Days 18 & 19 - Hannover, Bremen, and Hamburg

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Day 18: Thursday, July 9, 2009

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

As mentioned in my last blog, I had wanted to head north to Hannover, Germany from France, but couldn't get on the train I wanted. So last night I headed to Brussels instead. So that's where I find myself this morning. I'd been to Brussels before (twice), so had no desire to explore. My objective now was to get to Hannover, Germany.

I stayed at the Capital Brussels (EC Hotel) last night. Nice hotel. If taking train to Brussels, it's a good place to stay. I mainly picked it for it's proximity to the train station (it's right across the street).

Got an early start and was at the train station by 6:49 am. Wanted to make sure I got to Hannover, Germany today. In the train station there were displays of comic strips held up by little figures that were the characters in the strips (see picture). I don't recall any of it being in english, so I can't say why they were there. Pretty cute, though.

On the train to Koln (Cologne, Germany) there were a couple young giggly girls seated near me. All the way, tee he he he he (giggling). Not sure what they were saying. But no matter what they said, it would lead to a new round of giggling. This went on for a couple hours. Fortunately they eventually got tired and went to sleep.



HANNOVER, GERMANY

Reached Hannover around 12:30 pm. The weather was breezy and cool. Almost needed a jacket. Partly cloudy, but sun would pop out now and then.

One thing I like about Germany is you can almost count on there being lockers at the train stations (look for Gepäck Center). I managed to squeeze my suitcase and backpack into one of the 4 euro (5.60 USD) lockers. I'm so glad I opted to travel with a carry-on sized suitcase. I can't tell you how many times it's made my life easier. So with my stuff safely stored, I was off.

Out of the train station I headed down Bahnhof Straße which appeared to lead into the center of town. This street is a pedestrian shopping district with shops on two levels. There are shops on the street level, but then there are some areas cut away in the center of the road exposing a lower level of shops. At the block of Bahnhof Straße, it intersects with a couple other roads to form a gathering area known as Kröpcke. I saw a Nordsee (a seafood chain of restaurants that are found around Europe) nearby, so I stopped for a Salmon wrap sandwich and enjoyed it outside next to a fountain.

Walking around Kröpcke was what appeared to be a hotdog vendor. Instead of a cart, he had everything he needed hanging around his waist with an umbrella overhead that was strapped to his back. That had to be rough after a while.

With lunch taken care of, I wanted to find a Tourist Information office to obtain a map. I didn't see one when I was in the train station, but back tracked to the station and found one across the Platz from the train station (from the train station, you would go diagonally to the left across the Platz). They provide a small map for free, but I opted for a larger map for 0.50 euro (0.70 USD). It provides all the sights and outlines a walking tour.

Heading south from the Tourist office, there was a park containing a monument which I believe was dedicated to the jews who died during WWII. I couldn't read anything explaining the monument, but it had the star of David with names and dates, all from the WWII time period.

On the other side of the park was a bronze statue of a woman that I found a little odd. It was well done, but the odd thing was the position. The woman was on her side as if sliding on a slip-n-slide that kids would play on in summer.

Near by was the Opera House. It's a nice brick structure with arches over the windows and doors. The thing that caught my eye is the rather large chandelier hanging over the road out front. A little different.

I cut back over to Kröpcke and about this time it started to rain. People were ducking for cover because the rain really started to come down. But after a short wait under a cafe umbrella, the rain stopped and I was able to continue.

Working my way to the old town center, I started to see more old style structures. I phrase it that way because I'm not sure how much is original. One thing you'll find in Germany is that many of the cities suffered great damage during WWII due to bombing or ground fighting. As a result, many of the buildings you see today may be reconstructions made to look like the originals.

Guiding my way, I could see the tower for MarktKirche (Market Church) over the other buildings. From the german on the plaque, I believe it's dedicated to St. Jacob and St. George (St. Jacobi et St. Georgii) and was originally constructed from 1340 to 1360. But it must have been damaged during WWII and was repaired/reconstructed from 1946-1952. From what I've read elsewhere, it is the oldest of the three parish churches in the old part of Hannover. There is a square next to the church with a fountain and statue. Out front were some stands setup to sell fish sandwiches and other items. Internally, the church is very plain, somewhat modern in red brick. Nothing to see.

One of the more interresting buildings is the 'New' City Hall, which was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. It looks as though it could have been a palace at one time. Behind it is a park with a pond in the middle. About the time I was circling the pond, the sun broke out (see picture). Apparently one unique thing about the 'new' City Hall is the diagnal elevator that takes people up into the dome. I didn't go up, so can't say much about that.

