A “Leisurely” Adventure | Gemma DiCristina

We had our first day to explore Hamburg and our last day in Hamburg all in one. The day started slowly because we all were finally able to sleep-in and so my day did not start until around five o’clock. This was when Gabby and I decided to get out of the hostel and go down to the pier just to read and relax next to the water. Our plan drastically changed when Mrs. Davis decided to tag-along right as we were about to leave the hostel. Instead of just walking down to the pier we decided to get on one of the ferries to take down to a beach we had seen earlier in the week. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that because Hamburg is surrounded by water, not only do they have trains and busses going everywhere, they also have ferries as modes of transportation.

The weather was beautiful and we were able to get seats on the top deck, making the views of the harbor even more magnificent. After a couple of stops, we had arrived at the beach. This beach wasn’t your typical beach. The sand had a slight brown color to it and no one was swimming. It was also surrounded by beautiful flowers and little cafes outlining the sand. While the beach was beautiful, Mrs. Davis started raving about a lake that Gabby and I had not seen, and being as it was our last day in Hamburg, we decided to go. By the time we got on the ferry ride we realized it was already nine o’clock but we would not have even noticed how late it was since the sun had not even started to set. We hopped back onto the ferry and started planning out our navigation towards the lake.

At this point in the trip we had become pros at the Hamburg train system, so our ride towards the lake was a breeze. The real problem was once off the train we realized we were not as close to the lake as we expected. Mrs. Davis knew exactly where we were but the problem was keeping up with her. She is the world’s fastest walker and so Gabby and I were playing a game of catchup the whole 'walk' towards the lake. Finally, we made it to the lake and it was worth the travel around town. People were riding on beautiful sail boats with geese and ducks complementing the lake scenery. The sun was finally starting to set so the sunlight was perfectly reflecting off the lake. Finally, we enjoyed our leisurely stroll around the lake. Safe to say it was a great end to a full week in Hamburg.