Hamburg

For us Hamburgers, Hamburg is, of course, the world’s most beautiful city. But how is it for someone who practically comes from the other end of the world? Natraj Suryanarayana from the Indian city of Hyderabad, who is working for four weeks at MOPO, gave it some consideration and wrote down the things that fascinate and amaze him about Hamburg.

If you come from a city of almost eight million people, you do not get the impression that there are very many people living in Hamburg. By area, Hamburg is larger than Hyderabad. Yet only a little under two million people live here and eight million in my city! My co-workers speak of popular meeting places that they say are packed with people. But, when I arrive at the place, I look around and then at my co-workers and ask myself where all the people are. Hamburg is empty.

If there is one sound that is typical for Hamburg to the ears of a Hyderabadi, it is the sound of silence. The ringtones on the mobile phones are hushed, the conversations as well, the cars do not honk, and there is no loud music. On the main streets, the loudest sounds are that of the tyres on the asphalt and where the people get together that of the quiet conversations. One rarely encounters Hamburgers who speak loudly and if one does, they will very probably turn out to be either young, overweight, or possibly English tourists.

In Hyderabad the thermometer is now climbing to over 40 degrees. No wonder I am constantly asked about the weather. Aren’t I too cold? Doesn’t the rain get on my nerves? I can only respond that it is cool, but not unbearably so. Actually, I am still running around in a shirt while my co-workers are already wrapping themselves in jumpers and jackets. “Brr, is it cold,” they say. Apparently, people in Hamburg are even less accustomed to low temperatures than people from India. Perhaps, though, I simply do not perceive the cold – thanks to the warm hearts of the people of Hamburg.