It is only a pity that the stay in Northern Venice was marked by an important football match of our Dnipropetrovsk "Dnipro" against the local "Hamburg" in the UEFA Cup. Given that football was listed first in the trip program, we had to devote all the time that was free from the mandatory program and sleep to sightseeing. We had to sacrifice sleep. For being in Hamburg and sweetly dozing in a cozy hotel without taking the opportunity to see the wonderful city, I personally consider a crime.
So, let's start with the fact that Hamburg is really fun. If only because the city's kind of calling card is the figure of a medieval water carrier named Hummel. He is known for constantly being busy carrying water and serving as an object of ridicule for children. Excerpts from this roll call ("Hummel! Hummel!" - "Mors! Mors!"), as the guide explained, serve as a kind of password by which a Hamburger can be unmistakably recognized in any other country. Agree, only a cheerful city can afford to have a caricature personality as one of its symbols.
Port city
Hamburg is a port city, which also leaves its mark on it. However, this status of a port city contains some inconsistency. Hamburg is indeed the largest seaport in Germany, the second (after Rotterdam) in Europe. At the same time, the city does not reach the North Sea, from which it is separated by almost 90 kilometers. This discrepancy is explained very simply: the mouth of the Elbe, which flows into the sea, is wide enough to allow ocean liners to reach Hamburg. That is, Hamburg should be called a seaport located on a river. Moreover, on a river that flows into a river that flows into the sea. After all, in fact, Hamburg stands on the Alster, a tributary of the Elbe, at its very mouth.
Its convenient location already in the early Middle Ages made Hamburg one of the most notable trading centers in Europe. The city authorities quite early and not without scandal obtained a charter for self-government and the right to collect duties from those trading on the Elbe, and in addition, became one of the founders of the famous Hanseatic League - an association of sea merchants.
It was the constant appearance of ships and their crews in the city, especially those that went on long cruises, that allowed the port district of St. Pauli (until the middle of the last century it was even a separate city) to become famous as a so-called center of leisure and recreation for those wishing to relieve the tension accumulated during long wanderings. Sailors never spared money, but they were allowed to spend it only outside the line of medieval Hamburg - in that very suburb of St. Pauli. The center of nightlife became the Reeperbahn - the most famous "red light district" in Germany.
In the Light of Red Lanterns
We will talk about it further. Unfortunately, while preparing for the trip to Hamburg in advance and collecting information about its numerous museums, I did not take into account one factor: we had only evening and night time for the free program. Therefore, we had to spend both evenings on the Reeperbahn, which I personally do not regret. In Ukraine, you won't see anything like this anytime soon.
The Reeperbahn is seriously addictive. There is a historically true tragicomic fact. One of the members of the Danish royal family so loved communicating with German women in the neighboring state that he often visited Hamburg with quite clear intentions. Incognito, of course. Once, when he was having fun with two beauties, he felt unwell. The young ladies were not stupid and guessed that their client was not a commoner, so, to avoid any trouble, they simply dragged the poor fellow out into the street and left him in a ditch. There he died, although there were chances to save his life. When the body was discovered, German law enforcement officers took him on a cart in his underwear to the border - for transfer to the Danes. This story, by the way, is depicted on one of the walls in the center of Hamburg, where the most interesting facts from the life of the city are presented in such miniatures.
The Germans amazed with their free and calm attitude to this very depraved street. They responded with a smile and understanding to requests to help get to this area. And the locals themselves do not deny themselves the pleasure of walking along the Reeperbahn.
You should not imagine that the "red light district" is entirely strewn with prostitutes and pimps eager to extort as much money as possible from visitors. The essence of the Reeperbahn is more voluminous. On this street (or rather, it should be called a quarter) there is the Operettenhaus music hall, also the Sankt-Pauli-Theater, and in addition, a street branches off from the Reeperbahn whose name translated from German sounds like "Great Freedom". And on this very Great Freedom there is a club where the famous Liverpool four - The Beatles - began their career. In short, do not put an equal sign between the "red light district" and prostitution in its pure form.
Without representatives of the oldest profession, of course, the Reeperbahn would not be the Reeperbahn. But the young ladies who ply their trade are only one side of the life of the most cheerful district of the cheerful city of Hamburg.
The street is strewn with all kinds of eateries where you can grab a bite (well, where would we be without that?), beer halls where you can easily boost your vitality, video salons equipped with individual booths that lock from the inside, and sex shops. The latter simply amaze the imagination, especially supermarkets (there are such). Against the background of the abundance of goods, you feel like a grain of sand. No person is able to view the assortment of video cassettes on all possible topics that they offer there. You could walk around the sales floor again and again. But after going down to the basement sales area, where items for sadomasochism enthusiasts were located, wandering between the rows somehow lost its appeal.
