In between bigger trips, which weren’t that many this year, there is always some space for short, spontaneous trips!
Let’s Go to Groningen
This trip wasn’t cheap like my other trips, because I was using the car. I drove there with Elif, a girl from Turkey, to see a Rammstein concert. The original plan was to drive there, watch the concert, and drive back, but we decided to stay with a host from Couchsurfing.
The distance from Hamburg to Groningen is just around three hours by car, so super quick, but still in a different country, the Netherlands. Europe has many countries for the size of the continent, for sure. Germany alone has nine neighboring countries, crazy, and one is still missing for me to visit!
There was no traffic at all, such a nice ride through flat, natural countryside. We listened to some Rammstein to get into the feeling of the concert.
Meeting the Host
Reinout, our host, was a crazy person. He had hosted a similar number of people as me and had traveled around a lot. Also he had just come back from a motorcycle trip in Western Africa, quite lucky to meet him. He lived not far away from the center of Groningen, so everything was within walking distance!
We had our own room and also a key to the apartment, how nice of him. We cooked some food for everyone. Also, two girls from Germany were staying at the same time, and we cooked for them as well, even though they hadn’t arrived yet.
We had many avocados and tomatoes left from the Fischmarkt in Hamburg, which we used for noodles. We made big portions, so nobody had to starve. After playing some music, doing some karaoke, and drinking wine, we went to bed. Elif and I hadn’t known each other long, but we had to share the same bed, which was totally fine. I felt really comfortable around her!
Exploring Groningen
For me, it was the second time in Groningen. The first time, I slept in the car, and now I even had a bed, how amazing. We went out with the two girls after killing some time in the morning; it took quite a while for them to get ready.
We went to a few second-hand shops and just wandered around the town. Elif and I left both of them after a while to go to the concert. On the way home, we checked out some things, and Groningen is quite a beautiful small city. It was quite nice to walk around, and the weather was great too.
We ate some leftovers and walked to the concert; it was quite a distance to the stadium, but after a while, there were so many people that we didn’t need maps anymore.
Concert
At the last Rammstein concert, my phone got stolen in Mexico, so I was extra careful. It was crowded; thousands of people were there, and everyone was just hyped. We ate overpriced burgers and went into the crowd.
Actually, it wasn’t that hard to find a good spot, unlike in Mexico where people were not willing to let you through. We were even able to sit on the ground before the start, due to the heat. You could see that the crowd was already quite different.
The music started, and it was just amazing! A lot of fire and many light shows were included. The crowd was almost not jumping around, so it was possible to enjoy the show without almost collapsing. I was able to take some videos, which was important to me because I was annoyed that I didn’t have anything from the concert in Mexico. It was great to have Elif there with me to share the enjoyment and memories with someone I like to be around.
The concert was similar but different from the one in Mexico, which was perfect. I was able to get some tickets on the second market because tickets on the first market were actually super hard to find.
Finishing the Day
The walk back home was great. Besides my voice being destroyed from singing. We got to know each other better and were able to create memories, which I like doing.
When we got home, Reinout was still awake, and we had some chats but went to bed quite late because it was a hard day and too much on my mind, plus it was super late.
Back to Home
In the morning, we got ready to head home. We cleaned everything and walked to the car. The car was parked a 20-minute walk away, to park for free. It was super hard to drive out of the city, actually, due to many constructions. Super annoying, but after around 20 minutes, we found the right street. The navigation didn’t know the right way, which usually only happens to me when walking over mountain borders. There it actually happened a few times, also when just walking longer distances and not inside cities.
On the way home, we were listening to German Party Music, Schlager (click here to read the → Mallorca ← article, Schlager is getting explained there). Because when back in Hamburg, there was another party happening the next day, the Schlagermove. That is always fun and is happening again on May 25, 2024, so you guys for sure should join!
What’s Coming Next?
Next is another trip to Hungary happening. While writing this article, I am sitting in the bus on the way to Budapest, so I am excited to see what will happen this time. Stay tuned!
