The Fischmarkt is pretty incredible, with all kind of fish for sale, as well as (what was curious to us) basket with what was a weeks worth of groceries in them, so you would simply buy the entire basket - and SHAZAM - there is your fruit and veggies for the week!
None of us were quite game enough to actually try any eels, mainly because they are black and slimy. This combined with the fact that we we approached him he spoke very fast German to us, and pretty much freaked us all out from the idea of purchasing any eel from him. And it's pretty had to cook eels when you've only got a small pan, two burners and a microwave. But I was keen to try some of the other things on offer, as I hadn't really had much breakfast...so I proceeded to try "Heidi's Fisch", which was actually really nice. It was obviously some sort of fresh fish that had been marinated, then deep fried in front of my eyes, then covered with aioli.
I look so indie don't I? But back to the story. Everyone was pretty knackered after simply walking through a market (except for me - I'd bothered to get some sleep the night before). Plus Mum had bought some tulips and some cups, and we'd hardly be walking around a museum now would we. We we had a little rest, which gave Mum the chance to do her much wanted ironing and washing, and everyone a little bit of down time. At about 11:00am, we headed off to the Hamburgmuseum, which details the history of the city. It was a really good museum, and you guess it - Hamburg was bombed by the Allies during the Second World War. It was this bombing that became the catalyst for Hamburg's current form, as the whole city is not only modern, but has what can only be described as "port-inspired architecture" - as city planners looked to give Hamburg an identity that wasn't just a rebuilding of the old buildings. The Port is massive, and stretches across the entire length of the Elbe here in Hamburg. The museum was well laid out, and I feel I've gained an appreciation for the city of Hamburg. We enjoyed a buffet lunch at the Museum, and we left Emily at the hotel while Mum, Annabelle and I set off to see Speicherstadt and HafenCity. HafenCity is the ultra-modern development in Hamburg that has earned the title of Europe's largest redevelopment area, bigger than London's EastEnd. It's got some pretty cool architecture, capped off by the Elbephilharmonie, their Concert Hall.
It's nice quite finished yet, but upon completion later this year, it will be the highest inhabited building in Hamburg - how strange is that? Speicherstadt is the warehouse district, and is still today the largest continuous port warehouse district in the world. As I learned at the Speicherstadtmuseum, it was originally master planned, and was designed so that each warehouse was able to most efficiently transfer good from the boats to the warehouses, and facilities for quality control were also provided.
Speicherstadt is right next to HafenCity (which means Harbour City if you haven't already worked it out), at which the centre of is a giant public square, as well as an information area on the Elbephilharmonie.
Now Mum has been hankering after some culture, and I thought Hamburg would be the perfect place for a show. Here's Mum with her options for Kultur in Hamburg.
It was pretty cool actually. I headed back to the apartment, where we had dinner before catching a taxi to the Reeperbahn (Rope-Maker's-Way - and Hamburg's Red Light District - but don't let that put you off) to see Sister Act. I was initially ambivalent, as the ENTIRE musical was in German, but we already knew the basic plot line, so it wasn't a problem to follow - and the energy and passion that the performers had really did cross the language barrier. The finale was pretty spectacular too!
You may not be able to see, but that is Mum and Annabelle standing in front of the poster for the musical. We had a great day (cliched - but it was), and I'm ready for more tomorrow!!!
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