LET IT BE… HAMBURG
My heart was racing when I got inside and walked towards the doorway John Lennon made famous. I took a step and reeneacted Lennon’s pose.
HAMBURG, Germany — John Lennon was once quoted as saying that it was in this city — and not in his native Liverpool — where the Beatles “grew up.”
And because John (Lennon), Paul (McCartney), George (Harrison) and Ringo (Starr) stayed in the seediest and grubbiest part of this port city, you can’t blame him for saying so.
The area where the Fab Four used to camp out — the St. Pauli borough — is notorious for being sinister and carnal.
Within its area is the infamous Reeperbahn, a one-kilometer stretch that is lined with sex shops, brothels and discotheques.
But while this section of Hamburg is not the ideal place to meet up with family and friends looking to reconnect and bond, it is the perfect place for music fans to rediscover and rekindle their love for the Beatles.
Before the Beatles conquered the world, they lived here from 1960 until 1962, performing nightly until the wee hours of the morning in the city’s most popular hangouts.
Virtual unknowns back then, the Beatles’ first performed at the Indra before relocating to the Kaiserkeller, Top Ten, and the Star Club.
As a fan of the Beatles, staying here inspired me to go around and visit some of their usual haunts in St. Pauli with a little help from my friends.
Aside from a late hook-up with Beatles tour expert Stefanie Hempel, my itinerary here was completed through research.
Even before I flew in here to cover a sports event, I already knew what to see and what to experience. Being a Beatles follower, I knew what Hamburg had to offer apart from its succulent sausages and thirstquenching beers. I knew I was in for a treat. Less than 24 hours after blowing into town, I took the S-Bahn from the Hauptbahnhof and headed for St. Pauli in search of something I was itching to tick off on my bucket list.
The Beatles had plenty of antics during their residency here with Lennon committing the lion’s share of the shenanigans although everyone had their share of mischiefs, according to Beatles historians I spoke with.
Just a short walk from the subway exit is Davidwache, a police station where McCartney and an ex-Beatle spent the night after being charged with trying to burn a movie house.
While it was a well-known piece of anecdote, the main reason why I dropped by the Reeperbahn area was to see for myself a little-known spot that only hardcore Beatles fans know about.
Tops on my agenda was to hunt for the famed doorway where Lennon and the ghostly images of McCartney, Harrison and (short-lived Beatles member) Stu Sutcliffe were shot.
That picture — taken by the group’s German friend Jürgen Vollmer — was later used by Lennon as cover for his sixth album, Rock ’n’ Roll.
The search was kind of difficult given the language barrier, so I had to make use of the Internet to find exactly where it was.
Still, given the unfamiliar surroundings and jet lag, it took me approximately over an hour to pin down the location after getting a few false information and wrong directions.
But perseverance is key.
Just as when I was about to give up, I tilted my head upwards and saw the sign that almost sent me jumping for joy: Jäger Passage.
Jäger Passage is an apartment complex on the fringes of St. Pauli and this was where Lennon posed for Vollmer while the others horsed around.
My heart was racing when I got inside and walked towards the doorway Lennon made famous.
I took a step and re-enacted Lennon’s pose.
But there was one problem. Nobody was around to make my picture.
Luckily, the door swung open and I politely asked the towering blue-eyed and blond-haired gentleman to have my picture taken.
He somehow looked irked but still managed to give me a few clicks. “Danke (thank you)” I told him. He then glanced at me and walked towards the gate, probably thinking that he had wasted a few precious seconds accommodating a dweeb like myself.
I stayed on for a few more minutes, trying to soak up what it was like when the Beatles were right there many decades ago, twisting and shouting and wondering what it would be like when I’m 64.
Then, it was time to take the long and winding road back to my hotel.