John Lennon, the leader of The Beatles, once said, “I might have been born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg,” and after spending two days in a city with some of the world’s best night-life and all things punk and chic, I see why Lennon held it with such admiration. My adventure to the place where the Beatles’ fame took off began with a flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to Hamburg Airport (HAM), known in German as Flughafen Hamburg, for $1,141.
I got an Uber from the airport to the JUFA hotel and quickly discovered that Uber isn’t as widely used, so there were a few times when a taxi or public transportation were the only options. I personally enjoyed the set-up of the room because of its modern and trendy look, but it’s also a plus that the hotel included free WiFi, free breakfast, it’s near the subway station and nearly a 10-15 minute walk from the center city. Luckily, the JUFA hotel was relatively close to some of the main attractions in Hamburg such as the Reeperbahn, which is where I ended up first. It’s a street and entertainment district similar to the Red Light District in Amsterdam. There were many sex shops, clubs, bars and restaurants throughout that strip, but the best part about it was following in the footsteps of where The Beatles’ fame skyrocketed. That’s why I knew I had to go check out some live music at Indra Musikclub, the club where The Beatles gave their first concert away from Liverpool.
After enjoying the good music and people watching, I walked further along the strip and saw a cozy and authentic-looking restaurant nearby called the Steak & Fish house so I went there for dinner and ordered a ribeye steak with garlic bread and a baked potato on the side. The food, in general, lacked the juicy and sizzling flavor I had hoped for, but I overall I can’t complain. It was alright, but would I go to this restaurant again? Probably not. After putting myself into a food coma, I went back to the hotel to get enough rest because I knew I would need all the energy I could get for the upcoming day.
Waking up bright and early, I started my 15-minute walk to the first destination on my itinerary for the second day in Hamburg: Speicherstadt. Speicherstadt is an awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest warehouse district in the world. This particular area of Hamburg is also similar to certain sections you’ll find in the center city of Amsterdam due to having a myriad of bridges, lakes and canals. The only difference is that the Speicherstadt’s architectural design is encompassed by neo-Gothic red bricks and arches. Despite the aura given off by its eerie looks, there are a lot of entertaining activities surrounding the area. The chocolate museum, also known as Chocoversum, is one of those must-see activities. For €15, I embarked on a 90-minute guided tour, ate tons of free samples and decorated my own chocolate bar. It was like a cross-over between the Hershey’s Chocolate World in Pennsylvania and Willy Wonka’s Factory. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but the excursion was definitely worth every euro. Sampling on chocolate did make me hungry for an actual meal though so I stopped by one of Hamburg’s best restaurants for traditional German food, I’m Sprinkenhof, which is conveniently located right around the corner from the chocolate museum. At the restaurant, I ordered a schnitzel and currywurst for the main courses and an apple pancake for dessert, and it didn’t disappoint.
To end my stay in Hamburg, I went to the PASSION: BDSM & Fetish fair at the Messe Hamburg-Schnelsen convention center. Throughout the 3,600 square meter exhibition floor, there were over 110 exhibitors displaying their kinky products and businesses. There were also 2 show stages for captivating Shibari performances and fashion shows that showed off the newest collections of corsets, latex and leather from well-known German labels. One of the most interesting parts of the show was seeing someone get tied up in multiple angels, but managed to sing Opera the entire time and sound amazing even when they were completely confined by rope upside-down for several minutes. Aside from the performances, I also thought it was great that the conference provided various workshops run by sexual health educators and BDSM specialists so that people who attended could be formally educated about what they were seeing. Granted, the workshops were in German so that was the only part I wasn’t as engaged in by default. However, the majority of the other activities were both in German and English. To sum it all up, the two days I spent in Hamburg was incredibly fun and an extraordinary time. Of all the places in the world, I don’t think Hamburg would be on a lot of people’s bucket list to visit. However, this city has more than you would think to offer. From trying authentic food to seeing all of the historical German sites, and even getting a look into the BDSM lifestyle; I’m glad I can say that I was able to go to Hamburg. It didn’t disappoint me, and if you were to experience it as I did, I bet it won’t disappoint you either.
Full price breakdown in euros and the equivalent in US dollars: Roundtrip airline tickets from RDU to HAM- $1,141 Stay at JUFA hotel- €248 ($276.34) Uber from JUFA hotel to Reeperbahn- €23 ($25.63) Steak & Fish House- €27.40 ($30.53) Uber from Steak & Fish House to JUFA hotel- €13.47 ($15.01) Chocoversum- €15 ($16.71) Im Sprinkenhof- €24.50 ($27.30) Uber from Im Sprinkenhof to PASSION fair- €43 ($47.92) Uber from PASSION fair to JUFA hotel- €50 ($55.72)
Total price: €444.37 ($1,636.16)
In closing, it cost the White T-Shirt Guy €444.37 (euros) $1,636.16 (dollars) to spend a weekend in Hamburg and so can you.