A (tongue-in-check) expertise. Even though Iam not from Hamburg, and in fact wasn’t even born in Germany, I have been living in this Hanseatic city for several years now. And I love it. All towns, countries and even city districts sometimes have a hard time living down prejudices that people have about them. Hamburg is no exception. But enough of that! Let’s get straight down to Part Iof six Misconceptions about Hamburg.
1. People from Hamburg are Cold and Reserved
I’ve only ever encountered cold Hamburgers in fast food restaurants. Hamburg is a large city with more than 1.8 million inhabitants. As the sobriquet "Gateway to the World" implies, Hamburg is and always has been more than a place from where people leave to make their way in the big, wide world, it’s also a place of arrival. And this of course raises the question of “who” is actually a typical Hamburger? As in every other large city, the population is now made up of people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds; there are even rumours that some Bavarians have settled here. As in every city, there are some people who are friendly, others who are less friendly, some who are reserved, others who are open and welcoming (and this list can be expanded indefinitely!). In the end of course the old saying is true: “you reap what you sow.” I have always found Hamburgers to be very friendly, helpful and pleasant, but perhaps that was also down to my way of “sowing".
2. There’s always a wind in Hamburg and it rains all the time
Definitely not. Sometimes it rains when there is no wind and sometimes there’s a wind but no rain. In fact, the amount of rainfall in Hamburg is no greater than the German average. If the statistics can be believed, it actually rains more on an annual average in Bavaria (sorry Bavarians, I’m using you again as an example) and in North Rhine Westphalia. My personal feeling is that this could be true, but in Hamburg the amount of rainfall is distributed over several days. So, for example,100 litres of rain might fall in 5 hours in Baden-Württemberg, but in Hamburg the 100 litres falls over 3 days. And so it’s called greater air humidity – but you get wet all the same. Seriously though, we have some lovely weather in Hamburg; this year we had a fantastic summer for example. But it can’t be helped: the image of the Hanseatic sea dog, in his oilskin battered by rain and storm has become firmly entrenched in the popular imagination. That’s just how it is in the far north, in the port city on the coast. This brings me to the next misconception!
3. Hamburg is on the Coast
When I’m travelling and am asked where I come from, I’m often astonished at people’s reaction when I say "Hamburg". Usually, they then say oh yes, Hamburg, the Reeperbahn (we’ll get to that later), the harbour and the sea (or perhaps the North Sea and sometimes the Baltic). The sea? Yes, of course there’s water, and plenty of it, and there are bridges, more than in Venice and of course the port. Although the Port of Hamburg is the second-largest in Europe, (Rotterdam is a neck ahead at the moment), you can’t chug out on a boat for a few minutes and find yourself rocking on the waves of the North Sea. You have to chug along for about a 100 kilometres to get to the mouth of the Elbe in the North Sea. So forget any idea you might have about seeing the sea in Hamburg. But then when I find myself down at the harbour, hear the cry of the seagulls, the dull sound of the ships horns vibrate in my stomach and watch the water ballet performed by the giant ships and small fishing boats, then I find myself thinking that Hamburg is perhaps on the coast after all.
All I can say is: I love you, you pearl of the north.
And anyone who doesn’t believe what I’ve written should quickly book a holiday in Hamburg and see for themselves.
to be continued!
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