The little town of Lüneburg: Hamburg’s best day trip

On 12 March, 201612 March, 2016 By Alison HaywoodIn Sightseeing, Travel2 Comments

Just 20km south of Hamburg’s bustling downtown and industrial river ports lies the little town of Lüneburg, a city frozen in time.

It’s easy to forget the city of Hamburg is much older than the second world war, because outside of a few restored churches, not many buildings from the pre-war era remain. Lüneburg, on the other hand, escaped the brunt of the bombs in both wars, and periods of affluence followed by poverty in the city’s history lead to beautiful houses being constructed, then preserved, as there was no money to tear them down and build anew. The result is like a step back into the middle ages. Continue reading “The little town of Lüneburg: Hamburg’s best day trip” →

Living in the shadow of World War II

On 21 February, 201623 April, 2019 By Alison HaywoodIn Culture, Politics, Sightseeing2 Comments

For most Americans, World War II is nothing but a distant history lesson. As the people who lived through it slowly die out, it doesn’t really seem to exist outside of textbooks, tombstones, and the occasional war movie.

But for Germans, memories of the war are a daily reality and cannot be escaped.

Square of the Deported Jews – your daily reminder that the Holocaust happened. This is located near Dammtor Station in Hamburg, where thousands of Jews were packed into trains and were sent to camps which almost inevitably lead to their deaths.

Continue reading “Living in the shadow of World War II” →

Exploring Hamburg’s various Christmas markets

On 30 December, 201523 April, 2019 By Alison HaywoodIn Christmas season, Culture, Traditions, Winter2 Comments

One of the biggest draws of Germany in the wintertime are the different Christmas markets that spring up in almost every town, and Hamburg is no exception. Germany’s second-largest city has dozens of different Christmas markets, all with unique themes and styles, and there is scarcely time to see them all in the six weeks leading up to Christmas.

rathaus — The entrance to Hamburg’s largest Christmas market located at the Rathaus (City Hall). The market opens and turns on its lights well before dusk. Photo: Alison Haywood

Continue reading “Exploring Hamburg’s various Christmas markets” →

Remembering Helmut Schmidt: Hamburg mourns a legend

On 23 November, 2015 By Alison HaywoodIn Culture, Current Events, Politics1 Comment

On November 10, 2015, just three days before the infamous Paris attacks, Hamburg lost a legend.

Helmut Schmidt, one of Germany’s most loved politicians and a Hamburg native, died.

2015-11-11 18.34.07 — News of Schmidt’s death dominated the German newspapers on Nov. 11. Photo: Alison Haywood / Instagram.

Continue reading “Remembering Helmut Schmidt: Hamburg mourns a legend” →

Stadtrallye – a different kind of new-student orientation

On 18 October, 201523 April, 2019 By Alison HaywoodIn Culture, Traditions2 Comments

One of the most memorable university orientation events was the Stadtrallye. It turns out “rally” has a completely different meaning in German than in English, and rather than a pep assembly or political demonstration, this was more of a scavenger hunt/team challenge.