I probably should have written earlier about my trip to Germany but as usual, my procrastination got the better hold of me :-)
The trip was sponsored by Continental AG, which was organising a media tour to coincide with the launch of their funded global engineering research. There were four journalists from Malaysia, including yours truly here who joined some 20 other international reporters at the event.
The trip was light and easy as we flew to Hamburg firstly to watch a friendly football game between Germany and China. I know nuts about football but it was pretty cool to see the game in the open stadium amid autumn air. I was told that the Germans were better players but on that night, the Chinese shone. Unfortunately they remained the underdogs as the Germans scored 1-0 on penalty goal to win the match.
We stayed at this hotel called Gastwerk and it was a lovely stoned building with see-through elevator inside. I loved the quaint little room with its hanging pictures, attic-like windows and warm queen-sized bed. Since the hotel was located at the suburbs, Fara and I took the bus to the central and checked out the city. Based on a map, which was well visualised, we walked towards the harbour and witnessed for ourselves one of the busiest ports in Europe.
Hamburg - the port city. With 1.7 million inhabitants, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and one of the 16 federal states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Hamburg is both a city and a state.
The harbour was clean with flying seagulls flying across ships that were docking there. There were a small crowd, taking their leisure walks or simply having tea in front of the sea view. I noticed many cyclists during my walk. I guess it’s the best way to commute since it's cheap, fast and convenient. The weather is cooling enough to ride on the bicycle, unlike in Malaysia. Also the traffic was light enough to ensure the safety of cyclists.
We managed to check out St Pauli, the country's longest "sex street" or red light district. Wild posters, naked women and sex joints were openly displayed along the road. Some men were looking at us strangely, probably thinking if we had a price tag on.
The walk took us three hours in total, from the Altona bus station to the port. My only regret was I didn't have time to check out the Town Hall and Old Town. According to two other Malaysians, who went on earlier, the place was huge and magnificent. Well, I guess I'd have to make it for the next trip.
