Europe: An Excursion to Hamburg

Just another run-of-the-mill building in Hamburg...

I feel like today was my first real day in Europe. This was for several reasons, the biggest one being that I finally feel recovered from jet lag. The second reason is that Anna decided to take me on a whirlwind tour of the city of Hamburg. We hopped in the car and drove through the countryside toward Germany’s second-largest city.

It was beautiful in every way. From the Gothic and modern church spires towering above the skyline (some without churches attached, silent reminders of the last world war) to lace curtains in cottage windows, there was always something to catch my fascination. We walked around the downtown, ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant, and Anna pointed out the old and new buildings: which ones had survived, which ones had been bombed and rebuilt. “Americans do not understand what war is like,” Anna told me. We know what it means to send our soldiers overseas— we don’t have any concept of what it’s like to be civilians in the midst of a battle.

From the city center we drove to the harbor, which is massive. On one side, cranes make 40-foot cargo crates look like matchboxes as they stack them onto barges. We took the ferry through the harbor, hopped out and strolled past rows of little cottages. I saw what Beverly Hills (and just about every other fancy American neighborhood) tries to capture: quaint brick and stonework, lattices, glossy windows, tile roofs, and mix of modern and Old World sensibility. 

The whole city was… pick an adjective. Pretty. Beautiful. Inspiring. European. What struck me most were a row of warehouses that we passed. Compared to the other buildings, they weren’t particularly special, but they were made with care and good aesthetic. The windows had arches and little decorative edges. The brickwork was artistically laid, arching and peaking into intricate patterns at the top. It was delicate and wonderful to explore with my eyes. And it was just a row of warehouses. I remarked on this to Anna, and with a smile she said, “It has always been a merchant city. We take pride in our trade.”

I felt inspired and energized after being infused with that much amazing architecture. It was distinct, creative, each building unique. It took all of two seconds to look around and realize, This is not America. This is Europe. This is the Old World charm that is so amazing to behold. I’m in Europe. And today, for the first time, it really hit me.

Who builds warehouses this pretty? Hamburg, that's who.

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