Germany Turns 18

I know what you're thinking. How can a country with so many old traditions be so young? Germany has existed in some form or another since 1871. After World War II, the country was split in two and stayed that way until November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down. About a year later, on October 3, 1990, the two sides were officially reunited to make the Germany we have today.

Inner City Scenes

A few weeks ago, as I was deciding where to travel for the wonderful 3-day weekend, it came to me that I should probably stay in Germany to take part in the celebrations. It's always nice to experience national days in other countries. I settled on Hamburg, Germany's second largest city next to Berlin. But little did I know that the official start of the weekend also took place in Hamburg - Chancellor Merkel and President Köhler were there to kick it off. To add to the chaos, police sirens and whirling helicopters filled the air with their sounds all day Friday. One of the best parts of the weekend took place in the old port section of the city, where today merchants sell Arabian carpets and Indian tea. There was a tent set up for each of the 16 German states so that one could get a look at the tourism options in each area. I headed to the tents of the states I didn't know anything about, trying to learn as much as possible. In the Bayern tent there was a band dressed in traditional lederhosen, or leather pants, playing horns and accordians, and in the Thüringia tent, bratwurst was being served. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the holiday.

What wasn't good though was the weather. The whole weekend it was 40 degrees with much rain and wind. To escape this, I spent time in a museum called "Miniatur Wunderland," which recreated several landscapes around the world, complete with model trains, highways, and buildings. Would be a paradise for kids, although I found it amusing as well. Most of the time I braved the storms and walked through the city. There's a famous area of Hamburg called St. Pauli, or the red-light district. Sex shops, strip clubs, and bars line the streets, and prostitutes dressed in pink jackets and elevated shoes offer their services to passersby. They're not shy - I was approached by two of them who, after I told them I was on vacation, were trying to get me to have "vacation sex" with them. Quite an experience to get hit on by prostitutes. My favorite part of the city, though, was the strip of green next to the town hall. I sat on a chair one afternoon reading - trying to make the most of the 30 minutes of sunshine all weekend. Hamburg feels more open than other German cities - the roads and sidewalks are wider, the town hall and the area around it are expansive, and the bay and its inlets provide natural open areas to the squares and districts.
Another interesting note - I experienced mitfahrer, or carpooling, for the first time this weekend. There are many German websites where you can either register your trip if you're driving or browse trips if you need a ride somewhere. There were probably 20 different people driving from Hamburg to Frankfurt Sunday between 17:00 and 19:00, so it's pretty easy to sign up. And the best part, other than getting to meet locals and practice German, is that it costs 4 times less than the train.

The famout St. Pauli district

These next two weeks I'm looking forward to seeing Alex and Andre, two friends I met at WVU last fall when they were on exchange. They both live nearby, so I hope to spend the next two weekends with one or both of them. I'm also looking forward to relaxing at home the next few weeks as I prepare for my 10 day trip to London/Oxford at the end of October.