Traveling from Jersey Shore to Hamburger Dom

Growing up, I spent a lot of time during my summers at the Jersey shore enjoying neon flashing lights, amusement park rides, and a full menu of foods fried to perfection (even Oreos were a delicacy).  So it was very reminiscent for me when Jan, his mom, and his sister showed me around the Hamburger Dom.  It was just like the Jersey shore minus the fist pumping Italian-Americans with MTV cameras chasing them.

For anyone who has never visited the Hamburger Dom and is also blessed to not know anything about MTV’s “The Jersey Shore”, they are both amusement parks with games, rides, and tons of food.  Unlike the Jersey Shore, which is only open during the summer, the Dom is a nomadic operation that sets up camp in Hamburg three times per year.  If you happen to be in town during that time, then this is most certainly a travel destination for you!  You can find the Dom at Heiligengeistfeld in the heart of Sankt Pauli next to the Sankt Pauli stadium and Hochhausbunker (high rise bunker).

My favorite part of the Dom were the rides.  They seemed so innocent from the outside, like familiar versions of childhood favorites, but upon strapping myself in, I discovered very quickly that these were a bit more extreme.  For example, what seemed like an innocent indoor/outdoor roller coaster ended up being a ride of doom where the cars spun around in circles while rocketing through a hallway of blinking rope lights and mirrors.  After the tunnel of no return we were spit out into a dark room with loud techno music with a blinking neon Christmas tree in the middle.  All of a sudden, while you’re spinning, speeding, and being thrown up and down in this dark room, a flamethrower shoots fire close enough to your face where your eyebrows are still intact but a few years of your life are taken away. But it’s totally okay that they threw fire in your face because, just before the roller coaster ends, they spray the crowd down with a hose – you know – just in case.    Leave it to the Germans…

Neon with umlauts

Jan and I - being awesome

Kerstin, Me, and Jan being awesome on a log flume

Remember that time in the summer - when we were tan

They seem like innocent rides, but they were extreme

Extreme view of Hamburg from extreme ferris wheel

What an honor! Jan gave me a Lebkuchenherz! I'm so happy that my eyes are closed.

Nice getaway from the office.

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