Germany Trip, Hamburg

Next destination point is Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city and one of Europe’s busiest port hubs. It lies in northern Germany, not far from the North Sea, close to Denmark, with the Elbe River running straight through the city.

I did not know that Flixbus also has trains. Probably, it is specifically for Germany. Anyways, it is much cheaper than the regular trains, that is why I decided to travel from Berlin to Hamburg with Flixbus.

The main train station looks impressive, and it is quite in the city centre. So, I do not need to use public transport here to reach my hotel.

It is the same Premier Inn hotel, with simple look outside and modern amenities inside.

It is raining and very windy outside. But I am not going to stay at hotel for sure, because I am here only for one night, and I want to learn about the city not from the pictures.

The Premier Inn City Zentrum is very close to the Speicherstadt, which is Hamburg’s historic warehouse district, famous for its red-brick buildings, canals and bridges. It was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is the largest warehouse district in the world.

After observing the surroundings I was eager to find some place to eat. Eating a hamburger in Hamburg should be the right thing! Luckily, there was a free table for me at Brooklyn Burger Bar. Good quality food and atmospheric place indeed. 

Nearby I surprisingly found a prominent tower building, which was St. Nicholas’ Church (Nikolaikirche). Built in the 19th century in a neo-Gothic style, St. Nicholas’ Church was once one of the tallest buildings in the world, with its spire reaching 147.4 meters. It was heavily damaged during Allied bombing raids in 1943, but later its ruins were preserved as a memorial rather than fully rebuilt.

When returning to the hotel I have noticed interesting detail on my table. And I came up with some nice idea.

I hurried to the lobby bar.

And ordered some local beer there.

Tomorrow, I hope, I will have time to observe the old city in Hamburg.

Germany Trip, Berlin

Today starts my short trip around Germany with visiting several cities in different parts of the country. The first stop is in Berlin, the city which keeps surprising me every time when I come to this untypical city. And at this time I am planning to see something new.

As usual, I travel from Prague by train. Actually, there are no direct flights. Maybe, they calculated somehow that it is not profitable to organize flights, or maybe they care about climate etc.

The ride was smooth, and I am on the main railway station. I exited some new way and discovered the new views, including the modern glassy architecture and the Spree river.

But my real intention was seeing the building of Reichstag, where now the federal parliament of Germany (Bundestag) sits. Bundestag represents the German people, passes federal laws and oversees the federal government.

So, the building is famous for its glass dome. It is open to the public for viewing the plenary chamber and panoramic views of Berlin. Somehow, the glass dome symbolizes transparency and accessibility of government.

Very close to the Reichstag, only in 400 metres, it is located the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor).

Selfie from the other side of the Brandenburg Gate may look even better than from the front. 

I had another hour before I could check-in to the hotel. So, I decided to walk through the Tiergarten, the large central park of Berlin with small lakes, ponds, canals and monuments scattered throughout.

In the middle of Tiergarten, at a large roundabout where several avenues meet, I saw the prominent monument called The Victory Column. With the height of 67 meters it was built between 1863-1873 to commemorate Prussia’s military victories in the wars against Denmark (1864), Austria (1866) and France (1870–1871).

At the top of the columns stands "Goldelse", a 8.3-meter-tall gilded statue of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. She holds a laurel wreath in one hand and a Prussian flag in the other.

Visitors can climb the spiral staircase (with 285 steps) inside of the column to reach the viewing platform

Finally, I am at the hotel Premier Inn. Outside it looks simple, but the interiors and rooms are clean and modern. I have chosen this hotel, because of its great location and affordable prices.

My dinner was at Frittenwerk. So badly I wanted to try the currywurst, and they had it on the menu. Honestly, I was very disappointed, because the taste was not the same as I remembered it from the previous trip.

Next time I will not experiment with such places as Frittenwerk. I will go straightly to the simple kiosk on the street like this, even if it is raining or winding.

Later I have had several beers in local bars. Once I have had recommendation from one girl to try the famous German beer Pilsner Urquell. She was really surprised to know from me that Pilsner Urquell is originated from Czechia.

Warm Sea in Autumn

It is the 4th day of my autumn vacation. At this period of a year I am always trying to get closer to the warm sea, to catch the last sunny days. The Spanish Mediterranean was always a good choice in terms of comfort, quality and budget. And the sea is still comfortable for swimming here. Of course, the weather can be tricky and the conditions could be severe for swimming, but I hope for better.

I am staying several days in Sitges, a charming town located in Catalonia, about 35 kilometers southwest of Barcelona. It has a very good connection with trains, which are going there every 30 minutes.

I am living in the apartment in the very centre of the town. Sometimes it is noisy outside, because of several restaurants on my street, but location is the best.

My usual routine during my staying is waking up at 8, doing some physical exercises, preparing breakfast and going to the beach, which is only in 10 minutes by walking. Honestly, it is not easy to find a good place for breakfast, so I have decided to prepare it at home only. The thing is that it is not cheap to eat outside and moreover they usually do not serve eggs there, very often only sandwiches or pastries.

Unfortunately, the sky looks gloomy today. So, no morning swimming for now. But it is ideal for strolling around the city and learning more about surroundings.

Here is some short information about Sitges. Actually, it has a rich history dating back over 2000 years. However, the significant growth began in the 19th century due to its connections with Spain's overseas territories, particularly Cuba. Nowadays, the population of the city is about 33 thousand. And every year about 60 thousand visitors are attracted by friendly atmosphere, modernist architecture, museums, but also by international film festival and carnival.

Sitges is blessed with 17 beaches, and each of them is with its own rhythm. Some are gentle and family-friendly, and others are quiet coves where you can relax and feel the sea salt in the air. Today, indeed, the weather is perfect to enjoy the sea breath and meditate. But I hope that tomorrow it will be much better, because honestly the weather here is very changeable, so maybe even at evening I can go swimming again.

Eventually, I have reached the nearby port, with numerous boats and yachts. I really loved this picturesque place. And I think there should be also good seafood restaurants here. Maybe another day I will try one of them.

I should admit, that Sitges is a photographer paradise with the top spots to capture stunning images. And today the air after rain is especially magical for taking bright and colourful photos.

At the end of the day I have made only 23733 steps. Another 5 days of my vacation are ahead, and I want to stay fit during these days as well.