Hamburg is a city in Germany, and Gothenburg is a city in Sweden. Both are old port cities, both lined with cranes and a beautiful, glistening waterfront. Both feature relaxed occupants, as usually comes with port cities. Hamburg is bigger and feels newer. Gothenburg is smaller and feels a bit less modernized.
The similarities among port cities still surprise me, though. It’s like a shared underlying value system. It’s always like a city that doesn’t quite compete with the big older brother, the capital city. But it’s also usually more relaxed, inclusive, and embraces you without demanding you first show a certain standard of being better than others.
It might be because I was born in a port city, but I always feel more at home in other port cities. I love seeing huge cranes cast their silhouettes above the waterlines during early mornings and late evenings. I love it even more during cold mornings when there are traces of smog trailing over the horizon.
At least, all this is what I saw in Hamburg, and it made me think of home.