Hamburg Home Exchange - Summer 2010
Aug 23rd, 2010, 06:11 PM
#41
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A few more comments:
Restrooms in Hamburg were always clean and well maintained. At first, I was a bit put off with the .70 euro charge in the train stations, but when I considered that it provided someone with a job (not my idea of a good job, but I'm lucky in life) and that the toilets were always maintained, it was a good deal. It was amazing that wherever you went you found clean restroom not like the dirty ones,I, too, frequently encounter here at home.
Also, we ate occasionally a late lunch at Bio Market or at the train station, and the tables were kept clean. I'm not quite sure how it was done so efficiently, since I often saw no one doing the cleaning, but it hit home the other day when we grabbed a quick lunch at Whole Foods Market and seeing the slovenly floors, cellophane wrappers, and crumbs on the table reminded me we did not encounter this in Germany. And this with Whole Foods patrons busing their own trash -- there is no one responsible on a frequent basis for keeping those tables and floors clean at least not at our local WFM.
I know other Fodorites have reported that they were able to order tap water with their meals in Germany, but this was not our experience, we were always obligated to order a couple bottles of water with our meals, tacking on another 3 o4 euros to our bill.
Restrooms in Hamburg were always clean and well maintained. At first, I was a bit put off with the .70 euro charge in the train stations, but when I considered that it provided someone with a job (not my idea of a good job, but I'm lucky in life) and that the toilets were always maintained, it was a good deal. It was amazing that wherever you went you found clean restroom not like the dirty ones,I, too, frequently encounter here at home.
Also, we ate occasionally a late lunch at Bio Market or at the train station, and the tables were kept clean. I'm not quite sure how it was done so efficiently, since I often saw no one doing the cleaning, but it hit home the other day when we grabbed a quick lunch at Whole Foods Market and seeing the slovenly floors, cellophane wrappers, and crumbs on the table reminded me we did not encounter this in Germany. And this with Whole Foods patrons busing their own trash -- there is no one responsible on a frequent basis for keeping those tables and floors clean at least not at our local WFM.
I know other Fodorites have reported that they were able to order tap water with their meals in Germany, but this was not our experience, we were always obligated to order a couple bottles of water with our meals, tacking on another 3 o4 euros to our bill.
Aug 31st, 2010, 02:05 AM
#42
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Gee, you go to Paris and 200 people read your trip reports. You go to Hamburg and no one does. I was in Hamburg over 10 years ago for two weeks and your report brought back memories. I remember going to Lubeck. There is a great puppet museum there and they have performances. I did not go all the places you did but I went to Wilhelmshaven on a side trip because I have friends there. I also went to Wedel to see where the large ships come in. There is a nice place to eat there and as the ships come and go their national anthems are played (all done by computer, of course). It is funny what you remember after a long time. When I was at the restaurant in Wedel, I accidentally left my camera (an expensive SLR) in the restaurant. Someone came running after me with the camera. You gotta love those honest people.
I don't go to Europe all that frequently anymore. I am into oddball places. I just got back from down under. That was also done with home exchanges.
I don't go to Europe all that frequently anymore. I am into oddball places. I just got back from down under. That was also done with home exchanges.
Aug 31st, 2010, 02:41 AM
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Hi Annetti,
I have been following your report - thanks for an interesting report with lots of detail. I have been to Hamburg a couple of times but always on the fly. Maybe next time I will have the opportunity to use some of your tips.
Lavandula
I have been following your report - thanks for an interesting report with lots of detail. I have been to Hamburg a couple of times but always on the fly. Maybe next time I will have the opportunity to use some of your tips.
Lavandula
Aug 31st, 2010, 06:36 AM
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Thank you,yentakvetch. (Love your name, but I bet you;re neither!) It's true, not much response, but this board moves so quickly that in an hr you've disappeared. We did two home exchanges in Australia. We're going to concentrate a bit closer to home now, tired of the long plane flights.
Lavandula, Thanks for reading. I hope you get back to Hamburg.
Lavandula, Thanks for reading. I hope you get back to Hamburg.
Sep 2nd, 2010, 04:32 PM
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Insofar as my name is concerned, I'll never tell. Travel boards are full of yentas and kvetches.
I always find it dicouraging to do a trip report and then have relatively few people read it. Many North Americans have a narrow vision of what is Europe and don't venture off the beaten path. Since I am very familiar with Hamburg, I thought I'd look at your trip report. It definitely was worth reading.
The entire continent of Europe is interesting. I've never been disappointed traveling there--anywhere. Alas, some people never get beyond London or Paris. They are, of course, great too, but there is more to Europe than just doing the conventional itineraries--sometimes over and over again.
Thanks for taking the time out to post your wonderful report.
