Kumpir – Potatoes baked in heaven

What: Kumpir, restaurant
Where: Schanzenstrasse, Hamburg, Germany

One of the best discoveries during my last Hamburg trip was running into Kumpir, a turkish baked potato restaurant located in one of my favourite neighbourhoods; the Schanzenviertel.

Now, baked potatoes have never been a favourite of mine because they tend to make for a pretty boring meal. But not at Kumpir. They have a HUGE selection of fillings, and tons and tons of alternatives for vegetarians. My first one included green couscous, sunddried tomatoes, hummus, mushrooms, two kinds of beans, some tasty sauce, and at least 5 more ingridients. And it cost nothing. Full meal with a beverage (Fritz Melon soda) was about 5 EUR.

We visited three times in two days. Yup, on Saturday we went there twice. They were that good. 🙂 While we were there there was a steady stream of people waiting in line to order.  No wonder.  But you never had to wait long though cause the guys behind the counter were extremely efficient.

The picture sucks, but it was snapped with my cellphone with low res camera setting. As you can see the outdoor tables aren’t that cozy- you are sitting on benches in the middle of pavement – but don’t let that prevent you from enjoying Kumpir. The inside is decorated with a nice turkish atmosphere to it, but with a fast food joint touch to it. It’s not the kind of restaurant for a fancy evening date, and there aren’t any secluded areas tables to sit at,  but it is perfect for a quick bite to eat anytime during the day.

The staff told me that there is also a second Kumpir in Hamburg on Moorstrasse. Next time I am in Hamburg I will make sure to check that one out too.

Worth a visit? I would gladly have paid three times the price, which was an insanely low sum of EUR 3,60. I highly recommend it to anyone, even the ones who like me normally do not fancy baked potatoes.

Meissen – More than China

Some of my pictures  from Meissen, in the former DDR from my visit there in 2009. I took a daytrip there while staying in nearby Dresden for 9 days. Meissen is first and foremost  known for its china factory (bearing the same name as the town), one of the highest quality porcelaine manufacturers in the world, and the white castle overlooking the town and the Elbe river. However, I visited neither, but instead opted for enjoying the insanely hot afternoon by strolling along the picturesque and narrow streets, slipping into one or two of the numerous cozy street cafes for a macchiato and some huge delicious Mövenpick icecream. It was impossible not to let the camera work non-stop all the time because every corner I walked around proved to be cuter than the one I just had passed.
It’s such an incredible well taken-care of town.  Every house downtown is in tip top shape, impeccably painted and maintained.

Meissen is a beautiful town to stop by at if you are in the Saxony state, it is well worth a few hours detour. It might be too small  to warrant a longer stay, at least it is for me who has a tendency to get bored very easily after a few days in the same  location unless I am in a big city, but it’s certainly perfect for a day trip like I did.