On my last day in Hannover, I did my favorite thing — I went downtown alone. No schedule, no conversations, no one else’s plans to consider. Just me, my slightly-too-warm sweater, and the freedom to roam around exactly how I like. This is when I usually stumble on the best stuff, often places my local friends and family haven’t even noticed.
It was way too hot for a proper discovery tour (I really regret that sweater), but I still managed to uncover a few gems. One of them was a shop called Manufactum, three stories of beautifully curated home goods and a café where the pastries were made with real butter.
This part of the city, near the opera house, has a completely different architectural vibe — elegant, historic, and a lot more to my taste. Grand buildings, quieter streets, and that slightly faded old-European charm. A perfect little finale to my stay here.
King Ernst August was actually against building anything here at first. He was quite fond of the windmill that used to stand on this spot. But luckily, he changed his mind. As much as I love a scenic windmill, I think we can all agree the opera house was an excellent upgrade.
