on earth would you get up at that ungodly hour to smell some fish?"

The Fishmarkt did have a lot of fish, yes. But there were fruit auctions where you could get large baskets of fruit (I am talking needing two people to carry it back kind of big) for ten euros. As well as pasta auctions. And live music. And bakery and coffee stalls (where I got a franzbröchten the size of my head). And little tents to buy trinkets. Despite our exhaustion, it was a lot of fun. 

Most importantly I found and purchased a blue cupcake.

I saw the little truck the first time we wandered around the market. The man asked if I wanted to take a picture, I am guessing I was staring at the blue cupcake and smiling a little too much. Buuuuut, I was embarrassed and said no thanks and kept going.

Then we passed it a second time. I wanted the blue cupcake SO BAD! My friend said that I could get one and save it for later (I like blue. I like sugar. But even I have limits- it was too early in the morning!). Again, he asked if I wanted one, so I asked what was in the blue one.

To be honest I don't remember. I was just so happy (the company's slogan is "It's a happy thing" for a reason). Something about raspberry. Or wildberry. I do remember that it was a vanilla cupcake and a surprise (or special) filling (this tasted like a blueberry muffin-in the best possible way). We chatted for a bit (it turns out he opened the first cupcake place in Germany), then I walked away with my happy little cupcake.

I was *real* excited to eat it. I wasn't sure how long I would be able to hold off. 

Let's go back to my previous post where I A. talked about choosing directions from a human instead of a smart phone and B. talked about not planning too much when I go to a place. 

Well, before going to Hamburg I told myself that it was a very long journey to plan zero things for, and I decided to give the whole going from A to B to C type of travelling and sightseeing a shot. I found a walking tour that goes around to different attractions in Hamburg and thought I would give it a try. What else was I going to do with my day, after all?

My friend told me how to get to the nearest subway station so that I could get to the center. As I was walking, I mostly forgot exactly which turns to take and how to get there. So, I looked up how to get to the city center (or rather, the exact meeting point of the Rathaus) from where I was. The transit app gave me different directions than my friend had, but I thought I would give them a try.

I am never trusting a smartphone again. Rather than sending me to the Hamburg Rathaus, it sent me to one (I think Rathaus just means town/city hall or something similar) a ways outside the city. Which I didn't realize until we passed a stop that I remembered was near a museum I was mildly interested in a bit outside the city.

Least to say, I missed the tour. But, this was also maybe for the better, and I instead walked to the lake where I consumed my MOST DELICIOUS CUPCAKE EVER. Seriously. It was so good. I have never liked a bought-cupcake so much. I should have bought two. Or five. Or ten.

After this I went on the ferry, and took in a loop so that I could look at the city. It was really beautiful, but I was also maybe falling asleep-the inside of the ferry was so warm and I was so tired!

I then decided that I should maybe consume something green. Not neon green. Vegetable green. Although Hamburg is a city, it was still a Sunday so my options were pretty limited outside the Starbucks and McDonald's realm (I was hungry, but not desperate). I did manage to find a sandwich with green things on it, and to drink an "iced" (I use "iced" because it was more just not-hot than actually cold) macchiato. 

After this I decided it was time for one last stop at the Sommerdom. I was exhasuted, and really just wanted to sleep. But, I am not one to turn down a ferris wheel, so I headed in that direction (after looking at a real life map. No more of this smartphone business!)

It was just as fantastic the second time around.After walking the full loop, I rode the ferris wheel, and got a
nutella filled doughnut.

Then I got it in my head that claw machines can't be that difficult. They are just hard for kids. And, after walking around the dom many times I had seen my fair share of claw machines. Many of which had minions in them. I kept thinking, how hard could it possibly be to just aim and push a button?

So, I decided to give it a go. And let me tell you, those things are awful! There was nothing wrong with my aim, but the claw always dropped my minion! I decided that maybe the minions were too heavy for the claw. I found a machine with smaller minions (albeit they were the minions with little outfits, and I am not about that life). Only to see that they came with a smaller claw. WHAT EVEN IS THIS. All. I. Wanted. Was. A. Minion!

And thus, I was introduced to the cruel world of claw machines.

Like this. But giant.

As a thank you to my hosts, I wanted to bring them doughnuts back from the dom (the kids are too little to go yet). I went back to one of the doughnut stalls where you could see them being made in front of you. While I was there, I saw these things that looked like giant doughnut holes with chocolate sprinkles. Obviously, I wanted one. I decided to save it for the ride back the next day though. I was completely sugared out.

Spoiler alert: It was not a giant doughnut hole. It was rum cake. Sara's naiveté and desire for chocolate get the best of her again!

The next day, I had a short bit of time in the city, which I spent with a chocolate franzbröchten by the lake. Not a bad end to the weekend!