LESSONS I’VE LEARNED IN HAMBURG

After eleven days cruising from Lisbon to Hamburg, we’ve arrived at the final mooring: one of Germany’s three city-states and a place with a rich maritime legacy. Hamburg has been a major port for centuries, and it still feels like a global crossroads. I’ve met people from all over the world here—many of them speak English so fluently, you’d never guess it wasn’t their first language. In fact, I read that you can live here quite comfortably without ever speaking German.

But as vibrant and cosmopolitan as Hamburg is today, it carries the weight of a painful history. Just eighty-two years ago, during World War II, British and American forces bombed this beautiful city, destroying nearly three-quarters of its buildings and taking at least 37,000 lives. Thousands more were injured. It’s hard to imagine such destruction when walking through Hamburg’s peaceful streets now.

The same sense of contrast followed us throughout the cruise—whether in Portugal, Spain, France, or Germany. Each stop had its own scars from that war. And now, fittingly, as we prepare to travel to Berlin, our arrival will coincide with May 8th – Victory Day in Europe.

Eighty years later, Europe is still standing. Not only that—it’s standing together. Despite internal challenges, the continent speaks in a shared voice, often in the language of the very nations that once tore it apart.

History is full of cycles—conflict, rebuilding, peace, and hope. The devastation may feel overwhelming when you look at the numbers or read the accounts. But if Hamburg can rebuild, if Europe can unify, then maybe one day other regions, like Israel and Middle East, can, too. I hope so. I pray so. And I invite you to join me in hope and prayer.

Take a look at the three photos I placed inside this story. They show how old and new buildings coexist in Hamburg. If buildings can do it, why not people?

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