1 Train, 1 plane, 3 busses and a Minor Miracle
Trip Start
Apr 18, 2007
1
40
54
Trip End
Ongoing
Hamburg,
Germany
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
I left oncomming chill of the north for the oncomming rains of the south yesterday. Taking 1 Train, 1 plane, 3 busses and a minor miracle to get here. Total travel time 7 hours.
Here is my acount:
I made it onto the plane and into Hamburg with no problems. The Ryan air receptionist checked my passport just as an identity check, a security officer checked my passport and my ticket as I went through the metal detectors, and a Ryanair flight attendant used it as an identity check as I boarded the plane. Upon my arrival in Germany, I simply walked into the airport off the tarmac grabbed my bag off of the round about and walked into German, no questions asked. So no incarceration, deportation or cavity searches so far.
Wow, this is my first time using a German keyboard and I have to say it is a little different, though nothing compared to a French keyboard! Thus far, I have discovered that the @ is on the Q instead of on the 2 as in Sweden or the 8 in the US, the apostrophe is has a # as its primary function and the Z and the Y have switched places. I#ll keep you updated as to any other misplacements I discover.
I bet you are wondering where I am typing from? Good question. Here is where the story begins: So I arrived, safe and sound and unsearched in Lümbeck, Germany and caught an 8 € bus into downtown Hamburg. As the bus speed off down the highway, I watched green of the vegetation fly by and thought to myself, 'Wow, this could be Seattle.' Just as this occurred to me, rain started pouring down and I thought with a sigh, yes, this REALLY COULD be Seattle. I was so tired that I slept the whole way so I have no idea how long the bus ride was, but sufficient to say that it was long enough to get a good long nap in.
They dropped us off at Hamburg bus station and my first mission was to locate the a tourist information office, but it was not to be found in the Bus station. Through my "extensive" travel experience, I know that there are some inevitable truths about travel:
1. The airport bus will take you to central station.
2. The central bus station will be very close or inside the train station.
3. There is almost always a tourist office in the train station.
Knowing this, I began to look about for the train station and spotted an enormous trainstationy looking building across the street and made a B-line for that. I discovered my travel intuitions were correct as I wandered into an absolutely enormous bustling central station juxtaposed by soothing classical music that whirled about the air from overhead speakers, which imagined had to be Beethoven or Bach or one of their German contemporaries.
I made my way through the "con-fugue-sion," following the signs to the tourist information office and waited a good 5 minutes in a line that I eventually discovered went somewhere else, before jumping into the short and correct line. I was soon provided with a flimsy, but FREE walking tour of the city along with a paper listing the cheapest hostels in town complete with directions.
Having procured these travel essentials, I was free to sit down, rearrange my bags, dawn warm clothing, and plan where to go. I decided, surprise, on the cheapest hostel, 18€/night and went to the upper level to see if I could catch a bus. No buses in sight, I headed for the tube. As I headed toward the tube, I remembered that I still hadn't found the Hamburg Lindy Hop community and thought of my Herräng friend Fabian from Hamburg and wished that I had gotten his email before he left. I soon found the tube and spent some time at the top of the stairs pouring over the map and hostel directions figuring out which direction I needed to take the tube. I finally figured out I had to take the S1 in the direction of Wedel and began my decent to the underground rolling suitcase banging conspicuously on every step.
Half way down the stairs, I jealously watched the people ascending on the escalator when who, do you imagine, was on the escalator, but the only person I knew in Hamburg, Fabian! I flailed and ripped off my hat and glasses and yelled Herräng which got his attention. We met at the top of the stairs and I practically tackled him with a hug, relieved to have found someone I knew. He asked if I had a place to stay and in moments we were walking down the street to his apartment that he shared with another Herränger, Arne.
If my meeting Fabian wasn't coincidence enough, when I met him he was on his way to a swing party to look at pictures and video of Herräng. So we dropped my stuff off and headed across town to that. We met the Hamburg Hoppers the bottom floor of an office building and I mingled with the slightly familiar faces before the photo show began. My home away from homesickness for Sweden was soothed by the Swedish Smorgasbord they had set out to commemorate their time in Herrang, where I was reunited with such Herräng favorites as brownies, banana bread, scones and Marabou mint chocolate! Someone also brought a grocery bag filled to the top with excellent chocolate that had come from a celebrity photo shoot. The chocolate had apparently been the imperfect, yet still delectable, morsels that had not been photo worthy.
We watched and commented on Herräng photos for over an hour and I even starred in one. I felt famous. By the end I was falling asleep, having only slept a few hours in the last 36, so Fabian woke me up with a dance and we headed home. Unfortunately, my good luck ran out here as we ended up waiting a good half hour plus in the cold for different buses and trains to get home.
When we got home, Arne was there and we chatted briefly before I passed out on the king sized futon in their guest room. As you might imagine, I slept extensively last night, dreaming of mountainous plies of discarded chocolate. I woke up at 4PM today had lunch and sat down to write this blog. When I'm done, I will take a shower and get ready to go to a birthday party with Fabian at 6:30 followed by a Lindy Hop lesson at 9. I am disappointed I didn't accomplish more on my first day in Hamburg, but tonight and tomorrow are sure to bring adventure.
