Back on the bus, to the List

It's been a long time since I drove the hop on hop off bus around Hannover. But we are hopping back on it again, this time to the List. The List is a neighborhood where you need to live if you are a yuppie in Hannover. I know that term is a little outdated, but if you are between 25 and 50, shop at the organic grocery store, wear expensive shoes, drink cappuccino, have small children who also drink cappuccino, and don't want to move to the suburbs, the List is the place for you.

At the heart of the neighborhood is the Lister Meile. Meile is a Germanicized way to say mile. I still think this is a weird name, since as far as I know, Germany uses the metric system. Maybe "Lister Kilometer and a half" just didn't have the same ring to it. It's a pedestrian street lined with shops and cafes.

Lister Meile and Lister Platz

 

When you stroll down the Lister Meile, it's key to put your child in a 4 wheel drive stroller. The word stroller doesn't really do it justice. In German, it's a Kinderwagen. And calling it a wagon is a better fit. These things have tires that can handle off-road baby mountaineering. They laugh at cobblestones. They have shock absorbers, and probably exhaust pipes too. German families don't have to save up money for a college education, so they invest it all in the Kinderwagen.




The List is probably the prettiest section of Hannover. It has more historic buildings than any other area of the city I've seen, and much less 1960s-era architecture. These houses seem to have escaped the worst of the World War II bombings.

A few notable sights in the List are the Lister Turm,

The Bahlsen cookie headquarters, with this golden cookie sign that the famous cookie monster thief stole two years ago,

and the police stables at Welfenplatz.

If you want to go to an expensive boutique, or sit at a cafe, or buy your kid a cappuccino by the playground, the List is the place to be.