Hanover Through a Session Drummer's Eyes
it's 2 a.m. and i'm sitting in some random hostel in hanover, germany, after a gig that went...well, let's say the sound guy had a personal vendetta against my snare drum. but hey, that's touring life. i'm a touring session drummer, which basically means i live out of a suitcase and a cymbal bag, and i've learned to find rhythm in the weirdest places-like the way the rain hits the cobblestones outside my window right now.
i just checked and it's *0.05°C there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the humidity is at 99%, so basically i'm one wrong move away from turning into a human sponge. but the locals don't seem to mind-they're out there in their thick coats, sipping coffee like it's no big deal. speaking of coffee, i stumbled into this tiny place called café luzie yesterday. someone told me that their flat white is the only thing keeping the baristas sane during winter. i believe it.
hanover's got this weird mix of old and new that i can't quite put my finger on. one minute you're walking past a half-timbered house that looks like it's been there since the 1600s, and the next you're dodging a group of teenagers on electric scooters. i overheard a local saying that the herrenhäuser gärten is the only place in the city where you can hear yourself think. i haven't been yet, but it's on my list-right after i figure out how to stop my hands from shaking after that last gig.
if you get bored, hamburg and berlin are just a short drive away. but honestly, hanover's got enough going on to keep you busy for a weekend. i spent an afternoon at the neues museum, and let me tell you, the exhibit on medieval torture devices was...something. not exactly a vibe for the faint of heart, but hey, history nerds will love it.
i also met this guy at a bar who swore that the best currywurst in town is at wurststand am schloss*. i'm not usually one to trust drunk advice, but i tried it anyway. and you know what? he wasn't wrong. the curry sauce had this weird tang to it that i can't quite describe, but i'm still thinking about it.
anyway, here's a little map so you don't get as lost as i did trying to find the venue last night:
and because i know you're here for the visuals, here are some pics i found that kinda capture the vibe:
tl;dr: hanover's a weird, wonderful mess of a city. go for the currywurst, stay for the half-timbered houses, and don't trust the sound guy.
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