Journey of Happiness

I t's time to finish off our story about Hamburg. In the second week, there were not much going on, some of the lectures did not fit the field that we do, so sometimes, we sneaked out to enjoy Hamburg's city center a little bit more before we left. We bought some souvenirs for our family and friends, took more photos of us for memories in years to come... God, I still could not believe we went to Hamburg and not have to pay for it :) So... our Hamburg trip came to an end on Saturday, 16 August 2008. 5.30 a.m. we were looking for a taxi, in front of our accommodation. The night before we were quite sure to get a taxi, because there is a taxi rank opposite where we lived, but in the morning, it was empty! I prayed and prayed in my heart, 'send us a taxi, Lord!' Well, we cannot really order a taxi by phone (I will say 'no way!' to the international roaming hahaha) Finally, we got a taxi, it was a Mercedes Benz! FYI, in Germany, the taxis are usually Volkswagen, B...

O ur second Saturday started with Lan's lead to have a walking tour around the harbour and around the newly developing area Hafencity. We took the U-bahn to Landungsbrücken. We headed, first, to the old part of the harbour, where the old port buildings are still standing strong and firm. Millions of red bricks, one after another, holding those buildings together, which are changing from the used-to-be ports to cafes, restaurants, storage houses and, even, carpet shops! The wind was a little chill that day, but we kept walking... The old's are soon outnumbered by the new modern and fascinating buildings, which are promised to be all finished by 2010 as the new face of Hamburg; new flats and office spaces, which looks so futuristic! I have to say, Germans are very hard and diligent people! They are up early and finished later than any other western worlds. I have seen those public workers already in the middle of their jobs renovating the road before 09.00 a.m. and not even s...

A s the new week begun, our summer school begun. The first class starts at 9.15am and the last class ends at 18.45 a.m. You can imagine how exhausted we become each weekday after the class. Still we had pretty interesting experience... Universität Hamburg: Beautiful architecture, Strong wireless connection through out the campus, and, one most important thing is the student canteen !!! They give special subsidised price for students, the menu changes everyday; they provide several different foods, including vegetarian menu, salads (€1 per bowl), and yummy desserts (85¢ each bowl). They had Salmon (big portion) for €4.00 and yummy beef steak for about the same price as well... I have to say the students here are really spoiled! Lan and I really wish we have such a canteen in Liverpool. Mansa canteen (that's the name) is always crowded each day with students, lecturers and even some family with little kids! Two thumbs up for Universität Hamburg! Rathaus townh...

S unday, 03 August 2008, we allowed ourselves to sleep in a little longer before we hit the road around lunch time. This time was a journey to the ESSLLI (summer school) site, that is the Universität of Hamburg. Taking train from Borgweg to Hoheluftbrück, we then got on the bus number 5, as instructed in ESSLLI website. Got off at Staatbibliothek, we guessed our direction to the main university building. Voila! We got it right! We got there about 01.00 pm, hoping that we can register early so that we can continue our adventure. However, I have to put my thumbs up for the Germans, they are really strict and on-time! Hence, Lan suggested we have some lunch first. Not really knowing anywhere, we dragged ourselves to Dammtor train station, which is opposite the university. This train station (S-bahn) serves journeys between regions and province, whereas, the train we took earlier (U-bahn) is an intracity train. Inside the station, there are some souvenir shops, bakeries, cafe an...

H alo! That is how Hamburger (Hamburg people) say 'hi' to each other. Hehehe... We are in Hamburg now, very happy and excited! Hamburg is a city of water, they say. The buildings are artisticly beautiful and historical! Here is the story... 05.18 a.m. we got on the first train from Liverpool to Manchester Airport with heavy eyes but full of excitement. I kept asking myself "Could this be true? We are going to Hamburg!". We had a small incident, arriving at the airport... I almost believed that I forgot the keys for the suitcases locks at home, in fact, it was hidden under Lan's wallet in our backpack. After checking in in Terminal 1, we looked around the terminal, it was our first time to be in T1, where all flights to Europe are located in. Usually we go to T2 for all the other International destinations. 09.10 a.m. we are ready to go, seating at 12A and 12C, it is the smallest plane I have ever been! It looks like a mini jet and the stewardesses' heads ...