Really..more bridges than Venice!

Well, that is what people in Hamburg tell me.

If you have never visited this city in Northern Germany you are missing out on a good thing. One of the lovliest things is that a canal comes right up to the 'rathaus' or city hall in the center of town. It flows from one of the two lakes that sit right in the center of city that has some of the most beautiful architecture in Germany if not all of Europe. And the people use these lakes for recreation with boat houses built all around the perimeter. Today on a canal tour I saw many young children learning how to master kayaks, small dinghy type sail boats and larger sail boats. The down town was abuzz with workmen building stalls right in front of the rathaus for a festival to be held with Stuttgart that seemsed to involve a lot of wine.

Hamburg is one of the oldest cities in Germany and was part of the Hanseatic league of states that flourished during the days of shipping and trade. Today it is the largest container trade port in the world. The city is full of galleries, museums and fun things to do like stroll through and gaze in amazement at the number of indoor shopping plazas. Each one is more exquisite in than the next with lovely inventive window displays intermingled with the scent of strong coffee as places to eat and drink abound.

The most fun thing to do is to get up very early on Sunday morning ( yes, my friends even I did that !), and go to the Fish Market. It starts at 3AM ( ok, I didn't get up quite THAT early)and goes till 10AM. The most fun is seeing each stall trying to out bid and out yell their neighbor. Even if you don't speak a word of German you can get the general gist of the conversation which is full of humor and good natured insults. Make sure you go to the very end to find the plant ( blumen) sellers from Holland. There are two brothers who could be a comedy act. They actually throw plant, pots and all, out at people. As it gets closer to closing time they are practically begging people to take the plants. It is a show worth getting up early to see.

Try to get across the Elbe to visit Alteland where all the fruits and vegetables for Hamburg are grown. Mile after mile of orchards, fruit stands and lovely old brick houses with thatched roofs. It is like stepping back 100 years in time. Continue on to the village of Stadhe and walk to the canal in the center. Now it is time to sit down for a coffee or ice cream and enjoy seeing some fantastic old homes in a village that is over 1,000 years old.

This part of Germany is not that popular so you seldom run into American tourists but it is well worth a visit. And when it coems to fun...well, there is always the Reeperbahn but that is for the younger folks.

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