Autumn has finally arrived in Northern Germany, and with it has come the expected rain and grayness. Surprisingly, though, this has not put a damper on anyone’s spirits, perhaps because we have taken some pretty spectacular weekend trips. Last weekend, we paid a visit to nearby Bremerhaven. It was very small, very pretty, and mostly made for tourists wanting to see the various museums and harbors. Luckily, our group fell into that category! We visited the German Emigration Museum, which was actually really cool because the museum’s purpose is to give visitors a similar experience to that of the emigrants. There was a large, indoor ‘boat’ on which to ascend and inside was a massive exhibit explaining class distinctions onboard. Afterwards, we even had the chance to research our ancestors. I had some trouble figuring out when my great-great grandfather was born, so I have not yet discovered very much about him, but I plan to do more research at the museum in Hamburg. Once we had finished visiting the museum, we wandered around the harbor, and enjoyed the sea breeze. We even picked up some delicious ice cream at a cool, Mediterranean-style Café. Outside, there was also a small beach –naturally, the five-year-old in me immediately went over and built a sand castle while enjoying the view. I have not been to a beach in years, so this was necessary in my mind.

The next weekend, Dickinson treated us to an excursion in Hamburg (thank you, Ben Rush, as one of our coordinators, Jens, would say!). Maybe I am biased because my ancestors come from Hamburg, but I truly loved this city. There was something so simultaneously lively and relaxed about it, and it was absolutely beautiful, if nothing else. First, we saw St. Michael’s Church, the largest church in Hamburg. As a rule, no other buildings are allowed to be larger than this church. Inside was the most massive organ I have ever seen – we have already started searching to see if there will be any organ concerts during the year! After wandering through some of the smaller streets, we briefly stepped into an apartment that had been the home to widowed women during the 1600’s. It was interesting to see how so many people made their lives in such cramped spaces.

My favorite part of the day by far, though, was the harbor tour we took. Hamburg is called ‘the Venice of the North,’ so there was plenty to see by boat. It was a bit rocky on the water, and very wet from the rain – to me, this only added to the experience. It was incredible to travel by boat and learn about the history of Hamburg. Since it is one of the largest port cities, we saw boats from all over the world. And I learned that beaches look the most beautiful in the fall, with foliage covering the trees, when the sky is a perfect gray.

To end our pleasant day, we saw the infamous ‘Red Light District.’ Despite the name, this area is not solely known for sex (though there was plenty of that, to be sure). It is, surprisingly, where The Beatles became famous by playing gigs in the district’s clubs. Paul McCartney even visited a few years ago to pay off a receipt which he neglected in the 70’s; the bar framed the receipt on the wall, where it remains to this day.