Hamburg

This morning we bid our goodbyes to Anja and her family in Frankfurt as we boarded the train to Hamburg.  We took the ICE (Intercity Express) direct to Hamburg which took about 3.5 hours.  Despite chaos at the beginning with there not being enough space in our carriage for luggage and there being other people in our reserved seats initially it was a quiet enjoyable ride.

At the Hauptbahnhof in Frankfurt

Once in Hamburg it was very easy to find our hotel, Novum Kronprinz, as it is right across the street from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station).  Though our room is opposite the train station, with the windows closed, it is very quiet (except for the tv going in the room next door).  After dropping our bags we dropped our bags and headed out for some exploration.  Thanks to my uncle who was here in May and shared his pictures with us when he was visiting we already had a good idea of where and what we wanted to see today.

The draw for me personally to Hamburg is family history.  My mother was born here and so I’ve always wanted to come with her to see all the places she remembers from when she was young.  So besides exploring this lovely city we also are going to explore more personal sights.

First stop was the Speicherstadt which was the warehouse district for the merchants in the 19th century.  There are small canals amongst the warehouses built on piles so that goods could be brought right up to them and lifted into storage pulleys that hung from the roof of the warehouse.  Most of the buildings are now being converted into loft workspaces for media and technical companies as well as still used as warehouse space by carpet and spice importers.

Speicherstadt

Speicherstadt warehouses and canals

Speicherstadt – Carpet merchant

Speicherstadt – Brickwork in the passages between warehouses

Speicherstadt – coloured brickwork on the warehouses

We treated ourselves to a break and some lunch on a terrace overlooking the water.  I tried a local specialty called Alsterwasser (beer mixed with sprite) which is very good.  The Alster is the inland lake that is within the city and was the source of fresh drinking water for the city.

We joined the throngs of Hamburgers and their families enjoying a warm sunny Saturday afternoon along the Landungsbruecken which is landing stages for the many passenger boats and ferries which go up and down the Elbe river.  The Bruecken are actually a series of floating pontoons.  You can see the cargo ship yards from the walkway that goes all the way along the water front.

Landungsbruecken

Landungsbruecken

At the western end of the Landungsbruecken is the entrance to the Alter Elbtunnel which is a tunnel that goes under the Elbe river from St Pauli to Steinwerder (the old shipyards).  You have to take elevators down to the tunnel and then back up the other side.  They used to allow cars to drive through.  Seeing the width of the tunnels though I’m surprised any car could ever get through.  It is only for pedestrians and cyclists now. I’ve heard that they sometimes do theatre productions in the tunnels. My mother and her family used to go through the tunnel on weekends to get to a beach on the island.

Entrance to the Elbtunnel giving stats about the tunnel.

In the Alter Elbtunnel

The elevator to take you down into the tunnel and back up. Holds 130 people or maybe 2 cars.

Hamburg harbour view from the Steinwerder side of the Elbe river.

After wandering north from the Landungsbruecken we stumbled across Ditmar-Koel-Strasse where my great-grandparents lived during the war.  It doesnt’t look anything like it did then as it has been greatly gentrified.  My mother remembers it as all being very plain and grey due to it being a poorer area and close to the harbour.  Unfortunately we weren’t sure exactly which house was her grandparents.

One of the main symbols of Hamburg is the St Michael’s Kirche or just known as Michel by the Hamburgers.  This was our family’s church – it is where my grandparents were married and my mother baptized.  We have a wonderful recording of Christmas music of the choir at Michel from before the War that my grandparents have.   It always put’s me in the mood for Christmas.

The Michel

Michel – St Michael slaying the devil over the entrance

Michel – Altar and pulpit

Michel – One of three organs in the church. This one has over 60,000 pipes.

We went up the Michel tower to enjoy the view of the city.  As was getting close to sunset the lighting was very interesting.

The Alster lake

My mother’s old neighbourhood with her’s and her brother’s schools.

The Elbe out to the east.

The Elbe river and shipyards to the west.

As we had now been walking for close on 6 hours we had a break enjoying a beer and wurst at an Irish pub before heading back to the hotel to rest our feet and legs.

I am very much enjoying this time being here with Mum and seeing things which have special meaning for her.  I’m very glad we have the chance to do this together.