Well, to hell with the super sex shop. It's not as if the world revolves around it. At the exit, an elderly married couple pleased us, smiling and exchanging some frivolous remarks while looking at something in a shop window. What exactly, I never understood. And there's no need. On the Reeperbahn it's not customary to take an interest in passers-by like yourself, strolling or running about their business. And if you try to photograph or film scenes from Reeperbahn life, you can run into a lot of trouble. Who knows who you are? Maybe you're a paparazzo, and these photos will soon grace the pages of some unsavory magazines? Having to prove under the pressure of a disgruntled burgher that these shots are intended for personal use back home and strictly within a narrow circle, you'll agree, is most unpleasant.
And considering that the Reeperbahn is also home to supporters of sexual minorities, who do not always flaunt their orientation, you can indeed run into a scandal. Although more than once or twice I have come across couples of young boys walking down the street holding hands. Freedom of morals is truly a great thing. True, our group of five guys, who accidentally glanced into an alley where gay clubs and a gay sauna are located, were only partially pleased even by the very fact of their very quick departure from there. Better not to have gone in, but who knew what was there.
But near the police headquarters, right in the center of the Reeperbahn, we lingered longer. We lingered, not were detained! The fact is that, starting from that very headquarters, further into the alley that leads away from the Reeperbahn, along the buildings stand young ladies. Of easy virtue and equally uncertain earnings. I say this because a little further down the same alley are the famous red gates, which only men are allowed to enter.
Behind these gates, women sit in peculiar display windows and try in every way to lure members of the stronger sex who have entered. The women look quite spectacular, but, as expected, there were no Russians among them. Probably because, for some reason, our women are valued in this branch of the national economy far lower than representatives of Western Europe. And in this 'passage' everything is arranged to the highest standard - no cameras, no photo cameras, exclusively respectful attitude of one side toward the other. We didn't notice any security, but there was no doubt that there was someone to stand up for the peace of the entrusted territory.
On the other side of the gates there are also beauties standing - they try to intercept what did not settle in the area of the display windows. At the same time, the prices before and beyond the gates differ like heaven and earth. There - 100 euros per half hour, here - half as much, or as you can negotiate. But in this case, the client has practically no guarantees regarding his own health and even life - street girls are cheaper precisely because they are less well-groomed than those sitting behind the display windows.
Another attraction is the house of assignations (in other words, a brothel), located on the corner of the Reeperbahn and Great Freedom, which also has dancing clubs. Whether it happened historically (since the Beatles era) or for some other reasons, ultramodern music trends still reign on Great Freedom to this day.
The house of assignations consists of four floors and is a square with a courtyard inside. The higher the floor, the cheaper the girl. Women not occupied with receiving clients sit in the corridor on little chairs. If the room is occupied, the chair is empty. Prices are lower than at the display windows. But the girls there are better. Although even among the 'in-house' ones there are quite pretty ones.
A funny story is associated with this house. Two friends from our delegation decided to part with some of the money they had in their pockets and try paid love. However, they had problems with their knowledge of German, and their chosen one, a mulatto from Jamaica, had problems with her knowledge of Russian. Our compatriot, who has long lived in Germany, had to act as both translator and 'pimp' at the same time. It turned out that the dark-skinned prostitute was explaining that she would first like to serve one, and then the other. Apparently, she thought that, out of economy, the guys would rush at her at the same time. In the end, the conflict was successfully resolved, and everyone was satisfied.
And after we met again with the heroes of the 'love triangle', it was decided to look into one of the establishments where, according to the barkers standing at the door, there was live sex. That is, a striptease ending in a full sexual act. One nuance bothered us. On Great Freedom, where the strip club with such a program is indeed located, they demanded 25 euros per person for 2-2.5 hours of the spectacle. Around the corner, enterprising guys tried to tell us that the same thing could be seen there for 5-6 euros. Moreover, for that money you would also be treated to a bottle of beer.
As they say, I know I'll be cheated, but I'm curious where. Spending 5 euros each didn't bother us. We went in. The girl at the pole quickly performed a somewhat lackluster striptease to complete nudity, after which, together with her colleagues, she went into the hall. As it turned out, she only dances when someone comes in.
We got to talking. The stripper was from Kazakhstan; among the other female employees there were Russians and Poles. And they all together started urging us to treat them to something. "Buy me some juice, please!", "Treat me to coffee!", "Give me 5 euros, I'll buy myself something." Not everyone had the sense to reply to the requests with a firm "no." And only when a bill for 60 euros appeared in my companion's hands did I finally understand the essence of the scam. A customer just has to fail to say "no" for it to be taken as consent to treat the woman, who during the conversation tries to describe all the delights of a possible joint evening. The scandal started by the guys from Ukraine scared the girls in the establishment a little. They agreed to 25 euros, and in addition, the stripper (apparently as compensation) performed yet another not very impressive pole dance. Honestly, watching the two televisions suspended next to the podium, which were showing tasteless pornography, was more interesting. Although a television compared to a live person is nothing.
In short, you won't be allowed to get bored on the Reeperbahn. The main thing is that you are ready to part with at least some money. And not only for sandwiches or beer. Although even a purely sightseeing program will leave an indelible impression.