In the pond were like little mini islands floating. It took a while to figure out that they represented the continents on the earth. From ground level it was a little hard to see this, but I'm sure it looked good from the City Hall dome. Not sure if it was an art piece or something else. Regardless, the ducks thought it was a nice resting place.

One of the things I had read about and wanted to see was the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen. They are located a good distance to the west of the old city center. One could take the tram, but I decided to walk. Along the way I saw a few items of interrest, but the one that stands out are the three sculptures labeled "Niki de Saint Phalle" (see picture). Very odd. They were in total contrast to everything else about. You pass old churches, monuments, buildings with vines up the sides, and then these eye popping forms. I know I've seen them before, but I can't recall where.

After a very long walk, I finally made it to Herrenhäuser Gärten (one of the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen) only to find they were closing early for a special event. Last entry this day was at 4:00 pm, I arrived at 4:15 pm. That was a disappointment. The day was getting on, so I decided to return to the train station and push on to Hamburg where I would stay for the night. Not wanting to do that long walk again, I took the tram back (2 euro for one-way). Much better.



HAMBURG, GERMANY

I didn't have a reservation for a hotel in Hamburg, so got something cheap close to the station. I found a room in an old hotel for 35 euro (49 USD). It wasn't much, but all I wanted was a bed for the night. Being an older place, the reception was up stairs (no elevator); then the room was in the building next door, on 2nd floor (again, no elevator). Being an old building with high ceilings, that meant a lot of steps. Again, glad I opted to bring a smaller suitcase.

Note: In Europe, the ground floor is zero. First floor is one up; Second floor is next one up and so on. In the USA, first floor is ground floor. So in USA terms, I was on the 3rd floor.

Day 19: Friday, July 10, 2009

HAMBURG, GERMANY

Morning, new day. The logical thing to do would be to move on, but I had it in my head that I wanted to see Herrenhäuser Gärten. Don't ask me why. Having taken the train last night from Hannover to Hamburg convinced me it didn't take long to travel between the two cities. So I decided to return to Hannover.

At the station I got an Egg McMuffin meal at McDonald's (which meant the sandwich and cappacino, no hashbrown) for 2.49 euro (3.49 USD). I would have liked orange juice, but they were out. The morning is overcast, breezy and cool, no sun. Wearing my windbreaker was sufficient.

Took 8:02 am train (ICE 73) which should arrive in Hannover at 9:21 am. I was surprised when the train attendant first asked if I wanted paper to read, then later came around asking if I wanted coffee or tea. That's the thing with first class train travel, you never know what you'll get. Sometimes you get good service, other times you're simply paying for the extra space. Some time later the attendant came around with little chocolates. The little box says "Orange-Sanddom-Frisch-Schokolade" and when opened reveals a 1-1/2 inch square by 1/8 inch thick piece of white chocolate infused with orange. Tangy, good. Another reason for me to like the german train system.



HANNOVER, GERMANY

As I saw the other sights in Hannover yesterday, today I took the tram directly to Herrenhäuser Gärten. The Royal Herrenhausen Gardens comprise Grosser Garten, Berggarten, Georgengarten and Welfengarten. I had walked through one of these yesterday, but I wanted to see Grosser Garten. This Baroque garden dates from 1666 and consists of 50 hectacres of criss-crossing gardens with a great fountain at it's center.

The weather wasn't very pleasant with cloud overcast and sporatic rain, but I made the best of it. Upon entering the garden, there is a building (the Grotto) there that doesn't appear to have any purpose. When you go in, it impressed me as a miniture fun house. It was decorated in the most colorful and strange manner (see 2 photos I included). No real purpose, something just to go in, view, and ponder. It almost looks like the same style as the sculpures I mentioned yesterday.

The area of the garden closest to this Grotto is laid out in a large square, with four squares within it. There are criss-crossing walkways leading to a large central fountain. Flowers are all about with marble statues at the corners of each walkway. Most of the flowers and plants in this area are low. Past this are more gardens, but they are segmented and separated by tall bushes. Each walkway is flanked by tall bushes such that you walk along and don't know what you'll see around the next corner. You walk along, turn, and there is a little garden in a hidden pocket between. At intersections of walkways are fountains. Near the Grotto is another structure with a cascading fountain down it's face. It has stairs at either end and you can walk up to the top to get a better overview. It's a very beautiful garden and apparently a popular attraction in Hannover.

