Our first visit to Hamburg was on 12 May. We traveled along the River Elbe in the dead of night and thus saw absolutely nothing until we doeked at Hamburg at dawn.
Sunday, 12 May: Hamburg and Luneburg
We had opted to take a coach tour to Luneburg, as it is about 45 minutes on the highway each way and Cunard will wait for the return of every authorised tour group but not for individuals who 'go it alone'. Oddly enough, our tour was the last on the list, leaving at 12.45 p.m. even though the distance to Luneburg was greater than any travel time needed for the tours that stayed in the Hamburg area.
We had a very strict, didactic tour guide named Sabina, originally from East Germany but now a very proud Hamburger. She tried to force me off the coach initially, declaring that the tour was not appropriate for a disabled person. Told me that Luneburg was all cobblestones and that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group. I told her not to worry, that I simply would find a map and meet them at the end of the tour. I don't like organised tours in any case.
Sabine had a rather wicked sense of humour and was very witty and knowledgeable, perhaps even more information than one needed at times. She actually was rather unpleasant and bigoted as well especially where other ethnic groups were concerned.
She took us through the river properties both on the way to Luneburg and on the way back. I watched the official Cunard programme on Hamburg the previous night and thought it a singularly unappealing city with all of its glass and steel architecture and nothing truly old. The churches that appear to be old are reconstructions, rather like an architectural Disneyworld. St. Michael's is the most famous of these.
Much of this is due to war and horrible natural disasters through the centuries, including fires that burnt the entire city to the ground.
In fact, though, Hamburg is beautiful, everything green and natural. So many lovely parks, rivers and lakes. We caught a glimpse of St. Michael's and the triad of art museums on our way to and from Sabine's real estate tours.
Evidently, the Japanese government made a generous gift of the beautiful Cherry Trees that are so evocative of Japanese culture many decades ago and promised to maintain them and to pay the costs for an annual Cherry Blossom Festival. A few years ago, however, there was some sort of disagreement between the two nations (or Japan and the City of Hamburg) and now the Japanese are leaving the Germans to their own devices.
There was a terrific traffic jam on the highway which made Sabine very excited. She is very rude about the other regions of Germany and their licence plates. DZ for her is Dangerous Zombie I seem to recall. She is equally negative about the others. Prussians are 'Prussian Sows' ...
Luneburg was absolutely charming beyond belief. However, or as Sabina would huff out at every sentence or so: 'Hoch!' it became very dark and the skies opened and poured out heavy, cold rain followed by a real hailstorm. Big, hard spheres of ice falling everywhere. At that point, having kept with the tour for an interminable loo queue, we left them to it and spent a few minutes admiring the facade of the Rathhaus. There is a fountain dedicated to Diana or Luna, even though Sabine claimed that the association of the town with the Moon is spurious and that the word actually was an old Nordic one. Whatever the case, Luneburg was a delight.
Cobblestone roads but in the centre of the pavements, a smooth path made of large square stones. Many ice cream parlours and cafes... all other shops shut because it was Sunday. My own destination was the large Church but when we finally reached it, it was shut tighter than a drum... and on a Sunday! What sort of Protestants are these to lock their churches even on the 'Holy Sunday' as Sabina called it?
We were supposed to have three hours in Luneburg but because of the traffic, only had two. Jim of course insisted on rushing back to the coach even though we were almost the first back. Such a sadness. I wanted to take photos of a darling garden framed by arched fleur-de-lys windows that we had seen on our way to the loos. Jim of course then told me to wait until the return walk but we came back a different way. I honestly would rather make my own way in these situations. He is more courteous and concerned about total strangers than about me. Would push me aside literally to make room for some rude marching tourists...
They say that the Dutch influence in Luneburg dominates. Bach actually attended school there briefly. I seem to recall that the school and church attached to it were St. Michael's as well, but I could be mistaken. There is a wonderful park in Luneburg that follows the old city walls.
There is a similar park in Hamburg that has remnants of the old city walls. Hamburg is very, very green. The parks remind me of Allentown in a way. So many of them, all by the water. There are canals and rivers and two artificial lakes.
Evidently, the defeat of the Germans at the end of the Second World War was signed on Luneburg Heath. Oddly enough, this was one fact that Sabine did NOT mention. It was a former British officer who told us that when we ran into him (fellow number 4 tourist) near the Italian Ice Parlour in the village.
I shouldn't mind living part of the year in a place like Luneburg. It reminded me of old La Jolla in a way. Mostly elegant shops, although there was a McDonald's (horror of horrors) and I saw a 'Dollar Store' as well with the usual ill-matched goods... in this case, beach balls and rather shabby throws for beds or sofas. All seen, of course, through windows as all shops apart from the eateries were locked for the Holy Sunday.
I had caramello and marzipan ice cream in little blue plastic cup with a teddy bear on it. Very Italian. It was very good although quite honestly, I don't think the actual flavours resembled their names particularly.
The coach trip was quite long, especially in view of the traffic. It was a journey of at least an hour each way. We came home through the St. Pauli district... nothing of interest really. Much like the old Times Square or Soho in London. The only fact of interest was that there is an entire road that is barred to ordinary women. Men only! Very uncivilised if you ask me.
The curious part of St. Pauli's District was that I actually had seen it before. It was in Second Life that I teleported one day by mistake to a weird district with all sorts of sex billboards in German and sex shops. I didn't understand why everything was in German. It was really all tat as well and vulgar. Well, now I see that it was a true and exact reproduction of this district that is in Hamburg! So strange! (In Second Life, I got out of there as fast as my wings would carry me. In real life, the coach thankfully made no stops as we were late as it was. A very fat, loud Brit behind us declared: 'I don't understand why we didn't go through the Rope District FIRST on our way to Luneburg!' I think he meant he wished he had more time to linger and study the rubbish there. Who knows?
In the Reeperbahn (Rope District), which is the original name of the Red Light District, there is a metalwork memorial to the Beatles near the club where they played many of their early gigs in Hamburg.
On the way back from Luneburg, we saw the home of Heine's uncle. We saw an utopian village designed and built in the English style by a local philanthropist. I wish I had made a note of his name as it now eludes me and no internet search has uncovered it. We saw a row of very attractive thatched house he had built. Nearby there was a free school for the children of his workers. All very utopian but what the deuce was his name and why is he not known better?
Our initial journey to Hamburg down the long river occurred in the middle of the night but when we departed from Hamburg, we were able to see the landscapes along the shores as well as many ships and boats, both small and large who followed in the wake of the Queen Mary 2.
A fabulous sunset after dinner...
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