Friday, May 19, 2006
03/2006: Hamburg: ‘watch out for unusual shops in an alternative area…but railway meal is a bargain’
Up at 4.30am for early BA flight to Hamburg.
The tourist information officer at Hamburg’s sleek modern airport tells me that the airport bus will arrive in 14 minutes and it is an 8 minute walk to my hotel from the bus stop. What a precise race the Germans are.
The Hamburg Guide advises the area where my hotel is an “alternative, in centre with lots of unusual shops...”. In my experience, tourist marketing speak for ‘down and out area with sex clubs, gay bars and rubber bondage shops’. The guide also advises “the city enjoys mild winters“, er, it’s -4 degrees and the streets are covered with a thick layer of snow…
Is actually a 6 minute walk to the hotel, make a mental note to tell tourist information they’re two minutes out (although I am a fast walker). Hotel is in a seedy area behind the main train station on a street with sex clubs, girlie bars and rubber bondage shops. ….
Walk up to the main road and check out the local restaurants. Most of the menus feature the word ‘fried’ an alarming number of times.
Discover a great food court in the railway station with Asian, Italian, Mexican and fish stalls and several bar counters. Have a Greek salad, pasta and a glass of red wine for the bargain price of 6.99 euros.
Up at 4.30am for early BA flight to Hamburg.
The tourist information officer at Hamburg’s sleek modern airport tells me that the airport bus will arrive in 14 minutes and it is an 8 minute walk to my hotel from the bus stop. What a precise race the Germans are.
The Hamburg Guide advises the area where my hotel is an “alternative, in centre with lots of unusual shops...”. In my experience, tourist marketing speak for ‘down and out area with sex clubs, gay bars and rubber bondage shops’. The guide also advises “the city enjoys mild winters“, er, it’s -4 degrees and the streets are covered with a thick layer of snow…
Is actually a 6 minute walk to the hotel, make a mental note to tell tourist information they’re two minutes out (although I am a fast walker). Hotel is in a seedy area behind the main train station on a street with sex clubs, girlie bars and rubber bondage shops. ….
Walk up to the main road and check out the local restaurants. Most of the menus feature the word ‘fried’ an alarming number of times.
Discover a great food court in the railway station with Asian, Italian, Mexican and fish stalls and several bar counters. Have a Greek salad, pasta and a glass of red wine for the bargain price of 6.99 euros.
# posted by hotelreviewer @ 12:51 pm 
