We embarked on a road trip from Frankfurt and decided on the first night that we would head north towards Scandinavia. There is a certain freedom that comes with having a car, and deciding on where to go last minute, but it also comes with some risks, like not being to get a place to stay on such short notice.
Still, after a few attempts with different hosts, our Airbnb booking in Hamburg came through and that was to be our first stop on the way to Copenhagen. We didn’t think much of Hamburg at first, choosing it as a stop simply because it was on the way to Denmark and Ryan could rest after driving the long distance. But the second largest city in Germany was a lovely city to stop over.
Through Airbnb, we stayed at Kim’s place, which was not far from the city centre. His home is stylish and cool, and I spent many an hour writing and editing work in his living room with the great view. If it were warmer, I would have sat at the sun deck too.
His balcony has an awesome view of the neighbourhood, and it's especially pretty at sunrise and sunset.
Besides lunching at the port of Hamburg, we visited St Michael’s Church and the lovely grounds surrounding it.
We also took a walk through Planten un Blomen (their botanical gardens), taking our time to enjoy the sights. We kind of took a little too long and ended up incurring a parking fine for an expired coupon. I hope the bill isn't going to be too big. We won't know till they send a letter to the car rental company.
We ended the day at the supermarket, where we stocked up on groceries for breakfast and dinner. Lunch we ate out but it seemed a shame not to cook in Kim's well-equipped kitchen.
I know, we sound like two aunties hanging out at supermarkets while traveling. But it is part of the enjoyment. We even managed to score 30% off the already cheap pork we found at the supermarket near our apartment, because it was the end of the day. That was a very tasty pork too, as you can see in the photos above.
It helps when one of you is an ace cook (not me). And breakfast in the apartment is also enjoyable.
Music in the apartment was provided by my Spotify playlists and my newly-bought Harmon Kardon Esquire Mini Bluetooth speaker. I never thought I'd bother carrying one extra piece of tech on my trips, especially since I am such an ultralight packer these days, but darn it, that speaker is useful as heck. Acts as a wireless speaker, speaker phone, and emergency powerbank.
Sounds good too, for the size. It is smaller than my iPhone 6 Plus but thicker. You could pop it into your jeans pocket and not feel it at all. Perfect for music in the hotel room or even for watch movies on your tablet or smartphone.
Hamburg is pretty laid back for the second largest city in Germany. If I had any complaint, it was the weather. It gets a little nippy sometimes. For spring, it was pretty cold. But we came equipped with winter clothing anyway.
Thanks, Hamburg! Onward to Copenhagen next!
