Hamburg, Germany 2004

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Four days in Hamburg meeting up with two old friends from Mannheim followed by two days of project work.

30/10/2004

German Efficiency

Well, as typical of German efficiency, the whole trip went like clockwork.
The plane landed on time, I switch on my phone and immediately receive a text message from Rene saying that he and George are at the coffee bar opposite the arrivals area. There are no queues at immigration so I wonder straight out and there they are. Try that at Heathrow!

Hamburg

Hamburg is a port town which sits on the River Elbe. The first thing we saw was the docks at Landungsbrücken (landing bridge) with cranes and ships along the river's edge. Also in the area is the old tunnel across the river, a lift takes you down to the alter Elbtunnel.

Then we moved onto the town centre, walking along the shopping streets and seeing the Town Hall (Rathaus).

The evening was spent drinking in The Reeperbahn (red-light district) area. In addition to the "main attractions", the area is a busy place packed full of bars, clubs and restaurants and young people enjoying a night out.

Unfortunately, due to late drinking the night before, we visited woke up too late to visit the famous fish market which the lady at the hostel told us finishes at 8:30am! So instead, Sunday began with brunch at Alex, an all you can eat restaurant by the side of the Alster lake.

The afternoon was spent with a visit to the Model Railway Museum. There, different continents have been recreated in minature which each region complete with detailed buildings, people and working traffic lights! Even day and night in the museum was simulated!

By the end of the museum visit, it was getting on in the evening so,
I said goodbye to my friends and checked into the 4* hotel that had been booked for me for a good long 10 hour sleep to be ready for work the next day.

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Photos

Hans Hummel
There are many water-carrying Hans Hummel statues littered around the city.