Jaunted - Hamburg

Plane Spotting Isn't the Wurst at Hamburg Airport's Coffee To Fly

JetSetCD — 2010-09-28T11:49:55-05:00

If you're ready for the big leagues of plane spotting, then the place to do with a cup of hot cocoa in hand is just outside the fences a Germany's Hamburg International Airport, at a little food stand called "Coffee To Fly." This shop, which also will happily sell you little sandwiches, muffins, beer and even a 2 Euro glass of Gl�hwein (a hot, mulled wine), occupies prime plane spotting property on a hill known as the "Fotografenbr�cke," or "photograph bridge." From here, Hamburg's runways are laid out in front of you.

If, on the day you go spotting, there's a some exotic aircraft expected, like perhaps a giant Antonov cargo plane or a surprise visit from an A380, you'll be elbow-to-elbow with photographers for whom this a true passion. Read a great story about these guys here.

Lufthansa's A380 First Class Has the Airplane Toilet of Our Dreams

JetSetCD — 2010-05-20T15:42:34-05:00

We're literally just coming down from our first Lufthansa A380 flight experience, and even though we were stuck with a middle seat in economy, we did manage to sneak around upstairs in the First and Business class sections.

In this A380 superjumbo plane, there's a plethora of new features that had us saying "WHAAT?! That is awesome!" A few of these include USB ports for charging or playing media from your mobile devices in all classes, touchscreen TVs with three channels of outside live view cameras, and massively upgraded bathrooms.

The latter, the bathrooms, were obviously most crazy-impressive in First Class, whose new design wasn't unveiled at all until yesterday, when we stepped onboard at Hamburg's Finkenwerder airfield, the private tarmac of Airbus. To see exactly what we mean by "crazy-impressive bathrooms," check out a video tour and our photo gallery after the jump!

Fresh from Frankfurt! Go Inside First Class, Business and Economy on Lufthansa's New A380

JetSetCD — 2010-05-19T16:23:50-05:00

Heading to the second floor, for First Class and Business

Only a few hours ago, the first superjumbo Airbus A380 belonging to Lufthansa set out on its first flight, from Hamburg-Finkenwerder to Frankfurt International. We were onboard the flight, which should have only taken 40 minutes, but instead took over two hours as the plane made low passes over airports, factories where its parts were made, and even took a turn over Rotterdam for the scenery.

Before today, Lufthansa's new interiors for the A380 were kept tightly under wraps, especially so for First Class, which features an entirely new design for the eight seats, which cost around $10,000 per person for a round-trip from Frankfurt to Tokyo. So what makes them worth a hefty 10K? And how nice are the spiffified Business and Economy classes on the A380?

Check out the full photo galleries, after the jump!

Happy Birthday Hamburg Harbor

amandak — 2007-05-11T09:20:02-05:00

Starting today, Germany's dockside city Hamburg is celebrating the big Hafengeburtstag (Harbor Birthday): "the world's biggest port festival." The grand arrival parade for the 818th birthday (that's pretty old) kicks off on Friday afternoon and the festival concludes with the grand departure parade at 5pm on Sunday.

Previous birthdays have seen a million people gather: this year the weekend features sail-bys of tall ships and old sailboats, dragon boat racing, and the interesting-sounding "tugboat ballet." There's also stuff happening up in the air, with hot-air balloons, helicopters and parachuting and live interviews with pilots in Lufthansa cockpits. They also have fireworks on Saturday night, hopefully after the balloons and parachutes have landed for the day.

[Photo: John Starfire]

Related Stories:
· Germany Long on Culture, Short on Sleep [Jaunted]

Get Your Qualified Kebab Here

amandak — 2007-03-09T09:45:04-05:00

If you've spent any time traveling around Germany, chances are you've not just gulped down a sausage and some beer, but also a kebab. With 2.5 million people of Turkish descent calling Deutschland home, there's a doner kebab stall on every corner.

But now kebab culture is going to get even better. Up in Hamburg (where they surely should be focused on hamburgers) they're starting a Kebab School. Focus skills will include how to cut meat properly, the calculation of how much meat to put on a skewer and how to avoid germ contamination.

Graduates will proudly hold a Certificate in Meat Processing with Doner Kebab Production Specialization and will, no doubt, be sought after for their high skills by corner doner stalls across the continent. So if you're looking for the best kebab on your next trip to Germany, just check if the back wall of the stall for diplomas.

[Photo: mikko_l]

Related Stories:
· School for Skewers? Shish! [Reuters]
· It's September, It Must Be Oktoberfest [Jaunted]
· No Wurst For the Wear [Jaunted]

That's the Thrust of It

AVB — 2006-06-13T10:00:02-05:00

Welly welly well, the U.S. team may have some `splainin' to do after their 3-0 defeat against Czech Republic yesterday. Page Six reported over the weekend that Landon Donovan and a few other players were spotted in Hamburg's St. Pauli District (read: where the hookers are) a week ago. Don't they remember how Ronaldo stayed celibate during the Brazilian team's last run at the World Cup?

Still, this could be the explanation--or excuse--American fans have been looking for since yesterday's defeat. No wonder the team was crushed. It's not that the best U.S. athletes play other sports, ones where they can make a lot of money in the U.S. Not at all; the reason that the team lost is that they were all suffering from a vague burning sensation in their nether regions. Surely that will please the U.S. fans that spent their vacation time supporting the team at this year's World Cup. Next time, Team U.S.A. needs to bring their own hookers.

[Image via bambi bar/Flickr]

Related Stories:
· Search for Kicks [NYP]

In the Market for a Private Island?

sedona — 2005-08-03T13:39:06-05:00

Farhad Vladi's your man. Vladi is the president of Vladi Private Islands, based out of Hamburg, and in the past 30 years has bought and sold more then 1,200 of the world's most decadent private islands.

Can't afford one? You can still browse. Vladi told Islands Magazine [via MSNBC] that the Caribbean's even pricing out the millionaires, but Sweden and Nova Scotia are still bargains (try $400,000 for a "substantial" island). Central America is getting hot too, especially the coasts of Costa Rica, Belize and Panama.

Does Vladi own his own island? Of course. 2,100-acre Forsyth Island, off the coast of New Zealand. He looks at buying islands so romantically:

"To buy an island is the same as courting a woman. You can never explain exactly why you love her. It's chemistry - something you cannot define - a feeling that you can stay forever."

Awwwww........as soon as we have an update on his relationship status we'll let you know.

Related Stories:
· Want to Buy an island? [MSNBC]
· Vladi Private Islands [Official Site]