Hamburg, Germany!

Hey Everyone,

Sorry for the delay, but I recently got back from Hamburg Germany. I visited an old friend who lives there. His name is Benedikt Greiwe. He spent a semester at my high school FOUR years ago! This was my first time seeing him since then. Enjoy!

Day 1:

On Thursday I hoped on the ICE (high speed train) en-route to Koln, Germany. This was my first European train experience. I spent my time watching small towns and farms scream past me. There were a few stops along the way, but I got to Koln in about two hours. I had an hour layover so I took the time to check out the city. When you walk out of the train station in Koln there are two things that you see: an old cathedral and a super modern building. It was an interesting contrast, but I think it is a true testament of the architecture in Europe. I enjoyed food from a German restaurant called "Ditsch." I hopped onto my train to Hamburg excited, but also a little anxious. As I said earlier, this was my first time seeing Ben in four years, so I was nervous if we would be able to connect as well as we did in high school.

When I arrived at Hamburg HBF it took me about five minutes to find that familiar face. All anxiety was gone. I was very happy to see an old friend who was essentially a brother. Ben took me immediately to his school. There was a Haiti Relief Function going on. We stopped in and found a few of Ben's friends. I particularly enjoyed the conversation I had with Ben and his friend, Jonas. The three of us talked for about an hour about the school, Hamburg, and Germany. They also had a few questions about me including how I liked Brussels, and college in the states. Afterwards, Ben and I had steak at a downtown restaurant called the Block House. I quickly collapsed after a long day of traveling and excitement.

Day 2:

The next morning Benedikt woke up at 7:30...I chose to ignore the wake up call and slept in until 9:30. I got ready and met Ben at his school, Bucerius Law School. I hopped on a computer and did a few things I needed to do for school, as well as getting in contact with friends back in Clemson. While I was doing that I was watching alpine skiing, as well as talking with a native of Zimbabwe. It was my first time talking with a member of Zimbabwe. I was very interested in how he made it to Hamburg and the Law school. Obviously I did not go to in depth with him about his situation in Zimbabwe because I was scared that Mugabe himself would come after me (He might still since I'm writing about it). After Benedikt got out of class, he and I joined a few of his friends for lunch. I had a German pork dish that was rather delicious, like all German cuisine. Afterwards, Ben and I enjoyed a conversation about the city and law over coffee and tea. Ben told me that the lawyers in Germany are all very serious about foosball (the table game). He told me that one of the first things that the student body does every year is to determine the budget for the "kicker room." He showed me the room, and were met with a group of law students playing an intense game of foosball. Benedikt and I played against a few older guys and were absolutely slaughtered. We lost 10-0, uhhhh. I shrunk about five inches.

After a few games we gathered our things and left with Benedikt's entire group of friends to go play some soccer. We all jammed into three cars and travelled on the autobahn to an indoor soccer field. There we split up into three teams and played a round robin style tournament. I sat out the first game, but watched intently to make sure not to make a fool of myself. Soon enough, it was my team's turn to go out and play. Literally, five minutes into the game I had hurt someone, haha. I guess it is the American in me, not courteous (or maybe too intense). I felt bad nonetheless and helped him off the field. I was surprised because I was able to play with the Germans. After an hour and a half, the group and I left. Ben and I drove back with a friend of Ben's, named Kari. She and her sister Nina have lived in Hamburg for a couple of years now, so they were able to tell me more about the city and actually showed me a lot of the town via car.

Benedikt and I then went to a corner restaurant where we enjoyed a few currywursts, fries, and "Fritz Cola." I particularly enjoyed being able to experience the regular life of a German, I could have just down the typical tourist thing and see the monuments and go to touristy restaurants, but Benedikt showed me hidden gems of the city.

Day 3:

The next day, Benedikt and I were welcomed by a visit from Ben's parents and friends from Hannover, Germany. We spent the day walking around the city seeing more of the sites, as well as going to a couple of cool stores. We enjoyed our lunch at a restaurant called "Alex." The restaurant had a 180-degree view of the city and the bay. I enjoyed Jager Schnitzel and a coke.

We ventured to the old part of town including the old ship storage facilities and the modellbahn, the world's largest train set museum in the world. Afterwards, we walked back to Benedikt's apartment and packed up his place, because he had to switch apartments that weekend. We moved him in then enjoyed dinner at an italian restaurant. It was really great to have the time to see Benedikt's family and friends again.

My favorite part of the whole trip was being able to learn a lot about the culture in Germany. Benedikt's father's friend, Rolf, talked with me for an extensive amount of time about law in Germany as well as the economy. It was interesting to hear things that were similar and different from the economy in the States. Both sides have very distinct and different forms of law and business, yet both are very successful. I'm glad that I made the effort to go see Benedikt so early in my trip.

Pictures From Hamburg