First impressions of Hamburg

I'm in Hamburg for a medical conference this week. I'm giving a talk about some research that I did in my last job. I wasn't really looking forward to it as much as previous conferences in more prominent cities (Vienna, Stockholm, Barcelona) as I had only every heard bad stuff about Hamburg.

I was most aware of Hamburg in the context of the Beatles. The Beatles were based in Hamburg for several months before they became famous. They honed their musical skills playing epic sets in the strip-clubs of the red light district.

Hamburg also has an international reputation for sleeze. The Reeperbahn is meant to be one of the most depraved red light areas in the world. When I planned my trip here I wanted to make sure that I stayed in a decent hotel and not some sort of jazzed up knocking shop.

I've actually done pretty well on the hotel front although it is costing me a fair bit. I'm stayiing in the 5 star SIDE hotel in the centre of town. I'm in one of the executive rooms which is rather nice. My room is bigger than several student flats I stayed in. Needless to say, the room is also much more comfortable. Very, very nice.

I was also fairly suprised by the centre of Hamburg. It is full of trendy, upmarket designer shops with all the major labels in attendance. Everything is very clean. The people all look fairly healthy. It is very different from my native Glasgow.

I've also been able to eat good food without breaking the bank. We found a nice wee italian place for dinner tonight and I had lunch in a soup place. All very satisfying.

I had a walk down the Reeperbahn with a colleague. It is full of titty-bars and grime. It contrasts sharply with the new town. Lots of skanky old punks and people sleeping in the streets. We didn't linger.

The conference starts properly tomorrow but I hope to see a bit more of the city. Nicer than I expected anyway. A pleasant surprise