Before making our way home, we decided to stop off in Hamburg where an old friend of ours lived. Hamburg was a four hour train journey from Berlin, but it was worth it for the harbour and spaghetti ice cream alone.

When we finally arrived in Hamburg, it was late in the afternoon and the sun was already setting. Our friend picked us up at the train station and we walked through a dense forest to get to their house. This was the first time in a while where we had a home cooked meal and a comfortable bed to sleep in.

We also had the whole next day fully to ourselves, with no plans. Our friend’s partner owned a book shop in the centre of Hamburg, so we began our day wandering around the shop, resting up before we went sightseeing. We walked along the harbour and rested for some spaghetti ice cream.

Hamburg is quaint despite its size - it felt more like home than anywhere else we’d been. The city contained a mix of modern and medieval architecture, it was lovely to walk round.

Hamburg is also home to the Elbphilharmonie, an opera house which contains the longest curved escalator in the world. Once at the top of the Elbphilharmonie, we were able to stand on a balcony and view the whole city.

Germany always felt homey and comfortable, there was never a fear of getting lost and losing our way - everything was easy to navigate. Even if we did get lost, the people seemed more than happy to help. As a country, Germany deserves more credit for its beauty and freedom, a country that takes pride in its nature and culture, but is always willing to share with their visitors.