BLOGYSSEY: It's the Little Things

I’m sitting in Starbucks, something I have been doing far too much lately, especially seeing as I have never been a massive fan of the place, and I can’t decide what to write about. It’s not that I don’t have anything to write about, I have only been in Hamburg a week and already bought far too many clothes, seen the miniature wonderland, Hamburg Dungeon, been up St. Michaelis Church and seen all of Hamburg from above, spent a day at school, walked around Hamburg City and explored the nearby Rader Forest. But, I just don’t feel like writing about any of them. Again I want to clarify, it’s not that all of those were not absolutely amazing, I loved them all and have hundreds of photos to prove it, but for some reason I can’t seem to know how to write any of them down.

As I said, I have been in Hamburg just over one week, the longest I have spent in one place since I left home. Not constantly moving around has made me notice all the small things, the obvious things that somehow everyone seems to miss. So perhaps that is what I will write about, the little differences about this country that you would never usually think about.

First of all, and most obviously, is the language. It turns out they all speak German here, in Germany. Yes, I realise how ridiculous that sounds, but having only been to English speaking countries for the past 10+ years, it does actually come as a surprise. In fact one of the first things I said was, “Wow, everyone speaks German!” I got a pretty weird look and an, “Aaah, yeah?” from Antonia. I am sure you are all thinking the same thing, so let me explain. I am used to everything being in English. Talking English, signs in English, radio in English, adverts in English. So while I was more prepared for people talking German, I failed to think of the fact that EVERYTHING would be in German, and it wouldn’t have an English translation. The smallest things that you would not even think about in day-to-day life become a problem. I wanted to go to the toilet, but the doors did not have pictures, only writing leaving me staring at them like a goon, not wanting to just choose one and startle a poor German man using a urinal. The muffin I just bought to accompany my tea had a German written sign. I had no idea what it was, but it looked relatively healthy, brown in colour with nuts. I was only later to discover when taking my first bite that it was filled with gooey chocolate. Not that I am complaining, it was delicious, but not quite the healthy muffin I had had in mind.

Despite all this, I must say I have been quite good at faking it. If I go to buy something at a supermarket I say “Hallo!” and shove my groceries on the bench thingy. Having previously calculated the total price in my head I pull out the right money and pass it over before the cashier can say anything. Then once the items are purchased, if the cashier asks anything I say “nein danke!” This is from an assumption that they are asking if I want a bag or my receipt, neither of which I usually use. And then I smile and say, “tschüss!” and leave. And I am happy to say that this method has not yet failed me!

Now, speaking of food. That’s another, amazing thing that I have noticed. It’s all so good! Walking through the mall, you are guaranteed to walk past at least two bakeries filled with more breads then I knew existed. Neighbouring them are pastries and cakes that all have the same mouth-watering effects. Unfortunately, bread falls into the carb category, and eating it and it’s fellow delicious carby friends has led to my jeans feeling slightly more tight then when I left New Zealand. In fact due to the effects of too much bread that led to me discover the above mentioned Rade Forest where I have been biking or running every day, and what a beautiful place to do so! But that is another blog post that I do not yet feel like writing!

Another food item I bought without knowing what the sign said. Turns out it was just bread, but delicious all the same!

Back to the food! Now it’s not only bread, but deli’s filled with amazing looking meats and cheeses of all shapes, sizes and colours! I was never a massive fan of cheese and bread, I always thought it was plain and boring, but with the bread from a good baker and the delicious cheeses it has become quite a regular on my plate, even sometimes for breakfast.

Along with the food in general being far better here (except for vegetables, I miss fresh, delicious vegetables more than I thought possible!) the fashion here is better and also quite different. But also the same. Here I go making no sense again! Let me explain; in general, people dress extremely well. I’m not saying they walk around in cocktail dresses, heels, suits and ties, but when they wear jeans and a top it’s not just jeans and a top. It will be smart looking jeans, with a shirt or a top with a small detail making it stand out. This will be under a nice cardigan or jacket/blazer. When I used to walk through Tauranga I would sometimes stop and notice if somebody was dressed in particularly nice (casual) clothes rather than trackies and a singlet. And here, everyone seems to be the former of the two, always dressed nicely, smartly. I am not pretending to be a fashion guru, but have always loved to wear nice clothes. Finally here in Germany (well Europe really) I feel that I can make an effort without someone asking if I am going somewhere, or why I am dressed up. But on that note, it does not seem to be fashion suicide to snean here (sneakers and jeans that is). I noticed it was also a common occurrence in London. I don’t know if it’s just a New Zealand thing, but that was always a big no-no, but now even I am guilty of doing so! And to be honest I think I get it. When you are in a big city, you need to walk a lot to get from place to place, even walking through a mall can be quite a distance. After a day in Hamburg (and multiple days in London) without sneakers I managed to get a frightful number of blisters, on ankles and in between toes, all of which have stopped since wearing sneakers. So maybe there I a real logic to it. Therefore, I have decided that as long as you have nice sneakers (which I am proud to say I do, a beautiful pair I bought in my first few days in Hamburg) then I say save your feet and snean away!

Evidence of me sneaning..

Just a little footnote - I apologise for lack of photos above, but I don't quite yet have the confidence to start taking photos of nicely dressed people or the bread in a bakery. And taking photos of toilet doors - well that just seemed a bit odd. However, below are some other photos I have taken during my time in Hamburg!