A tale of two cities: Hamburg & Lüneburg

After nearly a 30-hour journey, Svenja and my favorite little gal picked me up at the airport around noon and the rest of the day was spent catching up with the whole family over a classic German homemade dinner (Königsberger Klopse) prepared by Moritz. I pretty much collapsed from exhaustion afterwards, jet lag hitting hard. 😋😴

The next morning started with coffee (of course!) then once the kids were picked up, Svenja and I headed out to see Hamburg. Last time I visited, we didn’t manage to make it into the city, but this time the weather was perfect with blue skies and sunshine. ☕️ ☀️

We took the train to the Altstadt and wandered through the streets, passing by the Alsterfontäne and walking through the Alster Arcades to the impressive town hall. After that, we took the underground to explore along the Elbe River, taking in the skyline, the Elbphilharmonie, the port and the Elbe Tunnel. 🇩🇪

After that, we wandered through St. Pauli, explored the red-light district, and stopped for lunch and coffee at some hidden local gems Svenja knew about — the kind of places you’re unlikely to stumble upon without a local and that’s how I ended up having the best falafel I’ve ever tasted outside of Lebanon! (To date) 🧆

We continued walking through the city until it was time to head back, but not without a twist. Our train got delayed by nearly 40 minutes which, as I’ve come to expect in Germany, isn’t all that unusual… ⏰ 🚆

Back home, we spent some time with the lil ones before heading to Lüneburg to meet Meik, who had arranged a lovely dinner for us. We kicked things off with dates wrapped in jamón, served with Port wine, followed by a homemade paella paired with a rich Spanish Monastrell, La Orphica. Dessert was a plum cake and espresso. When we found out Svenja was allergic to seafood, Meik quickly put together a different dish just for her, which was incredibly considerate. 🥘 🍷

We were so caught up in conversation and the food that I didn’t even think to take a photo, which I now regret. But it was such a great evening! And I somehow made it till midnight!

The body’s tired, but my stomach and heart are full 🤍Read more