Vending machines in Germany...

In the lobby of the hostel I stay at, it the city of Hamburg, there is an ice cream vending machine. Maybe we have these in Australia, but if we do, I’ve never seen one.

  

 It just made me think about all of the awesome things that can be bought from vending machines, y’know? Like candy, and soda, and sandwiches and stuff. But maybe we can go further. Maybe all of the things that make life worth living should be sold in vending machines. So not just delicious treats, but the feeling of a cool wind on a hot summers day, or girls who won’t break your heart, or lego. Even if it’s just solitary lego blocks, like that one I bought in legoland the other day...

Oh, that’s right, this is a travel blog. Sorry about that.

So, I went to LEGOLAND the other day!

I’ve always believed that LEGO is just one of those things which you are never too old for. And yes, I have a list of the other things. But believe the hype kiddies, it IS as awesome as it sounds. It’s a place where dreams come true and you don’t have to worry about anything at all. And all of the rides are built for adults as well! (Some people may say that’s because generally adults are taking their small children to the park. But you know what? Fuck those people) And the rides are really fun. Like, REALLY fun. And they have LEGO replicas of so many things!

Like Amsterdam. For those of you who haven't been, it actually looks a whole lot like this.

The only thing close to a disapointment was the fact that they didn’t have any of the lego Batman stuff for sale. I was kinda hoping to get that Harley Quinn set I’m missing. Harley Quinn was a villain introduced into the Batman universe by... Oh sorry, travel blog, right. I should probably save my Batman rants for another place. I mean, seriously, I could go on for hours.

Anyway, more pictures!

 

Legoland from above.

Lego baby gorilla on top of a cafe. There was a much larger, presumably mother gorilla not too far away.

Bins in the shape of lego bricks.

Lego flamingos.

And lego vultures.

According to the sign, this relief used 2.4 million lego blocks. At first I was in awes of how long it must have taken to design it, then how long it must have taken to build, and then just jealous, realizing that I think I've found my dream job.

Coke served in a lego cup. Okay, a paper cup... but it had the lego logo on it, and I got excited.

Lego. Rabbit. Holding a chainsaw. I dare you to find one part of this that is not awesome. Did you find one? Okay, now kindly remove yourself from my friends list.

 Now, to back up a little, I left Dresden last Thursday, and went to the very fine city of Hamburg. I got there Thursday, and a little bored, I decided to head to the Reeperbahn (One of the clubbing areas in Hamburg, which also serves as it's red light district, and is actually pretty close to where I'm staying) in search of a German metal club. I found one, well, kinda. It's just an alternative club, but the place was completely empty except for two bartenders and two DJs. Two DJs who, might I add, would play anything I asked them too. And I mean ANYTHING. The first one I asked for was ba a band called American Head Charge, who, generally speaking, no one has ever heard of. They even had the song I wanted. Which is this one. Then Deftones, then, oh my god, so many things. And only 1 euro beers. And a pretty bartender who was not only a metal fan (and knew her stuff), but was also studying theology. I mean, seriously, cheap (good) beer, good (intelligent) conversation, great music, in Germany... that's all pretty much me, right there.

But German graffiti can still hurt your feelings.

 So Friday I slept right in, and loved it. And then, later that afternoon, I met up with a very dear friend of mine II have not seen for around about six years or so, Claudia. A girl I met when she was travelling around Australia, and worked at the same pizza place I did at the time.

Some things are kind of hard to explain. I don't think I've ever gone so long without seeing someone that I would call a very dear friend. But it was very lovely to see her again. And we went for a walk around some parts of Hamburg. 

This starcase is know as the 'Himmelsleiter' which literally translates to 'Stairway to Heaven.' And yes, Led Zeppelin was running through my head the rest of the day.

Claudia against the backdrop of the Hamburg docks. Also, they have boats here for some public transportation. Again, it all just seems so right.

Part of Hamburg at night.

The Hamburg town hall at night. A town hall in German, is known as a Rat House, I mean, err, Rathaus. Which still seems appropriate.

And the next day, Claudia, very kindly, drove all the way to Billund in Denmark, just so I could go to Legoland. And despite all of her German heritage, still had fun, I think. But only because there were no Germans around to frown down on her. If any Germans ARE reading this, Claudia did not have fun. At all, She just looked serious the whole time and was really just very efficient about the whole thing.

Sorry Claudia, you're still lovely.

And to clear something up. We took th Autobahn there, and you know what? It's just another highway. With traffic jams and all. This is a picture of the autobahn at a standstill. Forget what people have told you. The Autobahn is just another highway.

The next day, after going to bed very late (we stopped by a party on the way back to Hamburg from Legoland), I got up ridiculously early, so I could see the Hamburg Fishmarket. Kind of like Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, but outdoors.

Although it did have this guy, who was a fishmonger who was so loud and charismatic, that he had a huge crowd of tourists around taking pictures and videos, and maybe a couple of people actually buying fish.

And not too far from where I'm staying, I found this graffiti of a camel-turtle-thing. 'Cause that's just the way that Germany rolls.

 Later on, I went out to a tawn on the outskirts of Hamburg called Reinbek, where Claudia and I took a walk through the woods.

After that, I planned to go home, and catch up on the sleep I missed out on from the night before. Bed early, mmm, what a nice idea. Instead, there was a German guy in my room (I've been staying in Hostel dorms, there's always someone else in your room) from outside Freiburg. It was his first trip to Hamburg, and he wanted to go out on the Reeperbahn. And was looking for someone to go with, and I am nothing if not obliging. So it was off to the Reeperbahn, and a bar or two, for me.

You can probably guess the rest.

Anyway, the next day a really lovely girl I'd met here, a pharmacist (also nifty, as I have developed quite a bad cough, but the medication she reccomended it all in German, so either I'm taking something which will help, or I'm taking something which will not) by the name of Carolin offered to show me around Hamburg a little.

We went to another popular part of town for the locals, known as the Shanze. There a building; which is owned by the city, but occupied by squatters; where once a year on May first, they build a barricade of wood, set it alight, and throw stones at the police. I mean, seriously, Hamburg seems like such an exciting place to be.

After that, we went to 'The Miche' an old Church in Hamburg, with very lovely views from the clocktower.

Also a street near the Miche, which was built in the seventeenth century to house the poor, and kept very much in the same fashion today.

And a park, in the middle of Hamburg, with DECK CHAIRS! Park benches ain't got nothing! Whoops, sorry, slipped backinto my ghetto gansta rap days for a moment there.

 Well, I guess that's about it for the moment. More to come soon, and in a few days I'll be off to Berlin. Probably humming Pink Floyds 'The Wall.'

You are in my heart always.