Since this was supposed to be a quick stopover before heading to Munich, I didn't really plan too much. Mistake! Had I known how much there is to Hamburg I would have tried to plan more time here. The train station happens to be across from the hotel that we're staying at, the Europaischer Hof. The hotel is rated 4 stars with nice rooms and amenities and with plenty of restaurants nearby.
Our initial foray after checking into the hotel was not the most comfortable one. Usually when we check into a place be it an apartment or hotel we'll venture out to check the neighborhood. Usually we feel very positive about the neighborhood. In our case we turned around the corner from the hotel and walked for awhile looking for a decent restaurant. However, we just felt an unease about the area so we retreated back to the hotel area where we found a very good restaurant to eat at.
As it happens there is a Hop On Hop Off bus stop across the street in front of the train station. So Sunday morning after breakfast we bought our tour ticket and set out to discover the city. It turned out we had been looking on the wrong side of the tracks for we were soon to be introduced to what is referred to as the Venice of Germany.
Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany after Berlin. There is a very large and active port and canals similar to Venice, Italy. During the Second World War, Hamburg was bombed repeatedly to eliminate their shipping facilities, their U boat infrastructure and their oil refineries. During July 1943 Operation Gomorrah was launched which was a firebombing mission. Because there had been no rain for sometime, the dry conditions made for a tremendous firestorm. The fires created vortexes which spread flames so quickly that most of the city was essentially destroyed. The death toll was 42,500 with over 37,000 injured.
Reconstruction after the war created a new metropolis. New structures were built and the city revived. Luckily there were a fair number of old buildings that were spared or were able to be rebuilt. In our tour we passed through some very exclusive areas before arriving at the heart of Hamburg. The town hall or Rathaus is one of the most magnificent structures that neither I nor Gerri have ever seen! The Rathaus if the seat of government or parliament for Hamburg. The original town hall burned to the ground in 1842 forcing the staff to move to temporary quarters which lasted for 55 years! The current town hall was built over an 11 year period and was completed in 1897. There are 647 rooms with the building sitting on 4,000 pillars. There are 20 statutes of past emperors adorning the facade the ornate wrought iron gate at the main door leads into a grand entry hall supported by 16 sandstone pillars. It is truly something to see!
Not having much time left to explore, Gerri and I returned to our hotel to get ready for our train trip to Munich tomorrow. The trip is supposed to take 5 1/2 hours. Luckily the trains are fast, quiet and have a nice restaurant car. So my next post will be from Munich, just in time for Oktoberfest! So until then, Auf
Wiedersehen!
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