A Second Look at Hamburg

At the end of November, I went to Hamburg with some new friends that I have made in Denmark.  I wrote a post about it, but really, I felt like I didn't have anything to say because I had spent most of my weekend there in various shopping locations--indoor and out.  Not that there was anything wrong with that trip, but I came home feeling like I had been to a city, but hadn't seen what the city was 'really like' (I know that's impossible to do in a weekend--I lived in DC for 6 months and was only beginning to see what it was really like) .  Around Easter weekend, Ed had a few days off of work and the dog kennel thankfully had an opening so we decided to go back to Hamburg for a couple nights.   

Before moving to Denmark, I doubt I had ever thought to myself "I would love to visit Hamburg"  While it is the 2nd largest city in Germany, it doesn't have the any big tourist attraction that an American would want to see--i.e. it's not a Paris, London or Amsterdam (maybe this is different for someone who has grown up in Europe and I am sorry if you are an American that has Hamburg at the top of your 'must see before I die' list! ). Anyway,  Ed is a huge fan of TripAdvisor so he spend several hours searching for the best hotel and what we could do in the city while we were there since it is not the season of Christmas Markets and Glühwein.  The number one thing to do in Hamburg according to TA is a museum called Mini Wonderland (watch the video if you have time! it's awesome!)  Well, we couldn't deny the fact that it was the top tourist attraction so we booked our time slot and set out Friday morning to see this giant Mini world.  Once arriving, I could totally see why this thing got such amazing reviews.  Unfortunately it was Easter weekend so it was packed! 

The lights would go down every 15 minutes or so and then it would 'be night' in the whole area.  Of course Las Vegas was in the America section

 It was fun to look at all the tiny little people and what they were doing. Some were doing perfectly normal things, while others, not so much!  Men cutting down trees that fall onto a house, a parking lot gate closing on the hood of a car....I think one could spend hours here if there were not the crowds of people!  When and if we go back, we will probably pick a middle of the week day in hopes of there being a few less people to contend with for rail space to peek at the sights.

 Our favorite part was the airport.  All the planes in this picture will eventually taxi to the runway and take off.  Others will land and take an empty gate.  I took a video of it but it really didn't turn out well so I will just let you watch the video on the Mini Wonderland website to see the planes in action.

 Mini Wonderland is near the water and several of Ed's colleagues recommended taking a boat tour through the loading docks of the port to see all the giant cargo ships up close.  We found only 1 tour company that offered the tour in English and we were there just in time so we set sail to see Europe's 2nd largest shipping port after Rotterdam in the Netherlands.  While taking pictures, it seemed like the pictures could convey the massiveness of each of the cargo ships but upon returning home and looking through the pictures, I realized that pictures did not do the size of the ships any justice!

View of the port from near the boardwalk

Mærsk, the Danish shipping company

I think this is a Chinese company.  The tour guide said it would take a boat of this size 21 days to sail from the North Sea to Hong Kong

 While we were going by, containers were being loaded and unloaded from the ships.  Our household goods sailed across the Atlantic on a ship like this.  After seeing all the hundreds...thousands of containers, we were kind of amazed that we ever saw our couch and dining table again.  It's amazing that they can keep track of all these moving boxes.

A South Korean company

Neat view through the lane of ships

I had to add this last picture because the boat we were sailing on was about the size of the small boat in this picture. Not a big size difference or anything :)

Our last big stop of the day was to climb the tower of St. Machaelis Church.  I think walking up to the top of tall structures with narrow stairs and stone walls is quickly becoming my favorite thing to do in Europe.  I'm trying to convince Ed that it is a good idea to visit Florence when I'm 7 or 8 months pregnant and walk/climb to the top of the Duomo. He doesn't seem convinced though....

 This only took us about 12 minutes though--wasn't too bad.  I've been using the elliptical or 'cross-trainer' as the Danes call it everyday for about 30 minutes but even that can't prevent huffing and puffing after 12 straight minutes of stair stepping.  The views from the top gave a neat perspective of the cities layout though so the climb was worth it. 

Port, St. Pauli and the infamous Reeperbahn in this direction (I don't think I actually wrote about the event that made the Reeperbahn infamous in my mind but it was interesting to say the least! )

The city center to the left side of the picture (Rathaus is the tower with green roof)

Warehouse district (with Mini wonderland) in the brick buildings in the background

And a few more pictures that both Ed and I took earlier in the morning.

