Emotional travelling

http://youtu.be/Hp85VHonLUY

If you watch this video you will understand, what I mean under emotional tripping. Sometimes you do not have to go anywhere..Just some music or color catches your attention and you are already travelling in your mind to some place you have not been before..How many photo albums I could fill with these moments, when I saw something really nice once in a sudden, and was thinking that if I would have the camera with me, it could be one of the best photos taken by me ever..Some days ago I went with the bus in the morning to the workplace and there was many small raindrops on the glass, the sun was coming up and sometimes it shine through them and it looked like some nice structure of golden pearls..An other time, actually today I saw a small girl of Asian origin in a very beautiful Mongolian-like silk blue winter coat with colorful patterns. All this when I just saw an amazing photo/fashion report about Mongolia in the British Vouge couple of weeks ago, which totally made my mood for a Mongolia-trip..
Then I just remembered, when I got in to the yard of an old house in Budapest and the excitement of discovering that unknown place, where actually all the neighbors knew each other and I was definitely a stranger in that small intimate community. I felt somehow that these photos will be very unique, because I am at a place, which might disappear any time..How interesting it might sound, but yes, they tore down hundreds of years old buildings and built completely new ones, because it was more cost-effective and in one year also my photo-scene disappeared and now it lives only on the photos I took.
What I want to say here is that every day there can be THE moment, what you remember all of your life long. It might be even " an accident" that you got there or that you saw that and it does not even have to be anything extraordinary..but still you might remember that moment all of your life. This is what I call "emotional travelling". You mark the places in your life by these moments, and these moment make their place in you and shape you little by little without you even noticing it. A colour, a smell, a taste, a look, the light shining through a glass, a cat taking sunbath, the smell of the fresh bread from the bakery at your holiday location, a colorful fish, when you are snorkeling...anything what makes you feel that you are a part of the life happening around you.

Village life

Mónika Csapó- All Rights Reserved

Mónika Csapó- All Rights Reserved

Mónika Csapó- All Rights Reserved

Mónika Csapó- All Rights Reserved

Mónika Csapó- All Rights Reserved

The photos were taken in Szany, Hungary. Szany is a village where my Mum is from, in my childhood I spent almost all of the holidays here and have very good memories. A saw small calves which were born couple of days ago, drunk "real" milk, picked fruits and vegetables from the garden, made nice walks to the nearby forest, watched falling starts in August and had simply a carefree life here.

Living abroad

XXIth century..People come and go between the countries, some for this, some for that reason. Sometimes life brings you a chance, you catch the opportunity and suddenly you live in a country far away from your home and you become a "foreigner" to others around you and sometimes to yourself as well, because your head is full of new thoughts and you live outside of your "own environment".

When I look around I meet even in Finland many Hungarian people living here, not to speak about London, Germany, Austria, Amsterdam and some more "exotic" places. Who knows why people start to go a road, which is different from the "everyday" path, that you are born somewhere, you live your life there and die in the same country. Sometimes  the rush of a situation is bringing you to places and challenges, what you are not even ready to estimate beforehand. Only when you get there, then you can see what you were choosing. 

It is nice to make conclusions from a certain group of people, but it can be also boring and false what people make up by analyzing some people who live different life than they do. 

Since I live in Helsinki, I can understand the other people living as foreigners abroad a bit more, but I also feel very much connected to my roots and old friends and family in Hungary. I am thinking every year, that I will count the time spent in Hungary and in Finland to be able to compare how much of a year do I spend at home 1 and current home2. 

For some people it is easier to start to go, but whenever you choose a road and start to go it, it will be THE road for the time you go it and the more you walk on it, the more difficult it will be to go back where you started from. Actually may be it is not even possible to go back totally, every road leaves its sign in you and the crossroads disappear in the past. You can go the roads and try to keep some constant things in you whatever road you go and wherever that road leads you. Maybe this is the first most important thing what I could give as an advice from my own experience for people, who consider moving somewhere or moving back to somewhere.

Journey by Moonlight

In Hungarian "Utas és Holdvilág", which literally means "Traveler and Moonlight" is one of the best known novels of the Hungarian literature. Written by Antal Szerb it was first published in 1937. If you want to read a nice book with good story and the travel flow in it, I can absolutely recommend it. 


Here is a plot introduction:


"The novel features the romantic figure of Mihály, aloof and poetic, but struggling to break with an adolescent rebelliousness which he tries to quell under respectable bourgeois conformism, but also with the disturbing attraction of an erotic death-wish. While there is no doubt an element of (the then especially influential and risqué) Freudianism in this, as well as perhaps the sexual and emotional claustrophobia of a society with strong Catholic and martial traditions, it also has a distinct originality.

The novel follows Mihály, a Budapest native from a bourgeois family on his honeymoon in Italy, as he encounters and attempts to make sense of his past."

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_by_Moonlight_(novel) )

TRAVEL PLAN 4: Hamburg (Germany)

• up to date info on the web: http://english.hamburg.de/
• check your route in Hamburg (available in German):http://www.meinestadt.de/hamburg/stadtplan/routenplaner

About Hamburg

Hamburg is the biggest city of North-Germany with its 1.8 million inhabitants. It is a major transport hub in North-Germany and the Hamburg Port ranks as 9th worldwide in transshipment. 

