Issue 31
Autumn 2008
STRAY NEWS
Harrogate to Hamburg and Back
On the evening of July 13th, fifteen of our German group embarked via Jet 2 from Leeds Bradford to Hamburg/Lübeck airport for a five-day holiday. An efficient bus driver took us to the Junges Hotel conveniently located near the main station in Hamburg.
A city tour by bus next morning familiarized us with the most important venues and architecture of many different styles, as elegant arcades lead from the Rathaus to the Binnenalster, a large lake in the middle of the city.
Like the much bigger Lake Aussenalster further north, which is surrounded by the millionaires’ quarter in this quiet part of town, it was created by damming the River Alster.
We passed fashionable streets with very expensive shops and then arrived in the notorious St. Pauli - Reeperbahn district, alas before 5pm, after which the ladies of the night ply their trade. Much to the disappointment of our male contingent, none were to be seen in the early afternoon......
Hamburg is a very green city with twice as many trees as its 1.75 Million inhabitants. The second largest city of Germany, it is dotted with 120 parks and has 250 bridges and 176 churches. Brahms was born in Hamburg and the Beatles became famous there. After the enormous fire in 1842 that burnt half the city, it was all restored to its old glory.
The most famous area is its port, the third biggest in Europe, which handles 100,000 containers a day with only a few huge cranes, but gives work to 120,000 people. There are huge dry docks that even fit the Queen Mary 2 due to be repaired there next year. For me the boat trip around this famous harbour was a definite highlight. We felt like ants looking up to these huge container ships docking here for only a few days each time and sailing all over the world.
On the dock is the biggest building site in Europe, to be made into a magnificent housing area.
I can highly recommend the Hamburger Kunsthalle with its famous department for medieval art and the most magnificent altarpieces I have every laid eyes on by Master Bertram c.1340-1415, and Master Francke active between 1420 and 1436. This alone was worth the journey for me! Just to see brilliant art of the highest quality. Other important works there are by Dürer, Altdorfer, Rubens, Jan Breughel, van Dyck and Rembrandt. It also has an extensive French Section and German 20th century paintings. Of course, Hamburg is dotted with many museums.
We all went out for evening meals every day and tried German, Italian and even Chinese food, all of which was delicious. For those with delicate stomachs "ein Schluck Jägermeister" was the cure-all.
A day trip by a most comfortable double decker smooth train, which silently sped its way to our destination Bremen, was a delight and the inner city simply enchanting with its glorious square surrounded by the most magnificent Rathaus (city hall) and other civic buildings and churches in various styles of highly decorated architecture.
Another day trip by train once more, a very cheap way to travel as a group, was to Lübeck and a visit to the famous Buddenbrook Haus, which is the Heinrich and Thomas Mann centre, now a museum for this highly acclaimed literary German family.
Fantastic churches and ornate civic buildings are the jewels of this small city as well, which is also world famous for its delectable marzipan.
The weather was changeable, cool and only rained on the last day when we returned, exhilarated, exhausted and everyone having practised his or her German and walked what seemed to be a thousand miles.....
This was another very successful trip.
Sieglinde Mattison