Hamburg

Hafen.  Alsterkaden.  Rathaus.

We jetted up to Hamburg this past weekend, Germany's liberal and forward-thinking port city.  Gotta love EasyJet!  It was snowing in Basel when we left and snowing in Hamburg when we arrived!  Ah well, we bundled up and the snow was pretty.  The city has amazing architecture, lots of cool canals (some frozen) and great shopping, we really enjoyed it.  Matt also found a great Vietnamese place where we had delicious Pho!  Yum, that's a food we hadn't had in ages.  I really loved that all the signs said "Hamburger" which I found funny -- it's the people, not the meat!

  

HafenCity was remarkable.  It's an ambitious city-planning/development project where a part of the old port and docks are being turned into offices, residential apartments, restaurants and office buildings.  One of the warehouses is currently being turned into the new Philharmonic Hall by prize-winning Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.  The book said it was supposed to be done in 2012, but it's not yet completed.

 

 

 

The Renaissance-style arcaded shops and cafes alongside one of the many canals were really lovely.  And the Rathaus, which is huge, was unfortunately not open or giving tours when we visited (not sure why, there was just a sign that said "No Tours Today").  Bummer, it's supposed to be really opulent.  Instead, we went on a boat cruise on the Alster Lakes.  Hamburg is a wealthy city and the cruise was a real treat because we got to see some amazing, beautiful and pricey mansions!  Wow.  We didn't take any photos, so you'll just have to take our word for it!

 

On Sunday we woke up early to hit the famous Fish Market, which has been running sine 1703!  It was a bit drizzly, but still very crowded.  The Fischauktionshalle was the real gem, they have live bands, big brunch offerings and stalls selling beer (yes, lots of people were drinking them) - all starting at 7:30 a.m.

 

After that, we found the fifth Beatle (at Beatle Platz).

On on our way back to the city center we walked up through the Reeperbahn (St. Pauli), a really big red-light district.  It was Sunday morning and we stayed on the main street, which was just dirty and dreary.  We then found culture at the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the city's art museum housing old masters and showcasing contemporary German artists as well.

We ended with an early dinner at the Hofbrauhaus of all places (had to go with what was open and nearby!)  It felt just like Oktoberfest, only a lot less crowded!

Basel Fasnacht (Carnival)

die drey scheenschte Dääg.

We just finished celebrating Fasnacht, the biggest Carnival in Switzerland.  On Sunday evening we headed to Liestal, a suburb of Basel, to watch a very unique parade called “Chienbäse”.  It’s literally a fire parade, with participants walking down the main street carrying huge torches (literally a campfire on a stick!), or pulling wagons of burning wood. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guy was wearing a spaghetti strainer with a dragon glued on the front, awesome!

There were no barricades or anything to keep the crowd back so when they walked by, the burning embers and smoke were up close and personal!  It was ummm, quite toasty and smoky.  The parade’s website advised spectators to wear old clothes and not to wear anything flammable (ha).  Perhaps it’s not the safest celebration, but the fire brigade was on hand and seemed in control.

 

Each city hosts its own celebration and Basel’s starts on the Monday following Ash Wednesday and lasts 72-hours.  Months before Fasnacht, a current theme is chosen and transferred to the costumes, masks and lanterns.  Costumes commonly represent famous persons (like politicians), comic characters and animals.  The celebration starts promptly at 4:00 AM with the “Morgenstreich”.  At this time the city’s lights are turned off and Cliques (groups) of fifers and drummers in various costumes/masks parade through town pushing wheel-mounted or wearing head-mounted transparent lanterns.  We woke up bright and early to see it!

 

 

 

 

We didn’t understand the Basel dialect, the things they made fun of (usually local events and personalities) or the city’s own special brand of humor with its strong irony.  Matt’s colleague, who’s Swiss himself, said he even has a hard time understanding it!  However, we didn’t need an interpreter to appreciate the costumes, music, crowds or the floats throwing candy and confetti.  It’s so colorful and festive! 

 

On Monday afternoon, and on Wednesday afternoon as well, the Cliques marched throughout the city on a somewhat organized parade route, making their way through throngs of spectators.  The route actually went right down our street!

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday evening was dedicated to the Guggenmusik, or brass bands.  

Ooh, lots of confetti!