🇩🇪 Hanseatic ⚓️ League: Hamburg!

Éste Blog está dedicado al queridísimo tío Daniel, estamos rezando por él y mandándole buena energía para que se recupere rápido!

Back in Germany guys … this time seeing Hamburg in depth 🇩🇪, before my last cruise to Eastern Baltic, sans (without) Russia 🇷🇺 because of the war. 🥹

But back to Hamburg, Germany muchachos … how I love this maritime ⚓️ city!

Of Hanseatic league fame, this entrepôt of a city was the center of a merchant power, then also a main Nazi port, and now are revamped important commercial Gateway for international trade heterogeneous here in Deutscheland.

After checking into a modern cool hotel (it used to be where the Beatles first played internationally) … I stroll on a lazy sunny Sunday towards the famous Maritime Museum; interrupting my walk by a visit to one of the towers of the beautiful St Nicolas church - which survived the WWII bombing by the allies!

Beautiful structure with stunning views of the city from above (via old fashioned elevator):

Afterwards, a stop-over to enjoy a traditional upside-down Vietnamese coffee (a la Hanoi style). Most Vietnamese immigrants to Germany settled here, and the majority come from Hanoi!

After meeting a friend, we had a traditional curry-worst (delicious spicy curried German sausage) along with some traditional beer! 🍻

… a perfect ending to an exceptional day! here In Hamburg, Germany! 🇩🇪

Cheers guys!

The history of the Hanseatic League

*courtesy:

https://www.hanse.org/bilder/teaser/boyens_draeger_hanse_deutsch-50.jpg

The Hanseatic League is a unique phenomenon of German history. The co-operation and mergers of merchants for the promotion of their trade abroad gave rise to a town covenant, which in its heyday comprised of nearly 200 sea and inner cities.

The stepping stone of the Hanseatic League could be the “Artlenburger Privilege”, introduced by Duke Henry the Lion, which stopped the murder and manslaughter between Low German merchants and their competitors from Gotland. He granted them the same rights in his Empire as the German long-distance merchants. For example duty-free treatment, protection and freedom based on mutual trust.

The Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages, 200 cities in 7 countries

These cities were located in an area that are nowadays comprised of seven European countries: From the Dutch Zuiderzee in the west to Baltic Estonia in the east and from the Swedish Visby / Gotland in the north to the line Cologne-Erfurt-Breslau-Krakau in the south.

From this area, the hanseatic long distance buyers developed an economic reach, which ranged from the 16th century from Portugal to Russia and from the Scandinavian countries to Italy, an area that now includes 20 European states.

Cool things to do in Hamburg right now! 🇩🇪

1. The Portuguese Quarter

Oddly enough – with the obvious exception of Portugal – Hamburg is one of few places in the world where you can really live as the Portuguese do. Spanish and Portuguese immigrants have settled in the area around Ditmar-Koel-Strasse in the Neustadt district since the ’60s and ’70s, and this scenic area is where the club kids go after a night out for a galão (espresso with steamed milk) and pastel de nata (a custard tart). Close to the harbour, it’s also where to head to satisfy a craving for fresh seafood. Try a bowl of steamed mussels from one of the dozens of restaurants offering the best Mediterranean food in the city.

2. St Pauli Fishmarket

‘Fischmarkt’ is a somewhat misleading name. OK, so you’ll definitely find fresh fish and seafood here, but there’s also an array of bric-à-brac, flowers, fruit and veg, meat and clothing. All sorts of things have been traded at Fischmarkt since 1703, so it’s well established and very busy when it opens every Sunday morning. If you’re looking for something ready-prepared, rather than just fresh ingredients, you can also get snacks like shrimp rolls here or pop into the adjacent fish auction hall for brunch and a performance from a live jazz or skiffle band.

3. Literaturhauscafé

Literaturhauscafé is located in a beautiful old building that dates back to 1839, but it wasn’t always this way. It previously served as a dance school, a home for girls and was then left to deteriorate for years. Thankfully, in 1985 an anonymous philanthropist funded its restoration and now glittering chandeliers hang from intricately stuccoed ceilings above rows of gleaming white tablecloths. Literaturhauscafé may not be the cheapest meal out, but it’s perfect for a special occasion or if you just want to treat yourself. Their menu consists of fresh, seasonal, regional dishes.

4. Reeperbahn Red Light District

Hamburg’s ‘most sinful mile’ on the Reeperbahn is one of the city’s main attractions. However, with lively restaurants, bars and clubs mixed in with all the strip clubs, sex shops and brothels, this part of St Pauli is also one of the buzziest areas for eating, drinking and live music, too. Prostitutes roam openly on the infamous Herbertstrasse, where women are forbidden (though word has it some have slipped through with the right disguise). And around Christmas, you’ll find the city’s naughtiest Xmas Market - the Santa Pauli Market, which features adult-only strip shows, live music, and an adult tent housing some rather sexy holiday gifts. Gentrification means the erotic playground part of the Reeperbahn might not be around much longer – see it while you can.

5. Port of Hamburg tour

Don’t expect nature here; these boat tours are more about seeing what makes Germany’s largest port tick. With 9,000 ship calls per year, almost 300 berths and 27 miles of wharf for seagoing vessels, the Port of Hamburg is a bustling sea superhighway. On a barge tour such as the Maritime Circle line, you’ll get closer to all the container ship action. Alternatively, you could flee the constraints of land with a floating techno party on the Love Boat. If speed is your thing, try RIB Piraten, the only speedboat operator allowed inside Hamburg Harbour. On the last stretch of this tour, you’ll reach top speeds on a rigid inflatable boat that skims the waves at 60 miles an hour.