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Full of SurprisesIf you haven’t been to Hamburg yet, make some space in your agenda. This city is well worth a visit.TEXT: PAULA FONTAINE If you haven’t been to Hamburg yet, make some space in your agenda. This city is well worth a visit. I had always imagined Hamburg as gray and industrial, with old, smoke-wreathed buildings and rusty cranes amid the docks – a sad port city. I was wrong. Hamburg is pretty and green and full of life. First of all, there are parks everywhere you look and being outdoors is a big part of city life. At all hours, I saw people outside reading, sunning themselves on comfortable (and plentiful) benches or deck chairs, taking in views of fountains or lakes. And these are not just older retirees, they are young men and women, too. I often found myself wondering when these people worked… Hamburg is one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, but the high quality of life allows for plenty of free time to enjoy the fresh air, stress-free. A symbol of this lifestyle is the bicycle – everyone seems to ride one: elegant ladies in fine coats and pearl necklaces, businesspeople toting briefcases, young students. Every sidewalk is equipped with a cycle path, and stoplights accommodate cyclists, who can bring their bikes with them on the metro, too. Special equipment, kneepads, helmets and jogging suits are notably absent: cycling isn’t treated as a sport, but a real form of urban transport – quiet and clean – a way of life, even. Thanks to the use of bicycles, the main avenues aren’t clogged with cars or polluted with exhaust fumes and honking horns. Even though the traffic lights last a long time, they are respected with a distinctly Teutonic rigorousness. There may not be any cars coming, but bikers and pedestrians wait patiently for the crossing signal. The metro is another symbol of this tidy urban lifestyle. Modern and speedy, they surface at sunny and clean open-air stations that are reminiscent of small-town train depots. Water is also part of Hamburg’s charm. Not only is the city situated on the shores of the Elbe River, there is also Lake Alster – divided into the Binnenalster and the Aussenalster – in the heart of Hamburg. Surrounding the two sections of the lake are leafy parks (with cycle paths, of course). You can stroll along the shore, rent a canoe or take a tour boat out on the lake and through the small canals into beautiful residential neighborhoods. There are also ferries that act as public transportation, with fixed stops at small docks around the lake. On the shores of Lake Alster, you’ll see a number of majestic and legendary hotels, such as the Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons), which hosted rich and famous travelers making month-long stops on steamboat voyages in the late 19th century, and the Atlantic, which has attracted such celebrities as Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner. Opposite the ferry dock is a sector of small streets, starting at Jungfernstieg Avenue, where you can find stores specializing in every brand imaginable. Shopping is one of Hamburg’s other great attractions. And you can get everywhere on foot. Starting with the two department stores, Alsterhaus and Hamburger Hof, which offer great styles at great prices, you can continue on to the streets of Neuer Wall and Poststrasse, where you’ll encounter the boutiques of Hugo Boss, Bvlgari, Cartier, Rosenthal, Versace, Max Mara, Giorgio Armani, Hermes and famous local designer Jil Sander, among many others. There are also more modern and sporty options, like Zara, H&M, Diesel and Tommy Hilfiger. While going from store to store, you’ll notice that it’s not unusual to see three Porsches, four BMWs and three Mercedes Benz parked on the same block, all the latest models. This is Germany, after all, and one of the European cities with the highest concentrations of millionaires. British Mini Coopers are also a favorite ride among trendsetters. In fact, the modern, minimalist and very hip hotel Side lends out Minis to their VIP guests |
