It is not often I come across a European city that eludes charm, sophistication and class while being strategically innovative, sustainable and economically savvy for the future. In fact, most European cities I have come across have an architectural landscape that has been established for years, decades and sometimes centuries. It is also not very often that a city so industrially innovative is also vibrant, open minded and culturally diverse. Though, one must admit residents of a city that refer to themselves as a Hamburger must have a slight sense of humor... (maybe this is quite humorous for the Americans reading).

I was recently 1 of 570,000 visitors who attended the Hamburg Cruise Days where I got to witness seven spectacular cruise ships (including the Mein Schiff 4 & Queen Mary II) enter the Hamburg port as if it were the titanic leaving to cross the Atlantic for the first time. The energy was ecstatic as thousands of people welcomed each boat with open arms, all while indulging in the 'cruise' experience throughout the Hafen (harbor in German).

Apart from the hafen, what surprised me the most about Hamburg is its diversity. As we casually cruised (no pun intended) through town I could not help but notice graffiti tastefully placed throughout the city, intertwined with local, upcoming coffee shops & breweries, all near design boutiques and traditional German fish markets.

getting there.

A little delay on my 4 hour journey from Dusseldorf to Hamburg on the Deutsche Bahn, but traveling light with VOCIER luggage, just to make sure my clothes are wrinkle free upon arrival.