Rathaus in the spring. Last time I was here, Santa Claus was flying over the square in his sleigh being followed by a strange plastic cloud with a seat for an angel who was along for the ride (I didn't get it either-I'll just include a blurry picture to show you)

??

Okay, now for a few pictures from Ed's camera (after my Santa Claus rabbit trail) and then I will close this picture-filled look at Hamburg!

Lake near our hotel- The George.  Great hotel, by the way. Nice rooms, fast check-in, underground parking garage.

Spring Daffodils in the morning

Kuchen, breakfast of champions- and coffee--real coffee for me :)  Obviously not all the time but I was on vacation!

Notice the banks of this waterway--it rises and falls with the tide despite being around 100 km from the North Sea

Mini Wonderland

Plane taking off--ignore the phone in hand.  They couldn't be avoided

Looking down the boardwalk (i guess the boardwalk isn't in the picture but this is where the water meets the land

Ed's favorite thing. He took a video but it's not on Facebook so I guess I can't share it here

I will never forget sunglasses again.  I'm like a mole in the sun after living in Denmark for a winter (notice the bell--what Ed has taken to calling my stomach.  I'm worried about the names if this size is considered a 'bell'!)

St. Michaelis from afar

 

At the entrance of St. Michaelis

A new kind of Spring

I am experiencing Spring in Denmark for the first time.  I don't know if this is a 'normal' spring but whatever it is, I like it.  Having spent most of my adult life (and even childhood) in southern states, spring meant cool evenings and mornings and days that start out reaching highs in the 70's but then the 80's creep in and by May (or sooner) highs are in the 90s and summer is definitely knocking on the door.

 I honestly couldn't tell you what the temperatures have been here recently but the evenings and morning are quite cool. By the middle of the day temperatures recently have been so nice.  Nice enough to wear shorts around the yard (though if you go out and see the Danes in public, they still have jeans, coats, and scarves on..why? I don't know)  Anyway, this is what I always envisioned spring being like--a slowly arriving season that says it is actually spring, not the introduction to summer. (I'm sorry but if it is in the 80's in February, it may be nice at the moment, but it only means summer will be miserable!)  

So, I've been loving the spring here so far.  Flowers are popping up all around the neighborhood and in our yard even so I thought I'd show you a few flowers that I have collected on walks with Scout (fyi, these were in no ones yard--I wasn't picking flowers out of anyone's garden I promise!)

When I picked the purple flowers, they looked like a tiny tulip but by the time I arrived home, they were all open like this

I don't know what any of these flowers are called but the white ones remind me of lanterns.

To give you perspective on their size--(and the size of the tiny ball jars!)  A lego baker standing next to them.

 The rest of the pictures are from around the house.  Have I mentioned I love Spring, and Easter too :) 

Tealights on the dresser-turned-china-holding-side-table.

Bottle Brush chicks from Pottery Barn last year.  When I lived in DC, I stalked the sale stuff after Easter making sure I could buy these originally $20 dollar chicks for much, much cheaper. The colored stone eggs came from a store here called Søstrene Grene.  I can't think of what store in the U.S. it could be compared.  

Stacked basket in a bowl.  I used glass tealight holders to raise the basket above the edge of the bowl. I thought it was a pretty clever way to store them, since I was about to stuff them in a drawer.

Ball Jar candle holders

From the other direction

 The eggs in the jars are just plastic easter eggs.  I taped around the opening and then covered them with Mod Podge and scrapbook paper.  I've made about 10 each year for the past 2 years and now have quite a collection of them. 

Birds in my favorite branch

I bought 2 fabric birds and made the rest out of scrapbook paper. 

Mantle.  The bowl and the print were purchased in Germany on our way to Austria in February.

A picture where the print is in-focus.  It is of Rottenburg, Germany. (just south of Stuttgart) We haven't been there but this building can still be seen.

White bunny, another after-Easter Pottery Barn find.  His original purpose was to be a place card holder but I think he serves a better purpose guarding this massive egg.

I suppose I will leave my Easter/ Spring decorations up until it actually feels like summer...I forgot to mention this but, the days are getting much longer now.  Between the time change this past weekend and the shifting of the earth, the sun comes up around 7 and sets a little before 8.  The days will be getting longer until the end of June! I'm loving it now but will be thankful for my black out shades  when the sun is rising before 5 and setting after 10 :)