Afterwards I went across the street to the Botonical garden. Very colorful and interresting.

Note: If you want to visit both the Grosser Garten and Botonical, you can purchase a combo ticket at reduced price.

Now that I'd seen what I wanted in Hannover, it was time to move on. So it was tram to the train station and on to Bremen.

I had a question about the ICE train to take, so I took a Regional train as the ICE didn't show up on board before I would need to board the regional train. RE (regional) train was packed with people standing. I literally had to push onto the train with my luggage like one would do on the subway. I had to stand until we reached the first stop. Many got off at first stop, so now I was able to sit on the stairs (it was a double decker car). Still was plenty full, so couldn't get a seat.



BREMEN, GERMANY

Sandwich I had for lunch was like meatloaf, except spicier and firmer. Not sure what it was, but it was pretty good.

Lockers more expensive in Bremen (than Hannover). Large locker costs 6 euro, small 4 euro. I tried to see if my luggage would fit in a small locker. Once I got my suitcase in, it was looking promising. I had to pull items out of my backpack to make it fit in the little room that was left, but I got it all in there. Strangely, the locker I used only charged me 3.00 euro. I know it previously said 4.00 euro like all the lockers around it, but after I got everything into the locker, it displayed a price of 3.00 euro. Fine by me.

I stopped at the Tourist Information Center which is beside the locker area within the train station. Picked up a town map and the woman patiently explained the same thing I'm sure she's explained thousands of times before,... 'you walk this way to the downtown area and the other side of this map has a walking tour you can follow'.

It was very easy. Walk streight out the city exit of the train station, and just keep going. It will take you to the old town center.

Observation: There is no smoking in the train station, so people stand just outside. Yet the air current blows all their smoke into the station anyway. I've since found this to be the same at many train stations and can't wait near doorways or else I find myself gasping for air.

Looking ahead, I stopped at an Internet Cafe to book a hotel for Copenhagen. Though I could probably find something upon arrival, it can be a hastle and I might end up paying more. Cost of Internet = 0.60 euro (0.84 USD).

I liked Bremen. I didn't know what to expect, but liked what I found. I remember the guide on my Normandy tour saying she was from Bremen and said to head for the old city center. Pretty typical advice. On the way there I passed a windmill with flowers about the base, which I would expect in the Netherlands, but not here. As I got closer to the old city center, I passed the Swineherd and pigs sculpture; a person blowing a horn, surrounded by pigs. I saw a postcard showing the pigs stacked on top of each other. So they must move them about from time to time.

The place to visit is the Marktplatz (Market square) which is dominated by the Rathaus (Town Hall) and St. Petri Cathedral, with other impressive facads around the square.

The Rathaus was built between 1405 an 1410 in Gothic style, but the facade was built two centuries later in Renaissance style. In front of the Rathaus is a 1404 statue of Roland, the city's protector, bearing the "sword of justice" and a shield with an imperial eagle. To the side is the 1953 bronze sculpture by Gerhard Marck which protrays the donkey, dog, cat, and rooster from a Grimm Brothers' fairy tail. (1)

St. Petri Cathedral has two towers, but one was surrounded by scafolding during my visit. I went in to the cathedral for a look and was surprised and impressed. The interior style impressed me as being a renaissance with a little Turkish influence in the archways. Not sure of the actual styles employed, but it looks good. Within the cathedral is a small museum which houses some church artifacts.

After spending some time in the Market Square, I continued following the map's walking tour towards the water. Along the way I passed a variation on those sign posts that point to other cities of the world. This one is a large compass cast in bonze (I'm guessing), with North, South, East, and West, and is laid flat like a table. Around the circular compass face are names of various cities around the world, helping you identify their direction from Bremen.

My tour took me through Böttcherstraße, a pedestian arcade of shops. A gilt relief called 'Bringer of Light ' adorns the gateway. It's an interresting area, but I really can't explain why. I saw a copy of the Brothers Grimm sculpture here.

Moving along the water, I next headed to the Schnoor area, Bremen's oldest district. This area is distinguished by a maze of small 15th and 16th century houses, many of which are shops now. Cute.

Had been dealing with off and on light rain throughout the afternoon.

Back to the train station and on to Hamburg. Right as the train was pulling into the station, the sun came out and it was beautiful. No kidding. All day it's been generally crappy and raining, and once I'm about to leave Bremen, it's nice. Priceless.