I always find it dicouraging to do a trip report and then have relatively few people read it. Many North Americans have a narrow vision of what is Europe and don't venture off the beaten path. Since I am very familiar with Hamburg, I thought I'd look at your trip report. It definitely was worth reading.
The entire continent of Europe is interesting. I've never been disappointed traveling there--anywhere. Alas, some people never get beyond London or Paris. They are, of course, great too, but there is more to Europe than just doing the conventional itineraries--sometimes over and over again.
Thanks for taking the time out to post your wonderful report.
Sep 3rd, 2010, 07:22 AM
#46
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Thank you once again, Yentakvwetch.
Because, you have done home exchanges, you know the rewards of getting off the beaten track. Often the country and city chooses you and you end up someplace you never considered visiting.
Our first home exchange was in L'Orient, Brittany. I knew hardly anything about Brittany when we accepted our exchange, however, I knew it was France and that a long ago travel show, I vaguely recalled, said it was beautiful. When I told friends at work, I was going to France for 8 weeks and spending my time only in Brittany, they told me I was missing out on a lot of Europe. But with the help of a Michelin Guide, we never ran out of things to do. It was a great trip. Seven years later, we returned to Brittany for another five weeks, again on a home exchange,and only repeated a visit to Mont St. Michel, otherwise we found a whole set of different things to entertain us including a wonderful trip to Belle Isle.
But, we are slow travelers, and are content to do one or two things a day, or just spend the day, seeking out a section of a city, finding a restaurant, walking and browsing. Our way of traveling does not suit everyone.
I am glad you found my report interesting. Hamburg is definitely off the beaten track for most travelers, as I wrote above, it does not have those important icons like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben that the first time European traveler associates with going to Europe, but home exchange gives you the unique opportunity to visit a town or city, not generally traveled to by most North Americans as you pointed out above. I consider myself very lucky to have spent so much time in such an interesting place.
Because, you have done home exchanges, you know the rewards of getting off the beaten track. Often the country and city chooses you and you end up someplace you never considered visiting.
Our first home exchange was in L'Orient, Brittany. I knew hardly anything about Brittany when we accepted our exchange, however, I knew it was France and that a long ago travel show, I vaguely recalled, said it was beautiful. When I told friends at work, I was going to France for 8 weeks and spending my time only in Brittany, they told me I was missing out on a lot of Europe. But with the help of a Michelin Guide, we never ran out of things to do. It was a great trip. Seven years later, we returned to Brittany for another five weeks, again on a home exchange,and only repeated a visit to Mont St. Michel, otherwise we found a whole set of different things to entertain us including a wonderful trip to Belle Isle.
But, we are slow travelers, and are content to do one or two things a day, or just spend the day, seeking out a section of a city, finding a restaurant, walking and browsing. Our way of traveling does not suit everyone.
I am glad you found my report interesting. Hamburg is definitely off the beaten track for most travelers, as I wrote above, it does not have those important icons like the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben that the first time European traveler associates with going to Europe, but home exchange gives you the unique opportunity to visit a town or city, not generally traveled to by most North Americans as you pointed out above. I consider myself very lucky to have spent so much time in such an interesting place.
Jul 24th, 2011, 09:35 PM
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I just noticed this thread again and it did bring back memories. I am off to Istanbul in less than 2 weeks.
I did have a car in Hamburg but used it only for day trips. Cars never make much sense in large cities. I do remember finding a ship model of the Vaderland--the ship my ancestors used to come to the US (they came from what is now Belarus but was then Russia; they embarked at Antwerp). Years later I found out--via an exhibition in the Smithsonian--that the ship they used was a previous ship named the Vaderland. Funny.
I enjoyed my time in Hamburg. Next home exchange up is for me after Istanbul is a tentative deal in Tasmania for November 2012. I am trying to get a second deal down under and stay 2 months. However I need December and may not be able to engineer that. There are Aussies who come here looking for a white Christmas, so perhaps I can convince one of those to swap with me. Otherwise, who knows? I just returned, by the way, from a nice week in Ottawa.
I did have a car in Hamburg but used it only for day trips. Cars never make much sense in large cities. I do remember finding a ship model of the Vaderland--the ship my ancestors used to come to the US (they came from what is now Belarus but was then Russia; they embarked at Antwerp). Years later I found out--via an exhibition in the Smithsonian--that the ship they used was a previous ship named the Vaderland. Funny.
I enjoyed my time in Hamburg. Next home exchange up is for me after Istanbul is a tentative deal in Tasmania for November 2012. I am trying to get a second deal down under and stay 2 months. However I need December and may not be able to engineer that. There are Aussies who come here looking for a white Christmas, so perhaps I can convince one of those to swap with me. Otherwise, who knows? I just returned, by the way, from a nice week in Ottawa.
