You know what you do when you head to Hamburg right? Eat a Hamburg steak. Frikadeller baby. Slap it in a bun and throw some fixings on it and it’ll change your life.

The stars aligned somewhat for this trip; mom and dad had flexible enough schedules to sneak away and Mumsie’s availability supported our hope for a grown-ups only vacation. Next thing we knew, Mere and I were off to Germany for a couple of days. We based the adventure out of Hamburg and split our time in the city and on day trips. Neither disappointed.

Adventures in the city (besides the truckloads of good food and drink) included strolls through the Speicherstadt district, downtown area, and trips to a bunch of the local historic buildings (St. Michaelis Church and the Rathaus topped the list). Hamburger Fischmarkt bright and early on a Sunday morning? You bet. I would not pass on this experience if you’re ever in the area. Who would’ve thought a pickled fish sandwich and a beer would taste so good at 6am?

Depending on your fancy, I might skip the Miniatur Wunderland as it is… well a big room full of miniature things. I mean, the level of detail is impressive but maybe it is just a cultural thing that really appeals to the meticulous, detailed German spirit. Certainly not the top attraction in all of Hamburg like many claim it to be. U-Boat? Who wouldn’t want to check out an authentic German U-Boat? Err.. wait… it’s a Russian sub that saw service from 1972 – 2002? Dang it. Whatever. Still an okay time.

When we weren’t seeing the sights of the city, we took a few trips out to nearby towns. Schwerin Castle and the town of Lübeck were great little day trips. Lübeck was the “Queen of the Hanseatic League” and had some just awesome displays of Gothic architecture. Our bike/ferry trip to Blakenese and Altes Lande was probably the favorite adventure. Perfect weather, good food, and tasty fresh cherries all while pedaling through a good 20+ miles of beautiful country side.

And did we have a hamburger? You bet we did. A pretty good one at The Bird and we washed it down with a fantastic Ratsherrn, a very non-German, West Coast IPA-styled local Hamburg craft beer. Sadly this might be the last trip for a while as schedules are ramping up and free time is on the decline.