HAMBURG, GERMANY

Arrived in Hamburg at 8:10 pm, but still plenty light out. So I strolled about a bit. Just as it started to get dark, I was passing a park near the Rathaus when the square park benches lit up. That was a little different. The park has rows of squares that people can sit on, but apparently they are made of some white plastic material that contain a light within each one. So when it gets dark, you have all these lighting up (see picture).

I returned to the square in front of the Rathaus where I noticed there was something happening. There were a lot of tent stalls setup serving food and drink. Some had musicians entertaining the crowds. I thought it was some kind of beer festival. I didn't need dinner, but I saw some great options for desert. So I stopped in one of the tents and ordered a desert and a beer. The waitress looked me strangely and informed me it was a wine festival. My mistake. So I enjoyed my ŏofãnshlufa with sauce with a glass of red wine. Excellent! The ŏofãnshlufa was a sort of apple cake, which was covered with a vanilla 'sauce'. Both the ŏofãnshlufa and wine were very good.

Next door the music was playing and people were getting roudy. So after I finished, I moved over there. This tent was hosted by Weindorf of Stuttgart, Germany. The accordian and guitar duet of Helmuth & Hans had everyone singing as they played classic german favorites. One minute they would be playing "Roll out the Barrel", then to mix it up they played "Obla de Obla da" by the Beetles. A woman particularly liked one song, grabbed her husband and started dancing in the walkway between the tents. It was a good time.

Bartender at this tent spoke english well, with a British accent. I asked her about it and she informed me she'd lived in Canada for 10 months. That didn't quite explain it. She went on to say that after her time in Canada, she'd spent some time in the UK. Yep, that would do it. She informed me this wine festival runs for 3 weeks each year, then it moves to Stuttgart and other places.

At about 11:30 pm the music ended for the night. Still a lot of roudy (and probably drunk) people here. I still have half a glass and 3 hours to kill before I catch a train. Bartender wrote down the name of the wine I'd been drinking... Dornfelder, by Weindorf of Stuttgart.
It's a sweeter wine than the first red I drank, but still quite good. Will have to see if it's available in the USA.

12:51 am - I'm at the Hamburg train station when I noticed a couple people getting off a train with bicycles, dressed in bicycle gear. Seemed strange to me at this hour.

Long wait for train. The train I was taking was leaving around 3 am headed for Copenhagen. Made for a very long day. I got to talking with a group of guys from Madrid, Spain. They were playing a card game I hadn't seen. They told me it was a spanish card game, somewhat similar to spades, but plaid with a special deck of cards. These guys had been traveling about Europe on a Eurail Pass. They were now headed to Amsterdam.

After a long tiring wait, I got on the 3:10 am train, the first leg on my trip to Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Notes & Misc Information:

Sources:


• 1. Statues next to Rathaus: Statemaster.com http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Bremen-(city)

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Photos

Brussels, Belgium
There were multiple displays like this of a cartoon strip in the Brussels train station. Each display was held up by figures depicted in the comic strips. Not sure why they were there.

Hannover
View of the rear of the new City Hall.

Hannover
A sculpture next to new City Hall which I thought was cute.

Hannover
There are three sculptures of this style next to each. The plaque reads: Niki de Saint Phalle; Nanas. 1974

Hannover
Inside the Grotto at Herrenhausen Gardens.

Hannover
Inside the Grotto at Herrenhausen Gardens.

Hannover
Herrenhausen Gardens.

Hannover
Herrenhausen Gardens.

Hannover
Vertical water falls at Herrenhausen Gardens.

Hannover
Botonical Garden at Herrenhausen Gardens.

Bremen
Old railroad wheels used to make park benches across from Bremen trian station.

Bremen
Windmill with floral display in Bremen, Germany.

Bremen
Sculpture of caller and hogs.

Bremen
Bremen Market Square.

Bremen
Donkey, rooster, dog, and cat based on Grimm Brothers' fable.

Hamburg
Hamburg Rathaus (Town Hall).

Hamburg
Lighted seats in park near Hamburg Rathaus.

Hamburg
A pole dedicated to sign language showing various hand signs.

Hamburg
My ŏofãnshlufa with sauce at the wine festival in front of Hamburg Rathaus.

Hamburg
Wine Festival in front of Hamburg Rathaus.

Hamburg
There are a few of these guys about in Hamburg, painted in different ways. I saw three in the Hamburg Hbf train station.