Second Solo Trip

Earlier this month, I embarked on another solo trip, this one a little different from the first. This trip was both farther away, and longer than the first one. The city that I went to was Hamburg. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and it lies north of Hanover (where I spent the night on my first solo trip). It was built along the Elbe river, at a section that widens near the North sea, meaning that Hamburg is the biggest German port city. Being near the North Sea also means that the city is situated far north in the country, and it's officially the most northern city I have ever been to.

After my Friday at school was over, I immediately took off in busses and trains to make it to Hamburg by dinner time. It was odd because of Germany's northern placement, it got dark around 4:30 when I was on my way there, so it felt a lot later than it actually was.

The main reason for Hamburg as a destination was to meet up with some dear friends from my hometown in the US while they were stopping by for the weekend. It was so nice to have a sit down dinner, catch up on the last 5 months, and of course, speak in English. This was also during the climax of Christmas markets, and Hamburg has one of the biggest in Germany. The size of the markets, stretching down several major pedestrian streets as well as the plaza in front of the town hall made the Osnabrück Christmas markets seem tiny.

The next day, I sent my friends off at the airport to their next destination, and had the whole day to myself to explore the city. I was able to see the Townhall, some of the big churches, and of course, the all famous Elbphilharmonie building. Despite seeing all of these crazy buildings, the one that topped them all for me was actually the Hamburg Central Station. I was so intrigued by this building in fact, that when I was back home, I did some research on it. The Hamburg central station was opened in 1906 after four years of construction. I loved seeing the old metal work of the early 21st century reminded of the Eifel Tower's architecture, which was built just 19 years before. Another thing that astonished me about this building was the sheer size of it. With its 70 meter roof span, the Hamburg Central Station is the biggest unsupported station hall in all of Germany. Apart from its size, it's also Germany's busiest train station, seeing over 400,000 travelers every day.

Thankfully, my friends from the US had a connection with someone in Hamburg that I could spend the night with, so after exploring the city for the day, I stayed with him and his family. It was cool getting to see what their city/suburban lifestyle compared to my rural lifestyle. I also had the pleasure of meeting and talking to the 18 year old Ukrainian refugee that they were hosting.

On this trip, I felt way more comfortable with the idea of traveling alone and navigating the train systems than on my first trip. I was able to use the things I learned from before to help me out this time, and traveling in general was a lot less stressful. However, I still learned some things on this trip as well. Unlike my trip to Hanover, I was traveling to a much bigger city, about three times its size. This of course meant bigger train stations, and more people. Stepping out of my train on Friday evening into the busiest Train Station in all of Germany was quite the experience. However, something I've learned through traveling by myself is not to get overwhelmed. I've come to realize the importance of just taking a pause, reading all the signs around me, and familiarizing myself with unfamiliar atmospheres. I will surely continue to practice the things I've learned in future adventures, and I'll no doubt face new challenges along the way.