Hamburg

 Today we set off on foot towards the Speicherstadt area, which is part of the shipping area. The buildings are all very similar and all constructed with the same red brick which gives Hamburg its nickname the red city. 


Many of the buildings date back well over 100 years and going by some of the pictures I saw yesterday would have needed extensive renovation after the war. They house many of the shipping companies and import and export companies. All the buildings sit on massive piles and the tides rise and fall all around them. Some of them are now pretty swish apartments and I think for city dwellers it would be a cool place to live.  

We got a bit of a fright on our walk, both our phones made the same klaxon noise that we get at home for tsunami warning. Also the town sirens went off as well like an air raid siren. We looked at each other wondering if it had all kicked off with Poland and Russia but fortunately one of the messages was in English letting us know there was no danger and it was just a drill. Phew. 

We had heard from our friends Clive and Ruth that Miniature World was worth a visit. It was quite nearby so be bought tickets and went in. Wow just wow. It is a series of model railway set ups each one featuring a different part of the world along with creative license. My descriptions can not do any sort of justice to this incredible place. The displays were spread over two massive floors. It has been an evolving display and is continuing to evolve. You could spend 2 or 3 days lookimg at this and still not see it all. Every 15 minutes the lights dimmed for 3 or 4 minutes simulatimg night time and then the displays all displayed their amazing lights. Las Vegas was particularly spectacular at “night”.



Zoomed in on this figure- thought it was appropriate. 


Next thing it was 2:30 and we decided we were done, so outside to a nearby cafe to decide our next move. As time was moving along we opted for the hop on hop off  bus but didn’t hop off. We got to see quite a lot, includimg some of the original posh houses that overlook a lake. Clearly old money and I got the impression much of it is still around today. 

We also drove through the Reeperbahn which is the redlight district, infamous in its day when it was mainly frequented by sailors. Still today there is a vibrant club and pub scene and the other scene is very much in evidence. It would be a fun place to visit at night with a group just for a laugh. 

We did get off the bus soon after and then strolled back to our hotel, probably about 5km’s with the sun on our backs  along the cool canals. 



We found an Italian bistro nearby and had an excellent dinner  

Thanks Hamburg, we have enjoyed our time here and would come back  


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