the vegetation surrounding the Ericusgraben

There is a rather snappy English saying that runs “sometimes you can’t see the woods for the trees”. Working in the Hafen City on a daily basis, this phrase struck me as being rather relevant, noticing as I recently did, how my day to day familiarity with the Hafen City surroundings had led me to lose sight of the spatial and temporal changes that had been taking place right under my very own nose. Having thought that I could sketch the Hafen City with my eyes closed, with its memorable backdrop of cranes, hordes of removal vans and gaggles of tourists, I realised on closer inspection the day to day developments which are beginning to reshape the skyline .

The Ericus - with the new Spiegel building

Horror in the HafenCIty

Coming from a country rich in lively history and a city founded by the Romans, I have always wanted to know more about the lives and times behind Hamburg. Having grown from a tiny castle village of about five hundred people in 808AD the now thriving port city of Hamburg boasts a teeming population of nearly two million, and is regarded as the capital of northern Germany. How did this come to be? It was time to find out.

I decided to check out the Hafen City and was pleased to find an area clearly steeped in history. I found a captivating mix of buildings and warehouses new and old, revealing a picture of centuries of industry and prosperity. The countless bridges, canals, walk and water ways tell their own story of Hamburg's growth and importance as a port city, as well as the global influences Hamburg would have been exposed to over the years.

The atmosphere in the room gave me the feeling of an old traditional warehouse (Foto: Thomas Hampel)

There’s no denying it: reality shows have taken over television. There is Big Brother, DSDS (Deutschland sucht den Superstar) and Germany’s Got Talent.  But now the trend seems to have shifted from talent on the stage to talent in the kitchen, as cooking reality shows fill up the evening time slot. Turn on the television on any given evening and you will see Kocharena, Das Perfekte Promi Dinner, Die Küchen Chefs and Kochduell.  Germany’s newest fascination with food!
We watch these shows and become inspired.  We run to the supermarket or organic market to purchase all of the ingredients in the hope of creating culinary masterpieces of our own. We are satisfied with our results and have a sense of accomplishment when we are able to cook like the celebrities we watch.  

sacks filled with Spices welcomed me into the history of the Speicherstadt (Foto:Thomas Hampel)