Day Date #2: Altona

Aaron and I decided to get out again this past weekend just the two of us. A neighborhood we have heard so much about but had not yet had a chance to explore was Altona. Altona is a very happening area of Hamburg with tons of shopping, restaurants, parks and places to live. It is one of the most trendy areas of Hamburg and has a lot to offer so we of course wanted to go see what all the hype was about.

We took 2 short bus rides over to Altona and once again were amazed at how easy navigating the public transportation system is. It ended up being about 25 minutes total door to door. The stop we got off in Altona was basically a huge square full of shops and restaurants. Our first stop was a small restaurant called Rain Cafe Eatery. It was a quaint little place with about 8 tables outside for people to sit at. Being the early birds we are (thanks Calvin) we were the first ones there. We got the best table outside and ordered cappuccino's while we perused the options for breakfast. It was amazing how quickly the tables filled up outside, within 20 minutes the outside was full.

I ordered "Eggs Richard" which was essentially a veggie eggs benedict with green and white asparagus and peas. The Germans are obsessed with asparagus when it is in season and you see it everywhere. Aaron had a more traditional Eggs Benedict with ham. They served them on these rolls that looked like cinnamon rolls but were savory, not sweet. The food was delicious and we tried but couldn't even finish given the portions were huge. We would definitely go back there and it would be a nice spot to take visitors. It was set off a huge shopping square but down a quiet brick alley surrounded by your typical European balconies. Once we were done eating we sat for a few more minutes and just people watched. After paying we were onto our next adventure.

Aaron of course wanted to stop by the Media Markt which is the Best Buy of Germany because we needed to look at TV's. We found one I think will work for the new apartment. We couldn't bring ours from home as it wouldn't work on the International voltage so we ended up selling it to someone in Atlanta. Then we went to the huge mega IKEA here in Hamburg. The German's love IKEA and truly think its the greatest thing ever. Most kitchens here are outfitted by IKEA. In fact, some apartments don't come with a kitchen you have to buy everything including countertops to go with it. There are some people that take everything with them when they leave. Why?!?! I don't know because I would think it was custom fitted for that space but it does happen here.

Another thing we have learned through our apartment search that there are no apartments in Germany with built in closets. It just is not a thing here so every room that you would typically need a closet to hold things like clothing and shoes, etc. you buy a wardrobe instead. We will definitely be purchasing these from IKEA given that when we come home we wont really need them. It is something we should be able to sell here before returning home. It was fun to walk around the huge store as it had been a really long time since I had been in an IKEA. We are looking forward to moving into our new flat, decorating and making it our own little space here in Hamburg.

While it wasn't the most exciting outing it did take up a few hours and was nice just being able to spend time together and walk around. It was also cool seeing Altona and a new neighborhood. We will definitely go back there in the near future to do some more exploring. I also promise to take more pictures next time as we didn't end up snagging many good ones. I have also included a bump picture because we are half way to meeting baby girl. Until next time, Tschuss!

-Katy