Germany
Day 1 - Cologne
We left from Belgium via train and decided to stop for the night in Cologne, Germany. Originally we had planned to travel straight to Hamburg but because of the delay with our passports we missed the last train there. Our traveling schedule was completely rearranged - we had to book a last minute hotel, forgo our first class train tickets, and miss the first night in our Airbnb in Hamburg as well. When we arrived in Cologne we were all fairly exhausted from a long and complicated day. We walked from the train station to the nearby hotel, dropped off our bags, and went out for a quick drink in the historic area of the city.
The area of Cologne that we stayed in was the old town and was chalk full of adorable shops, very old historic buildings, and intertwining cobblestone streets. It was truly a beautiful area and I was sad we were not able to stay for longer and explore more.
The area of Cologne that we stayed in was the old town and was chalk full of adorable shops, very old historic buildings, and intertwining cobblestone streets. It was truly a beautiful area and I was sad we were not able to stay for longer and explore more.
We rented a last minute apartment style hotel room in the middle of the old town. We had an amazing view of the nearby cathedrals and tower spires. I felt like I was living in a Harry Potter novel!
Day 2 - Hamburg
Early the next morning we walked back to the train station with our baggage and took a train to Hamburg. The train ride was beautiful and I got to catch up on some of the books I had brought for the trip.
After we arrived in Hamburg we took an Uber and checked into our Airbnb and decided to take a hop on-hop off bus around the city. Usually this type of activity feels too touristy to me, but I ended up being really glad we did because it allowed us to see much more of the city than we would have otherwise, especially considering we were there for less than a full day.
We toured the various attractions in the city throughout the afternoon. First we explored the Port of Hamburg which is an area of the city that has been revitalized in recent years and is teeming with businesses, residential areas, shops, restaurants, and more. We stopped by the city hall and the Hamburg River Promenade. I really loved all the pride flags that were scattered across the city.
Before we headed back to our Airbnb to prepare for dinner we stopped by St. Michaels Cathedral and admired the architecture. As we walked back we passed parks, fountains, passerby on bikes, and the stretch of water that fills the port.
For dinner we went to Freudenhaus St.Pauli, a restaurant with delicious traditional German food. Afterwards we walked through town and went to bed early for our train the next morning. We were leaving around 6 am to head to the train station and from there we would go to Denmark.
This stop on our trip was shortened by about a day due to our passports being stolen and having to replace them. Although we had an enjoyable time I felt that we were really rushed going from one place to the next with barely a full day to enjoy each area. I really want to return to Germany and spend one trip concentrated on exploring such a historically rich and interesting country!
