As we were leaving Denmark and on our way to Germany on the train, the train stops in a tunnel with a lot of cars around us. The conductors came around to get us out of the train and I was a little perplexed! Come to find out, I was on a BOAT! Well, a ferry. The ferry was almost like being on a cruise ship with really nice stores and restaurants. I sat on the balcony and watched the thousands of jelly fish go by. Eww. Once I got back in to the train, I started talking to the lovely couple across from me. They were both from Birmingham, England and they were history teachers to young children. We had an interesting conversation about racism in young children in England and their travels throughout Europe. They were going to Auschwitz to see the concentration camps... along with several other cities. They were so interesting to talk to. We exchanged e-mails and I hope to see them again before leaving England.
Finally arrived to Hamburg after 15 hours of traveling on the train. Yvonne, my host, met me at the train station. She was so awesome! And I was so grateful she had met me there, as there is no way I would have figured out the ticketing system for the train.
Once we got to her cozy little apartment, I had asked her if there was anywhere nearby that I could do my laundry. She said, “Yes! I have a washer in my bathroom!” Sweet! I had quite a bit of laundry to do and was so happy she was willing to let me do it at her place. After everything was washed and hung to dry, Yvonne took me around the city and gave me a little tour. We went to the top of a burt church’s steeple to see the city from above. It was so beautiful! And then we walked around a little bit more and went down a shopping street. She had introduced me to curry sausages. Yummmm. And then we went to Burger King for some ice cream. Ha!
Yvonne had to work later on that evening, so I met up with Stephanie, another CS’er, at the bar where Yvonne worked. Really like the bar! It was so cute and neighborhoody. You can sit outside and it felt like you were sitting in somebodies garden. The chairs and tables were all reminiscent of a garden... it was lovely. And Stephanie, she was great! She walked me around the area and gave me some interesting facts about the area. We saw a few bunkers and she explained their existence. She said the bunkers were suppose to be torn down after the war, but because so many people had lost their homes, they kept some of them up as families were living in them. She also explained to me how guilty the German people feel, even to this day, about the war... and how her family won’t talk about it. It was very interesting!
The next day, Yvonne and I walked back over to her bar (she forgot her mobile there) and we sat down and talked to one of her friends. Her friend, I can’t remember her name at the moment, invited us to go to a pool with her. It was a hot hot day and cold water was definitely needed! We went back to Yvonne’s place and changed in to our bathing suits and headed over to the pool where I was probably the only non-Hamburger! The water was SUPER cold and I was very reluctant to get in, but after about 30 minutes of the girls saying, “Come in! Come in!”, I decided I shouldn’t be a whimp and dove in. But only for a few minutes because it was really that cold. It was arctic cold!
After a few hours in the sun, we went back to Yvonne’s house and I packed and took a shower and sweet Yvonne made me dinner before getting on the train to Prague. She made me whole wheat spaghetti with a creamy tomato sauce and veggies. Yumm.
As we were making our way to the train station, I had 30 minutes to get there and I felt like I was cutting it so close. Yvonne assured me it would only take 7 minutes from her house. As we were on the subway, it got stuck one stop before we needed to get off... there was a problem with the door.At this point, I had only 15 minutes to catch my train and I was getting REALLY nervous. We ran out of the train, down the stairs, down the street, and in to a taxi. We get out of the taxi, run through the train station and to the platform. As we arrived, the train was just pulling up. I had a couple of minutes to spare... phew.
Yvonne was so great! She was so much fun to hang out with! I was overwhelmed with her kindness in picking me up from the train station and dropping me off there (she was afraid I would get lost). And she made the best coffee’s in the morning and gave a really nice breakfast spread with breads and cheeses and veggies. I was so grateful for her hospitality and friendship. I am sure we will be friends for life!
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