[HAMBURG] — Here’s my overview of where to eat and stay in Hamburg. The best restaurants I found in Hamburg. And a great boutique hotel in Hamburg. Cool things to do in Hamburg. _________________________________ The sun was streaming in through the windows on a cold winter day over Christmas time. It was 1 degree Celsius outside, but in here it was warm. I settled into my six-top booth with the perfect view outside, warming in the rays like a cat. A couple was having a business lunch at a table in front of the windows. Suddenly, it felt like the whole restaurant was moving, but it was really the outside. A ginormous ship was passing by, with a giant bridge castle as tall as a fifteen
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[LÜBECK, GERMANY] — It’s the eerie, fairytale looking architecture of Lübeck that hits you. Makes it almost surreal. Huge, squat high-hat towers dwarfing a bright green lawn. Rust colored tiles tipping to the sky. Little people, tiny in front. The buildings almost look like stone gnomes. Frozen Expedia gnomes, as they should be. As you’re adjust your zoom lens, trying to get a level angle, that’s when you realize it’s not you or your lens, the whole building is a little crooked. This was an old guard house, or toll house — the Holstentor (“Holstein Tower”), that used to protect this rich and prosperous city. They entire old city of Lübeck is built on an island, surrounded on all sides by gently flowing river. Going back
[HAMBURG] — Okay, this was my favorite part of going to Hamburg. Miniatur Wunderland. Hamburg is a great city, but it’s worth a trip here just to see this awesome, quirky museum. Here’s a review of Miniatur Wunderland attraction in Hamburg. It’s one of the best things to do in Hamburg and one of top tourist sites in Hamburg. An entire world done in miniature: trains, cars, airports, stadiums. But this is way, way cooler than just a big model railroad. Dozens of complete themed dioramas spread out over multiple floors of an old warehouse. This is so much fun. Think: a model railroad on steroids. Sure there are lots of “miniature” places around the world, but this one is different and the best I’ve seen.
[BERLIN] — I’ve only been to Berlin three times, but here’s my picks for what to do in Berlin over a long winter weekend. The best things to do in Berlin. How to spend 36 hours in Berlin. Where to eat in Berlin. _________________________ The first time I was last in Berlin it was so long ago, it’s scary. Back when I was in college in Rome, when the Wall was around. When Checkpoint Charlie was a real checkpoint. The city just seemed to be numb then, both sides. Mostly old people on the streets, not many. Can’t remember anyone young people. Everything seemed grey and colorless, broken. Eerie. You could roll a bowling ball down the main strassens and not hit a soul. The only
[BERLIN] — A review of SO/ Das Stue luxury boutique hotel in Berlin overlooking the Berlin Zoo. The perfect base for a long weekend in Berlin. SO/ Berlin Das Stue best design hotel in Berlin. _______________________________ I’d been working like crazy for the last several months of last year and was itchin’ to go somewhere, like rightnow, over the American Thanksgiving holiday, a perfect time to slip away. Found a cheap flight on Lufthansa five days before leaving and scrambled to find a hotel. I hadn’t had much time to investigate where to stay and scouring Tablet Hotels nearly everything was completely booked by smarter, more forward-thinking people. I’d been seeing great posts from my Instagram peeps about a cool boutique hotel called Das Stue — it claims