This year, from the 12th to the 14th of June, 25 CompEng and SubSurf students and a few members of the team went on another exciting trip to one of Germany‘s biggest and most exciting cities, Hamburg!

Our annual exploring-Germany-weekend began with an exciting start of almost no traffic on our way to Hamburg. With an arrival at the youth hostel at about 3pm, we had enough time to settle in and use our first day of the weekend to explore the city - and how could you do this better than with a tour by the Support Team? We went over the Landungsbrücken to look at the harbour, took a walk underwater through the Elbtunnel, had a quick stop on the famous Reeperbahn and ended up checking out a modernized bunker that was built during World War II. By the time the evening arrived everyone had a wonderful first impression of the city and was ready to get some sleep after this long day, looking forward to what Saturday would bring.

Our next morning started with a tasty breakfast buffet at the youth hostel, after which everyone met up for our infamous boat tour through the port of Hamburg harbour. While watching the giant containers being moved around, seeing a ship of the Aida arriving at the harbour and being informed about some of the fascinating buildings you can find surrounding the harbour, the group was able to sit with friends, have a coffee, and enjoy the ride. The rest of the day was used for freely exploring the city, finding the best food spots and, of course, forming and strengthening (new)  friendships.

Sunday was already the last day of our exciting weekend, which meant packing bags and suitcases after breakfast and getting on the bus again. But no need to worry! Of course we had a final very cool stop before actually going home, the Automuseum Prototyp. We were given a tour through famous car history with a lovely tour guide that lit a spark in even the people who usually are not too interested in cars. It is safe to say that this stop was definitely a highlight of the trip. Fascinated by not only the Automuseum but also all the other impressions of the city and the weekend we made our way back to Bochum.

We truly have spent a wonderful weekend in Hamburg that everyone will look back on with a smile, surrounded by (new) friends. Thank you to everyone who was part of this trip and made it so special!