Weekend in Hamburg Part II

Can you believe  it’s September?
I wanted to post a few more pictures from my weekend in Hamburg:
There are a few options when planning a trip from Copenhagen to Hamburg.  You can fly, you can train, you can boat or you can do a combination of training and boating.  My husband and I opted for number three.  We boarded a high speed train in Copenhagen and four and a half hours later were in Germany.  The neat thing about this train ride was a portion of the route was over the Baltic sea.
Lamb411 Hamburg Weekend
To cross the sea, the train boards a large ferry and for 45 minutes the ferry carries the entire train and the passengers across the water. During the ferry we got to exit the train and head upstairs to enjoy the winds/wind turbines and sunshine on deck.  Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and an important port city in Northern Europe. The city has a collection of really interesting architecture (both modern and old), beautiful tree lined streets, mediocre food (except breakfasts and Turkish food of course- Germany has the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey ) and rather confusing bike lanes.

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg11

I loved walking through this city as it offers many examples of light industrial buildings that have been converted or re-purposed for new use.  (I love looking at industrial conversions).  I would say, every neighbourhood in the city seemed to have its own collection of low-rise, red brick industrial buildings that are now occupied by theaters, creative businesses, restaurants, galleries and stores.  There is also a visible design/craft scene with a slew of small businesses making cool stuff in graffiti-ed buildings. If you’re into a grittier streetscape, this is your city.
 Our trip coincided with Hamburg’s gay pride parade.  A real treat- I was really moved to see a float dedicated to marching for all the other countries in Europe/Russia/the Middle East who did not have gay rights like Hamburg and many other cities offered their citizens (a big deal if you have been following the news on Russia’s gay rights laws).

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg12 - Copy

 

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg13 - Copy

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg4

If you are familiar with Toronto- my comparison is that I would describe Hamburg as a series of Parkdale neighbourhoods that sit on the periphery of a touristy Yonge and Dundas area.   One of the most impressive areas in the city is a district called HAFEN- the real estate project took over a decade to plan and build.  The land used was a large piece of industrial/shipping waterfront land which was transformed into a series of new mixed use environmentally friendly buildings along side the beautiful old brownstones.  HAFEN city brings together museums, businesses, residential, retail, schools, parks and the symphony- all of which is walkable, bike accessible and kept low rise (for the most part).

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg5

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg6

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg7

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg9

Right down by the main shipping area, there is a phenomenal furniture design district- there must be three or four large buildings that serves as the hub for a lot of industrial design/furniture stores and art galleries.  One of the buildings we stopped into also had a decent place to get some gelato- a bonus as it was about 33 degrees that weekend.

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg10

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breakfast in hamburg and the European diner

For all you breakfast lovers out there, listen up!  If you find yourself in Hamburg, here are two great spots for breakfast. I am slowly collecting a list of European breakfast spots and sometimes feel a bit like Guy Fieri in the television show, Diner’s Drive In’s and Dives! I’ve eaten breakfast in over 20 cities in the past two years, so the “experience” is mounting.  When you find a keeper, I call it the equivalent of finding a good American diner in Europe.  They have good, reliable food, good energy, often a unique decor, and a menu that includes a few local specialties (most important).

I spent three days in Hamburg and prior to my trip, read through several blog posts, newspapers and online review sites to figure out where I should have the most important meal of the day. My first and third stop was none other than Cafe Paris. Cafe Paris is located in the center of Hamburg and is housed in a space that dates back to 1882.  The original slaughterhouse was later converted to a turn-of-the-century French cafe and today is beautifully adorned with iconic French cafe decor features such as its dark wooden tables, Art Deco posters, banquette seating, a long bar with wooden stools, floor to ceiling subway tiles and a jaw dropping Art Nouveau ceiling.

Cafe Paris Hamburg Breakfast

The menu features standard French fare such as hard boiled eggs, croissants, baguettes, jam, cheese, juice, Croque Madame, and Croque Monsieur. It also includes a few breakfast twists including a “Moroccan” version of French toast topped with roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and orange marmalade, an “American” breakfast that comes with a pancake, a fried egg, peanut butter, and syrup and the local “Hamburg” which consists of a piece of toast, crab salad, herring, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs with chives and a glass of Hamburg’s local Holsten pilsner (a brewing company founded in 1879 in the city’s Altona-Nord quarter).

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg1

On my first visit, I tried the Moroccan and on the second visit, I opted for something a bit lighter (just some muesli and a hard boiled egg with green tea). I must note, I returned twice to Cafe Paris (out of three breakfasts) for another bite of their croissants. The baguette was nothing to write home about but their croissant was some of the freshest, butteriest, light viennoiserie that I have tasted outside of Paris.

I will post about my second breakfast at Mutterland in a follow up post- equally worth it.

July 2013 CPH Marbella Hamburg2

Other breakfasts worth a visit around the continent in addition to Cafe Paris in Hamburg, include Cafe Savoy in Prague, Cafe Schwazenberg in Vienna, Cafe de Flore in Paris, or the modern Cafe George in Amsterdam, close your eyes and let your senses observe the hum of a well oiled dining institution hard at work and churning out diner classics European style. If you have any other suggestions to add to this list of where to find a decent breakfast at a ‘European diner’, please share your suggestions in the comment section below.  I am always up for exploring new places that are worthy of “diner” status.

Cafe Paris, Rathausstraße 4, 20095 Hamburg

 

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