Munich to Hamburg

I just realized that I haven't updated the blog with my plans for the extra week in Germany, so I'll give it a shot here and now. It's currently 6:30 AM on Saturday, and I am travelling by ICE (high speed) train from Munich to Hamburg. Munich, the Bavarian capital, is in the southernmost portion of the country, near switzerland and Austria. Hamburg, on the other hand, is a port city in the far northern extreme of Germany. It's slightly less than a six hour trip, and for some quirk that I still don't understand, a first class ticket cost less than second class, so I'm riding in the front for a change. These trains are sleek, modern, quiet, and compared to the airlines the space is incredible! The ticket cost 120 euros or somewhere in the $190 range.

I have a hotel reserved for Saturday and Sunday night in Hamburg, and after that I am not sure what I will do as of yet. I do need to be back in Munich on Saturday morning (16 August) for the flight back to Seattle, but what I choose to do with the days between Monday morning and late Friday evening remains to be seen. Normally I have reasonably solid, well-defined plans, but this time I am going to play it as it comes along.

I had considered spending a few days in London (my favorite city in the world) or possibly even flying to a different country such as Spain or France, but I actually do want to immerse myself in Germany during this trip. I am, as I mentioned earlier, feeling much more confident with the language, the people, and the country in general, so rather than dilute that experience with some other distraction, I'll focus on Deutschland alone this time.

I could stay in Hamburg for a few days, if I feel like doing so after spending the weekend there. I am concerned, though, about the few things I remember from last seeing the town 15 years ago...it felt very much like a port city anyplace else in the world: Dirty, somewhat rough, not exactly a vacation paradise. In any case, I'll give the Reeperbahn a quick look....

I might take trains back from Hamburg to Munich, assuming I can find slower ones, and stop at a few places along the way. A route which traverses along the eastern side of the country, such as from Berlin to Dresden to Nurnberg to Munich, would be slow and leisurely while also giving me the best feel for the culture.