On the Road

While Bremen has plenty of attractions to keep visitors occupied for days, you have many options if you want to venture out of town for a day trip to experience different vibes and it’s so hard to make the decision. Hamburg is famous for its nightlife and cultural diversity. Hannover is renowned for its culture rich in arts and music, whereas Amsterdam is well known for its beautiful canals and quirky architecture. The best part is that you can all travel to these places by train within 3-5 hours! So, after hours of researching the best places to visit last weekend, I chose Hamburg because it’s the closest city, easy to travel around, and has a lot of beautiful architecture. Sounds like the ideal location to hone my solo travel skills!

I grabbed a croissant and a cup of hot chocolate at Main Station and boarded an early Saturday train. Fortunately, I found a great window seat on the second floor to capture the beauty of morning in Germany. I believe the best part of traveling by train is sightseeing between destinations. Instead of seeing cars on the highway, I can see lush forests, untouched lakes, and remote villages. It makes the trip even more remarkable. 

It took about an hour to reach Hamburg Main Station, like going to New York from Drexel. Getting off the station, I was already at the center of the city, where I could easily access the Townhall (Das Hamburger Rathaus), the Art Museum (Der Hamburger Kunsthalle), or the Warehouse District (Der Speicherstadt), an Instagram hotspot.

I first visited the Townhall because I believe we should always start exploring a new city from its heart. Though it was early Saturday, the place was surrounded by tourist groups. The Townhall astounded me with its neoclassical style from the 1890s as if no time had passed. Every detail was still perfectly preserved. May I present to you some of my favorite shots…

I approached a girl and asked her to take photos of me in German, but she didn’t understand what I said initially, so I panicked and thought my German was too bad. But I was relieved when she said she is a tourist and doesn’t know German. Turned out she is a Canadian exchange student from Denmark, and the most surprising part is that she is also Vietnamese. So she, her friend, and I decided to explore Hamburg together. On the way, we talked a lot about our impressions when we first got to Europe and how we tried to adjust to the new environment. It’s interesting to hear another perspective about Germany and how it’s similar and different from Denmark.

After the Townhall, we visited the Hamburg Museum, one of Germany’s largest and richest museums. We spent 3 hours looking at several arts, including the 19th century, modern, and contemporary movement. My favorite is Impressionism, and these are some of the pieces I found interesting.

We capped off the day by having dinner at a local restaurant with a gorgeous canal view. Then I said goodbye as I needed to catch my train back to Bremen and wished we could meet again next time I visit Denmark.

I got back home at around 9 pm and was exhausted from walking all day, but it was such a memorable trip. It was neither the first solo trip I did in Europe nor the first trip I went out of Bremen but to meet such amazing people in the most unexpected way. That said, it was a successful trip, and I can’t wait to go on new adventures. I hope you enjoyed my blog and see you again soon. Bis bald!

A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:

The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.