Sleepless in Hamburg

So I did some S-bahn hopping around Berlin (I need to make a shirt that says I heart S-bahn) before deciding it would be much more economical of me to take the bus to Hamburg. Overall it was a pretty good experience, if you don't mind waiting for 30 minutes for a late bus, and it being full of noisy stubborn old smelly Germans who don't mind putting up a fight with young spanish-speaking girls for a front seat (yes this did happen). However when I got off the bus it began to pour down rain - a little unpleseant reminder of home (and an even more unpleseant reminder that its pretty incredible weather in Seattle right now!). Yet I found my way to my hostel named "Instant Sleep" - I think they named it that because that is the type of substance you need to take when you leave there. I was set up in a 24 mixed dorm room, which basically was a giant room with 24 small beds right next to each other. Turns out my bed mates next to me were a middle aged man who spent like 3 hours in the kitchen, then would start to talk to his food (he put a cherry tomato on his nose when he sat down to eat) and a younger guy who didn't come home until 6am but from that point on snored non stop, along with a couple of foul words ever now and again.
But that was actually my only bad experience of Hamburg. I actually had a really great time there, dispite the weather and sleeping conditions. Hamburg is a very mixed town - full of artists, liberals, students and sailors. It is quite beautiful there - right along the water - with the busiest harbour in Germany, and a Japanese garden - oh yeah and the infamous Reeperbahn where the prostitues hang, and that is closed down at night and only open to men over the ages of 18...However my night there I didn't get much a a chance to see these sights - it was already beginning to get dark and so I just simply decided to find a place to eat. At a local potato bar, I actually met a canadian guy that was staying in my hostel (and he wasn't talking to his potato!) so we walked back together. It was funny because as we walked back, he began to point out all these old buildings that had graffitti artwork, posters and other things on them - he thought they were so cool. I normally would have thought that is was nothing special at all, but when I gave it a second look, I realized it was pretty amazing. Here stood these old buildings that had simply been taken over by the city by its people. On these buildings I got to see a true reflection of Hamburg. I think that is the one thing I have valued most about this trip - I keep meeting so many different people that have challenged my ways of thinking, and opened my mind up to new perspectives!
Still wanted to see some other parts of Hamburg, I woke up early the next morning (which was quite easy thanks to my sleeping neighbor) and checked out. On my way out this guy (I think he was Austrian) looked at me and said "you could work as a waitress anywhere" -??? Yeah I was glad to check out early and move on! So I walked along the infamous Reeperbahn (its open for everyone in the morning - very...interesting place), along the water, then took the S-bahn (YES Hamburg has an S-bahn too!) to the airport.
I walked into the Airport and for some reason I was feeling a bit lazy and just decided to ask the information desk where Ryan Air was. However when I did, the girl gave me a dead stare. Then she asked me how much time I had. Turns out I was in the wrong airport, and the place I needed to be was an hour away! She set me up with a bus that was leaving for that town, but I would still need to get another bus to the airport. When I got on my first bus, there was luckily a man who spoke english who told my story to the bus driver, and he actually ended up calling a cab for me while we rode to the city, so that I was be assured to get to the Airport on time. I was so thankful that they were so willing to help me! I honestly don't know if that would happen with a foreigner in America.
An hour and a half, and about a half a pack of chewing gum later (I need something to nervously knaw on while I rode) I arrived and made it to my flight right on time! And although it was pouring down rain in Germany, I arrived in Dublin on the early afternoon to sunshine and a warm breeze - a good way to end a rather hecktic day. I even found my hostel without a map! This is a good thing, as Ireland is now officially my new home for the next 4 months!