Coffee & tea

The Kesselhaus was the former energy facility at the end of the 19th century (1886/1887) to power the area of the Speicherstadt. Today it is a public interactive InfoCenter for the actual projects of Hamburg in architecture and urban planning connected to a café.

I love this location very much because it is a very nice starting or ending point for your own city tour to review your impression of the neighborhood and to get your own idea about the cityscape. The Kesselhaus provides you with a very nice and detailed model (scale 1:500) of Hamburg downtown which will help you very much for your sense of orientation and navigation beyond your visit on place as well.

Interactive multilingual displays will tell you about the history and development of the harbor & labor in the past and give you the outline of the City of Hamburg in future.

If you are lucky you will be able to visit temporary exhibitions or you can join the Landgang-Group every Saturday at 15:00 for an excursion of the area. Bicycle tours are also possible every 1st and 3rd Sunday from May to September (pls. bring your own bike).

The Café provides you snacks, cakes, cold and hot drinks. The prices are affordable. Definitively a must for everyone who likes urbanism, architecture and spaces.

Openings:

(Oct – Apr): Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

(May – Sep): Tue – Sun 10:00 – 20:00

Public transportation:U-Bahn U3 to “Baumwall” or Metrobus 3 to “Auf dem Sande”

Well Hamburg isn’t Paris of course but during my time here, I noticed a French community quite well established here in the city centre (see my other post: Le Petit Paris.

The Café Paris which was once a former butchery – is quite a known place in the gastroscene today but nevertheless I think it’s very much worth to be spotted for you. I avoided posting a picture of the inside because I don’t want to spoil the moment when you enter the place.

The interior design is crafted in the design of ‘Art Déco’ with nice tiling in the theme of “Industrial and Rural Romanticism”. Upstairs you will find the the ‘Bel Étage’ which reminds me very much of James Cameron’s Motion Picture “Titanic” or Jule Verne’s “Nautilus”.

It’s the atmosphere and the special architecture which makes this place very enjoyable and unique in Hamburg and treasures the glorious age of French influence in the city.

Next to delicious and very fresh French dishes, the place offers great coffee and cakes. I like to go there on Sunday afternoons but you are advised to make a reservation.. otherwise no chance.

I love this place because it has style in every sense and there is nothing more to add but that it makes me want to suit up and get ready for a visit.

Do you remember Amélie Poulain and Yann Tiersen’s soundtrack to the movie? Well this is what I had the first coming up to my mind when I discovered this cute little jewel in the city centre.

“Le Magasin du Café de Paris – Le petit Paris” is actually a store where you can get all french specialities which are offered in the main Café at the other side of the street.

I really love the concept of this location with the shelves of wine, books, marmelade, antiques, pastries and other goods. In between all of it you can get some great coffee and have a great talk with the shop assistant who can tell you every story behind the items provided.

I mean seriously, this place is like you walking around in the most crowded part of the city and then suddenly for a moment beeing pulled back to the early 20ies of big european cities.

From noon until the evening the “Petit Paris” serves oysters and champagne but sometimes they just decide to put out some great (cup)cakes or cider at will.

If you leave the store a certain satisfaction will overcome and make you smile until you notice a black door to your right with a signboard: “Le Lion de Paris”. But this my friend be patient, is so very much worth another post.

I’ve lived in Altona for many years now and when I’m on my way (by bike or on foot) to Schanze oder St. Pauli I cross the Walter-Möller-Park. Almost 2 km long (from Fischmarkt in the south to S-Bahn Hostenstraße) Walter-Möller-Park is one of the beautiful green lungs of Altona. Due to the bombing in the second world war the whole area was unutterable destroyed. One of the most famous landscape architects Prof. Herta Hammerbacher created the Park in 1958. Named after antifascist Walter Möller, who was murdered in 1933 in this place.

Now in current times, beside the huge, fenced dog playground and two high skyscrapers, a really high old bunker and the new public swimming pool “Festland” you can find a beautiful oasis for young and old. In the middle of the park there is a café, called: Park Café, of course.

That very laid back place keeps it simple. No frills, no Galão, no fancy new coffee styles: just coffee with milk and sugar or black. You can buy ice cream and grab a plastic chair and relax under the trees. The children playground is also nice for the young and the young at heart: huuuuuge sliding board and ropeway! In wintertime you can go sledding here, how cool is that?!

It’s absolutely worth a visit if you wanna be with locals and not see tourists as far as the eye can see…

In my neighborhood lots of new buildings (like the innercity IKEA) and fancy offices are popping up, which brings more discussions and arguing about if it’s good or not. Well, if I can find such a lovely place like Saltkråkan, I am more and more torn.

If I’m thinking about Astrid Lindgrens stories: hot summer, white dresses, dancing with flowers in the sun… and if I only would say words, it’s on you to imagine summer holiday in Skandinavia: Äppelkaka, Blåbärstårta, Kanelbulle, Lussekatter, … mmmmmmh!

A house full of delicious sweet cake and rolls. Together with Hamburger Coffee you can just sit on one of the blue chairs or outside in the sun, and relax in the beautiful bright room. Huge map of fictitious Swedish Saltkråkan on the wall (based on Astrid Lindgrens story “Vi på Saltkråkan”), Skandinavian sweets you can buy (like Liquorice), books in a cupbord to exchange. 

Early birds can try Tjorven, Båtsman or Melker breakfast (sweet, savory or based of fish). For lunch they have quiche (paj) and soups and salad with different toppings (an idea from Finnland). Even the chocolate O’Boy and the bread is imported from Sweden. 

I love this place, the concept and will be there quite frequently (they have Wifi)! Even if highly controversial IKEA is still under construction, a small Swedish oasis is already there.