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!

Hamburg: Sara Wins the Award for World's Most Awkward Vegetarian and Goes Carnival Crazy

First, it has come to my attention that it appears I am not working-that I just traipse about eating blue things and looking at pretty landscapes. Although I do a whole lot of the latter, I promise I am working! I just changed a little boy's diaper. And yesterday we played with train tracks. I am also engaged in an ongoing war of "Got your nose!", and I am involved in the saga that is "Papa Hund und Baby Hund" (Papa dog and baby dog). So. I am working. And I'll write about that soon! But for now, Hamburg :)

Last Friday I took the train to Hamburg (about 8 1/2 hours), getting in the late afternoon. I was immediately overwhelmed by the humidity and number of people I was surrounded by. Seriously. The train station and streets were just packed. It was a very weird, slightly disconcerting feeling to feel overwhelmed by this aspect of a city. I had not realized until now how accustomed I had become to living in the countryside. I would not venture to say I have never been overwhelmed by a city, just that normally this overwhelmed feeling usually comes from "wow this place is so beautiful" , not "oh my god there are so many people."

Another thing-normally before this I would have looked up directions to where I was going from the train station. But the night before I was tired and said to myself "Sara, that is what a smartphone is for. Just look it up once you are there. Or if you must, on the train." So, I plugged in the address of where I was going (I couch surfed just outside the city) into the tranist app I had downloaded. The directions had me making all sorts of transfers. I remembered that my host said they were a short walk from a subway station, so I looked that up on the map instead, and made the executive decision to trust a human over an app.

I couch surfed with a family (which I realize is uncommon, normally it is hip/hippie/hipster youngins with an extra couch). They invited me to eat dinner with them, which was nice. I had never couch surfed before and hadn't expected they would feed me.

The problem is that I forget I am vegetarian. Or rather, I forget I must tell or remind people. Because at this point most of the people I interact with (at least over food) know.

So, we sat down to eat, and that is when I realized I should have asked what we were eating beforehand. The dad had made a very tasty-smelling casserole, and I couldn't quite tell what was in it. I told myself that since I wrote on my couch surfing profile I'm vegetarian, they must know. I told myself that ignorance is bliss and not to look to closely at the food or ask. I decided I could pick around any meat parts I noticed. I sat there feeling real awkward and not knowing when or even if to mention it. Before I had taken a bite, it came up that there was mince in the casserole.

Well, there went my blissful ignorance.

I was fine picking around the meat bits. But I knew this would look weird without explanation. I thought I could make it look like I just didn't finish all my food-although this would require taking substantially more food so that it wasn't just meat left on the plate. I realized there was now no non-awkward way to mention it. I couldn't decided if it was weirder to say it after I had picked around the meat, hoping they wouldn't notice or say anything, or to mention it before (Meat eaters, please weigh in! I will take note for further awkward situations). I decided to mention it. Lots of awkwardness and apologies ensued, and I insisted I could eat around it (it was quite easy, actually). Whew.

The family had another couch surfer that weekend, and we spent Saturday exploring the city together. It was so nice to spend time with someone my age. I have lately been wishing I had a friend or someone to explore the area with, but I also know that I like walking a lot. And biking a lot. And am not a fan of cabs or running from attraction A to attraction B "because I am in ______ so obviously I have to see ______". This is not to say I don't like touristy things (I like Boudin's, cable cars, and Chinatown as much as the next person). I just want to see them if they are inherently interesting to me, not because that is what I am ":supposed to" or "have to" see when I am in a city.

So when I have found myself wanting a friend, I have reminded myself of this-that even if I had a friend here, it would not be likely that they like to explore places similarly. Well as it turns out, the girl and I were on the same page about all of this, so we spent the day walking around, utilizing the transit system, and going to a few nice places.

First, there was a walking tour I had heard about which, rather than going to five churches and ten monuments and talking about King something and King something the second, walks around a few neighborhoods to talk about street art, gentrification, and political movements in the city.

WWII Bunker, now a climbing wall

Churchin' about

After this, we went to St. Micheal's church, which has a very nice view of the city. After sitting in the pews for a bit, admiring the architecture (and also cooling off), we climbed up the tower.

Wow.

Just wow.

It was so beautiful. You could see everything (including the Sommerdom, which although I had been excited for before, made me even more excited).

After this we went to the Planten un Blumen park and walked around for a while. It was quite beautiful, and a nice break from the city and concrete (which is not something I often want a break from #ihavebeeninthecountrysolong #whatevenisthisfeeling).

Japanese Tea Garden

Then we decided to go to the Hamburger Sommerdom, which for those of you who don't know is basically a HUGE CARNIVAL.

As in a 3 kilometer (1.86 miles) long carnival.

It was amazing.

There were so many things I wanted to consume. Most of them blue and sugary. My friend did a very good job at helping me pace myself so I did not just eat the first thing in sight. Instead we walked around the whole thing, scoping out the best places to eat. After a "dinner" of french fries (Insert my mom scolding me here "Sara"), I got something called a quarkbällen-it was made with quark cheese, but not in a quark-filling kind of way. It was a doughnut, basically, but very light and fluffy and covered in cinnamon sugar. The Dom had about a million doughnut stalls, but we found the one where you can see them making them on site. So tasty!

Quarkbällen

Typical American

After that we were so beat though, so we headed back to our hosts' home to get ready for an early morning at the Fischmarkt... Which I will continue about später!