Say "Yes" to Hamburg!

Melle and Osnabrück were setting up stands for their Christmas markets since mid-November, so Alex and I were excited to see what was in store for us this December. Each town prepares their own market with food and craft stands, so I knew where I was doing my Christmas shopping. This country knows how to celebrate Christmas! It’s very different than the holidays in America because we’re not allowed to have decorations for only one holiday in a classroom. It’s all or nothing. When I tried to explain to my students the idea of being inclusive and saying “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas,” they rejected that idea. Mostly everyone celebrates Christmas here, so the whole town is decked out with red and green.

My students also told me all about Weihnachtsmann, the German Santa Claus. They all leave their shoes out on Christmas Eve, and the Weihnactsmann fills them with candy. I’m not so sure how sanitary that is, but it’s a well-known tradition. For the record, I do not plan on leaving my shoes out for candy this Christmas, no matter how determined I am to blend into this country.

We heard from teachers and students that Hamburg offered one of the best Christmas markets, and since it was only a four hour train ride away, how could we not see for ourselves? We arrived later in the day to the city on December 1, which we learned was the optimal time to see the beautiful colors light up the market. Mistletoe stands, candle stores, craft stores, and so many delicious foods filled every row of this winter wonderland! Christmas Market’s quickly became my favorite thing about Germany. If I could bring one person in the world to a German Christmas Market, it would be my mother. She would be in heaven at one of these places. Christmas stores, decorations, carols, and hot Glühwein... every Christmas nerd’s fantasyland.

The harbor beside the Christmas Market made this one very unique. The water was illuminated by the lights from the celebration. It was a beautiful sight. As we were gazing out into the harbor, Santa was “flying” through the sky on his sled pulled by eight tiny and very artificial reindeer. This performance wasn’t unlike Tinkerbelle in Disney World flying through the Magic Kingdom. The story of Santa was projected through the market on loud speakers in German. While I couldn’t understand what was being said, the voice didn’t seem to match the famous story of Santa and Christmas. It was told in the most Satanic voice which I’m sure gave most of those children nightmares. Obviously, it was time for a new recording.

Santa flew through the sky twice, and after the second time, I saw Alex drop to his knee. My heart was racing because I knew this was the universal signal every girl waits for. My mind was flooded with the happiest memories from our past, the intense passion we still hold in the present, and the hope for a blissful future. After he told me how much he loved me and meant to him, he popped the big question and asked me to marry him. With all the confidence in the world, I accepted… Overwhelmed with love and Christmas spirit.

My life should be a movie. As if moving to Europe post-college with my boyfriend for a year wasn’t romantic enough, now he proposed to me at a German Christmas Market in Hamburg? Not only was this the ideal setting, but that moment made me the happiest girl alive to have everything I ever wanted. I am happy with the direction my life took and the decisions I have made. I would never change a single thing, and I’m lucky to say that. As a recent college graduate, I’m sure it comes as no surprise to most that I have no idea what I’m doing sometimes, but I am sure about this. Everything I like about myself comes out more when I’m with Alex, and that’s what life is about for me. Finding yourself and loving everything about it. If the last three months haven’t been a path of self-discovery, I don’t know what is. As far as the ring, well… I couldn’t stop ogling at it the rest of the night. Okay, the rest of the trip.

Newly engaged and floating on cloud nine, we explored the area some more. We even found ourselves in a very elegant Rathaus which looked like a church. The resemblance was so uncanny that we were actually fooled and blessed ourselves in the fountain next to the entrance… town halls in America are just not that fancy! I had a Jersey girl moment, but it could happen to any American!

After the humiliation passed, we decided it would be a good idea to grab a few drinks and celebrate our big night! We went to the Reeperbahn, which is Hamburg’s Red Light District, and had ourselves quite an evening. The first bar we went to had mostly old people kicking back with some cold ones. There was, however, a very old and entertaining woman chain smoking next to us at the bar. She looked about 110 pounds and was ripping shots every song change. She knew all the words to just about every song, too. A true regular. As much fun as it was watching the old bag of bones, we only stayed for one drink and then made our way to a younger scene. The club we went to gave all the girls one free glass of champagne, and then Alex and I decided to drink too many LIT’s. It was enough to make us dance like Swayze. I’ll never learn my lesson with that drink. Good thing Alex had enough wits about him to leave, otherwise I would have stayed all night.

When we were at the U-Bahn station, Alex actually went to look at departure times. Sober Megan would not have been surprised by this because the boy checks the schedule about 20 times each trip. That being said, a night with LIT’s never fares well for me, so I wasn’t in my right frame of mind. I didn’t realize he left, so I went into panic mode wondering where my personal translator went off to. Was he coming back? How do I say “help” in German? What’s the name of the hostel? Would I have to barter my beautiful ring to pay off his kidnappers? I did the only thing I could think of in that moment… cry. The second he was in sight, I felt an instant wave of relief. He was really only gone for about 30 seconds total. No more LIT’s for me.

The next morning, we went next door to a restaurant that served us an American breakfast. And it tasted like home! It started to snow outside, but the cold was bearable. On the way to the harbor, we took a small detour in Hamburg’s sketchiest park. It seemed desolate with hipster graffiti and a fun jungle-gym to climb on, so we thought it would be worth the stop… and it was a great idea, until we were approached by Middle Eastern drug dealing gangsters. We tried to slip out of the park without engaging in conversation, but one of them caught up to us and started to speak in German. We thought he was asking to take a picture of us, so I gave him my camera. He looked baffled, but snapped a quick shot. Then he gave the camera back, which I wasn’t really expecting to happen. He switched over to English and tried to sell us weed, but we quickly said no and walked out of that park without looking back. Awkward.

Once we made it to the harbor, Alex and I bought tickets for a cruise. Everything was said in German, but it seemed like the best way to see the city. As soon as the sun went down, so did the temperature. As cold as it was, we were happy to walk around and get some Christmas shopping done. We even got into the sea spirit of things and bought Nordsee crab sandwiches…. I’m not so sure how Alex ate his whole sandwich. After one bite, I regretted my meal and wanted to upchuck everything in my stomach. It was too fishy for my liking.

The bar we went to that night wasn’t too crowded and was located near our hostel. It reminded me lot of good, old New Brunswick, which will always hold a special place in my heart. There is a lot of youth in Hamburg, and very dirty in a struggling artist kind of way. It unmasked the city’s heart and soul, I thought. Our hostel was great, too. It had its own kitchen, so we saved a lot of money by bringing our own meals to prepare there.

Before we left Hamburg, Alex and I felt compelled to get more Glühwein from one of the Christmas Market stands. No, not just for the buzz. We wanted to keep the mugs as souvenirs because they said Hamburg on them, the city we got engaged in. We also bought a bratwurst there. Yes, I remember what Herr Meyer said about the cute wild boars, but I figured it was a German specialty that I couldn’t miss out on… and to be honest, I’m glad I didn’t because it put sausage in America to shame!