Thanks to some national holidays a long weekend was ahead of us and while enjoying a bottle of wine we spontaneously planned another trip for the weekend. This time we wanted to explore Germany’s versatility and decided to take a trip up north.
On Friday we hit the road towards our first destination: Hamburg. After a relatively traffic jam-free ride we reached the East Hotel, located just around the corner from Hamburg’s famous Reeperbahn where we spent one night.
From there we started our day walking towards Hamburg’s new landmark the Elbphilharmonie, built by HOCHTIEF, one of the biggest German construction companies.
After a few difficulties in the construction process this new splendid building now characterizes the port town Hamburg (HafenCity). If you want to take a look at the inside of the building it is recommended to get there early in the morning, especially on weekends, since people literally flock to this in the media heavily discussed object.
After taking in some great impressions we kept walking to the Michel (Main Church Sankt Michaelis). Here we enjoyed the view on this beautiful church with some coffee and an espresso. If you have time go up the church steeple either by walking up the stairs or taking the elevator to get a good overview of the town.
After all that walking we return to our hotel and get ready for the evening and upcoming night. Hamburg’s Reeperbahn is a must for every Hamburg-visitor that stays in town overnight. You find everything you need for the night in that area: alcohol, food and pretty ladies. Here bars, doner-kebap-restaurants and strip clubs alternate in a pleasant regularity.
After breakfast the next morning, an approximately two-hour drive took us to Eckernförde, a nice little town on the Baltic Sea. We planned to stay there for the afternoon. After we got there our hungry stomachs lead us to a fish-shack where we ate the obligatory fish-roll directly on the coast overlooking the Baltic Sea. Afterwards we took a leisurely walk along the beach promenade where the omnipresent wind blew strongly. The beach promenade, as well as the beach, is only a few walking minutes away from downtown Eckernförde. Since we caught Eckernförde on a nice and sunny day we sat down in a Café and watch the lively going-on while enjoying our afternoon cappuccino.
On our way back to the car we passed the Bonbonkocherei Hinrichs where we cannot resist and buy some locally produced and handmade sweets. After that it was already time to leave this charming little town. If you want to stay overnight it is possible to rent a special Strandkorb (traditional Baltic beach chair) that is made to spend the night in it right there on the beach.
Now we basically drove across the country to the North Sea, or more specifically to St. Peter-Ording to get the island-feeling on the main land. We spent the night at Hotel Twilling. After the check-in we directly walked toward the waterfront to relish the sunset while enjoying a delicious dinner and a tasty glass of wine. The perfect place for that was the restaurant Arche Noah in one of St. Peter-Ording’s famous stilt houses, that is located directly on the beach with unimpeded view on the ocean. Inspired by this beautiful evening we strolled back to the hotel where we hopped in bed, happy but worn out by the eventful day.
After a substantial breakfast the next morning we went back to the beach to take another look at the beautiful North Sea during daylight before we headed back home. Before leaving the north though we had to take the obligatory photo with a lighthouse (St. Peter-Böhl). After that we happily went back on the road headed home thinking about all the lovely new impressions we gained.