2 Go Hamburg Photos

From Stockholm, we boarded a night train to Copenhagen. As we were traveling on a Friday night and made our reservations rather late, the only compartments that were available were 2-person sleeper cars. The forced luxury was very nice, because both the compartment and the beds were very spacious and comfortable.

After arriving well-rested in Copenhagen, we stashed our bags in a locker and headed north for the morning to the impressive Frederiksborg Castle. Sitting roughly 40 minutes by train outside downtown Copenhagen, we spent the morning touring the castle and the grounds before heading back to Copenhagen, grabbing our bags, and heading south to the German city of Hamburg.

A port city that bustles with life, much of Hamburg was flattened during WWII. In spite of this, the city has retained its character and soul, and was a very pleasant place to spend 2 nights.

You have to get up pretty early in the morning to truly enjoy the Fish Market. And that we did. Held every Sunday morning from 5:00am till 10:00am, the Fish Market has been held since 1703. We arrived at the St. Pauli-Fischmarkt at 6:00 a.m. as the sun was just beginning to wake up. In search of good fish activity, we found it here. One of the biggest draws in the market are the various fish auctioneers/stand-up comics who puts together a combination of fish, piece by piece, announcing the price to the crowd each time he adds a new fish to the package. He keeps doing so until someone decides that they want the paper-wrapped fish. In order to draw a crowd and, thereby make money, you must be entertaining. This man could sell fish to a vegan. He had the crowd in stitches. We wished that we could speak German, because his jokes sounded like they were pretty hilarious.

Here is the old-school fish auctioneer. He stands in his booth which is at ground level, instead of on a high pedestal. He draws small crowds and sells his fish. No jokes, no gimmicks, just good fish.

Of course, the Fish Market is not just fish. Not these days. One can find meat, large baskets of fruit, clothing, souvenirs, donuts, large plants, bouquets of flowers and even a large dance hall with live jazz music and flowing kegs. Yes, the Fish Market does begin at 5:00 a.m., and you can either get up really early or stay up really late to enjoy the festivities.

Hamburg is a very important port city in Europe. In fact, it is the second largest port, standing only behind Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It is very exciting to see all of the activity here as large container ships roll in and get unloaded and loaded back up again.

Giant cranes stand ready for the ships and their cargo.

Hamburg has always played an important roll in German history. This became very apparent when we visited the town hall. Built between 1886 and 1897, this ornately decorated legislative building stands fit for a king. This new town hall was erected after its predecessor had to be blown up in order to keep the Great Fire of Hamburg of 1842 from spreading even further. Hamburg suffered greatly from this fire and, later, from World War II. She has recovered well.

As we walked the quiet streets, typical of a Sunday afternoon in Europe, we came across a small festival. We were happy to partake in the free-for-you food and cultural entertainment like you see here.

Now join us as we visit the modern and innovative city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands to visit our friends from the Galápagos Islands, Bernd and Marga.

Or return to 2 Go Photos Home Page to check out other exciting destinations.

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