Postcards from Hamburg 1

Thistles and Kiwis,

On Wednesday I took the S train into town with the goal of going to get sweaters in Uniqlo (if you know, you know, their cashmere is very good and there isn’t a shop in New Zealand), but more importantly, meet one of my Polish cousins who is working in Germany. It was a gorgeous sunny, if slightly chilly day, so just the right weather for walking and exploring.

Below is the Rathaus or town hall. The current building below was opened in 1897. I read on Wikipedia, that in 1971 a room in the tower was only discovered accidentally during a search for a document fallen behind a filing cabinet. There may in fact be even more rooms than the current count of 647.

After meeting my cousin, who came down from where he is working to visit, we walked around with no fixed goal, just to catch up, talk and see a bit of the city. The two bottom pictures show a bit of Speicherstad, the large warehouse area in the city.

For lunch we went to Fleetschlösschen, a charming mostly fish restaurant we came upon by chance. Here we both enjoyed the fish sandwich with matjes (herring) which was fantastic, and a zero alcohol beer. Fantastic food and worth a visit.

The first of what will no doubt be a series of postcards from Hamburg. These pictures were all taken on 18 March 2026.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

33 Comments

  5. Am laughing! Sunday morning here, just finished breakfast – guess what – herring and onion on rye bread with black coffee! Rather usual for me. Loved the walk around Hamburg . . . looking forwards to more .. .

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  14. How wonderful to meet up with your cousin and have a wander/visit. Those town halls in Germany are always so amazing. I look forward to the continued series of postcards from your time there. Bernie

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  16. I’m thrilled to see so many beautiful photos of Hamburg, culminating in a refreshing glass of beer! And I love the story of a room discovered by accident; it reminds me of the 15th c autobiography of Margery Kemp, which was discovered thanks to an errant pingpong ball! I hope you enjoy your visit with your cousins too.

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