Here a quote to describe the "Hamburg-feeling":

"In Hamburg it`s hard to find a Hamburger. A hurried and superficial search turns up only people from Pinneberg, and those from Bergedorf. One accompanies the contented little kippers of a striving society; mackerels from Stade, sole from Finkenwerder, herrings from Cuxhaven swim in expectant throngs through the streets of my city and lobsters patrol the stock exchange with open claws....The first so-called unguarded glance always lands on the bottom of the sea and falls into twilight of the aquarium. Heinrich Heine must have had the same experience when he tried, with his cultivated scorn and gifted melancholy, to find people of Hamburg"
   -Siegfried Lenz, in Leute von Hamburg (People from Hamburg) 
(from :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg#Port)

Sights

1. Hamburg Port

How to get here: The cruises start from the "Alter Elbtunnel". It is worth to participate in a port-cruise, because this way you can explore from "inside and live" the everyday life of the 9th biggest port of the world. Speicherstadt is a main part of the port cruise, behind the wall of the historical storage houses valuable goods of world trade are stored; coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, tobacco, computer and the third biggest oriental rug stock of the world.

Hamburg Port-tours: http://www.barkassenvermietung-hamburg.com/hafenrundfahrt.html,here the "Hafenrundfahrt" costs 12 EUR for adults, 5 EUR for children, and you can ask an offer for groups via email or phone

2. St. Michaels Church

Facts and History: http://www.st-michaelis.de/, it is worth to go up to the tower of the church by walking or taking the elevator. From here you can see the city and the Hamburg Port. High fences, therefore recommended also for people who are afraid of height.

How to get here: S-Bahn: S3, S1 Stadthausbrücke, Mihaelisstrasse exit

Tower-Entrance fee: 4 EUR for adults, Children 6-15 years 3 EUR

Opening hours: November-April 10:00-17:30, May-October 9:00-19:30

3. Alter Elbtunnel (Old Elb-Tunnel)

Facts and History: Other name "St. Pauli Elbtunnel" was opened in 1911 and was a technical miracle of its age. It was the first under-river tunnel of the continent. People and vehicles were transported 24 m deep with the elevators. Since 2003 it is a cultural heritage sight. On foot and by bike the entrance is free.

How to get here: St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, Hamburg

4. Rathaus Hamburg (City hall)

How to get here: U-Bahn, U3 Rathaus

Opening hours :  Guided tours in German Mo-Fri 10:00-15:00 every half hour, Sat 10:00-17:00 every half hour, So 10:00-16:00 every half hour. If requested guided tours in English and French are offered every hour. For further information: +49 40 42831 2064 (9-17). Recommended to call and ask up to date opening info.

Entrance free: Adults 3 EUR, Children up to 14 years 50 cent, groups from 15 person 2 EUR, Families (2 adults+children) 6 EUR, Hamburg pass or Power-Pass 2 EUR

5. Planten un Blomen Park

Facts and History: you find this amazing park right in the city center, main sights here are the Botanic Garden with Tropical House, and the biggest Japanese Garden of Europe. The "Central Park of Hamburg" with many programs and attractions. 

How to get here: different entrances at different parts of the park. Here you can find the closest public transportation stop to the place you want to visit: http://plantenunblomen.hamburg.de/lageplan-np/

Opening hours: October 1st-March 31st 7:00-20:00, April 1st-30st April: 07:00-22:00, 1st May-30th September 07:00-23:00

Aussenalter (Outer Alter Lake) is an other recreational area of Hamburg, it is a artificial lake (see more info on the web)

6. St. Nikolai Memorial

Facts and History: This is the main place in Hamburg devoted to the memory of the victims of the war and the country`s leadership between 1933 and 1945. In the ruin you find a permanent exhibition about the reasons and consequences of the air war in Europe.

Entrance fee: Adults 3.7 EUR, Students/Hamburg Card/Groups 2.9 EUR, Children 2 EUR

How to get here: closest U-Bahn station is Rödingsmarkt

Opening hours: May-Sept every day 10:00-20:00, October-April 10:00-17:00

7. Reperbahn

Facts and History: street in St Pauli`s district, one of the two centers of Hamburgs nightlife and also Hamburgs red light district. It is recommended to avoid Herbestsstrasse and just walk along Reperbahn and visit the funny/weird sex shops, restaurants and theater live venues.

How to get here: Street running parallel with the harbor

Culture tripping

Hamburger Kunsthalle

Facts and History: Absolutaley worth of the money for art-lovers. Renoir, Monet,Manet, Rodin etc. Alte Meister-Neue Mesiter entrances, the exhibition are is divided to "Old- and New Masters". They hold in the museum every Saturday an Art-market where people can buy secondhand art books, some small design things etc. and the museum shop is also very good even for buying presents.

Entrance fee:  12 EUR

How to get here: it is next to the Hamburg Central Railway Station

Opening hours:Tuesdays to Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, Thursdays 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Closed Mondays; Day of German Unity (10/03/2011) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Christmas Eve and December 25: closed, December 26: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., New Year's Eve 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., New Year's Day 12 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Deichtorhallen

Emmigration Museum Ballinstadt

International Maritimes Museum Hamburg

Miniatur Wonderland

Museum ships at Landungsbrücken

Alsterarkaden

It is worth to check the web for further programs and places to visit, because the cultural program offer of Hamburg is very big and diverse.

Eating and shopping

Hamburg Fischmarkt (fish market)

In the shopping street starting at the Railway Station:

Spices of the world shop (http://www.schuhbeck.de/laeden/gewuerzlaeden/in-hamburg.html)

Gummibär shop (http://www.baeren-treff.de/)

Curry wurst place opposite to Starbucks

Thomas Sabo shopwindow had funny-cool Chineese and Panda themes when we visited in 2011 October

      The Hamburg Travel Guide © Mónika Csapó- All Rights Reserved