Tunnel Vision | Tommy Duong

View from the other side of the Old Elbe Tunnel

After twelve hours of flying and hectic airport adventures, I finally landed in Hamburg around 3:30 local time. A large group of us that flew together met up with Myers at the airport, and then he took us all to the train station to get to the hostel. The train ride gave me the first taste of the beautiful city, but jetlag wouldn’t let me keep my eyes open for most of the ride. What really woke me up was after the train ride when we all had to carry our luggage up a ton of stairs to get to the hostel. Once we got to the hostel and got settled in the non-air conditioned room, it was about time for dinner. While we were eating, I was getting curious of what activity Mrs. Paige and Myers had planned next. They wouldn’t budge whenever I asked what we were doing next, but I knew they had something special up their sleeve.

After dinner we all gathered up in the lobby to go see the surprise. A little walk down the street took us to a large elevator, but little did I know that the elevator was connected to the Old Elbe Tunnel. A few levels down the elevator led us to the 426-meter-long tunnel that spans across the Elbe River. The long walk gave us the chance to talk and get to know each

other better. Once we got to the end of the tunnel and took the elevator up, I was blown away to see the breathtaking view of the city from the water. The weather was a little chilly, but it was much better than what I was used to back home in Louisiana. I can really appreciate getting to relax and embrace an incredible view, but the (not so) highlight of the day was when someone pressed the big red button in the elevator on the way back to stop it from working. Even with an unfortunate walk up a few flights of stairs, I’m ready to see what else the city has to offer.