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| The old city of Bremen |
After ridding the train back from Prague, I
spent the night on Hannah’s floor. It wasn’t the most comfortable sleeping
arrangement, but we didn’t have long to sleep anyways since our train left
early Friday morning.
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| Sofia and Hannah in an ally in the Schnoor district |
Sofia, the Russian language assistant in
Zwickau, also decided to join us on our ‘Northwest Adventure,’ and it was very
good that she did. Whenever we were tired and tempted to stay indoors, she got
us out of bed and seeing the sights.
The historic city center was beautiful. A
simplified medieval fair was going on adding to the overall charm. Of course,
there were also delicious things to eat and interesting things to look at. Later
that evening we walked around the adorable Schnoor district with its narrow
allies and buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. The buildings are
literally order than my country. I will always remember the old city of Bremen
fondly.
When darkness settled in, we headed to the Frei Markt, our only mistake. Before we
entered the chaos, we designated a met up spot incase we got separated, which
we did. As soon as I stepped into the ‘State Fair from Hell,’ I wanted out. Plenty
of people were enjoying the chaos, but not me. Imagine the last state fair you
attended. Take away all the crafts, contests, and open container laws. Add a
hundred times the food booths and rides, a thousand times the people, and a
legal drinking age of 16. Oh, and make sure you don’t absentmindedly make the
area any bigger.
Hamburg
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| Tour of Hamburg |
We planned our ‘Northwest Adventure’ around
Hamburg. On our first full day in the city we went on a “free” walking tour. As
we walked around the city, we were stuck by how distant we felt from the city.
Usually there is more of a warm and inviting vibe, especially in the old town
where buildings are worn in, well cared for, and the pathways are narrow.
Eventually we decided the tall, modern building, and loss of so many of the old
buildings in the “great fire of 1842” were largely to blame. If there is one
thing I learned from the tour of Hamburg it is that a third of the city was “destroyed
in the great fire of 1842.” That phrase
was continually repeated throughout the tour.
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| Some awesome architecture |
I’m sure our impression of the city was not
helped by the constant cold, frequent rain, and strong winds…and this coming from
a girl who lives in the land where the “wind comes sweeping down the plains.” I
seriously had to lean into the wind so I would not be blown back and could
slowly fight to put one foot in front of the other. The storm also caused my
trains to be cancelled and ours to be delayed by 55 minutes since fallen trees
were blocking tracks.
But not all in Hamburg was a disaster. The
last 18 hours made the trip worth it. Monday night we went to Miniature
Wonderland, and it was truly wonderful. I cannot adequately descript the joy of
seeing tiny replicas of beautiful lands, watching the sunset/sunrise every ten
minutes and tiny trains, planes, trucks, and automobiles zoom around. Oh, they
also speed up when they approach a yellow light and stop for red. Isn’t that adorable?
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| A scene from the Miniature Wonderland Airport |
At the beginning of the museum there was a
History of Germany section with a tiny replication of a German community as it
developed over the centuries. After spending about 30 minutes listening to the
first four interesting and informative recordings, Hannah gently nudged me to
leave it behind. We still had three other floors of miniature marvels to see. I
resolved to pick up a copy of the DVD in the gift shop before we left.
Unfortunately, they were not selling this DVD. I was so sad until I found it
for free online. Yay!
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| This is the model of a city during The Third Reich. Notice that no swastikas are displayed since it is forbidden in Germany. |
The next area had models of how the 6 largest
political parties in Germany would envision their ideal society with some party
member explaining the significance of everything. I credit those displays with
my limited knowledge of the German political parties.
Our last stop before going to the train
station was the Kunsthalle or Art
Museum, which was lovely.
Lübeck
Our next stop was in Lübeck, where we took
life easy. It is a beautiful city to simple walk around, but the Lübecker-Marzipan-Speicher
was a special treat. First, we looked around the small museum as we waited for
the ‘show’ to begin. After a short history lesson about Marzipan, we learned
how to make simple little creations. Of course, we had to buy things at the
gift shop and later café.
Schwerin
Our directions from the main train station in
Schwerin to our hostel were by far the best we encountered on our trip;
however, arriving at the hostel was a little strange. A note on the door gave a
number to call, and we were then given the code to a key box containing the key
to the hostel and our room. Bed linens were waiting on a chest just inside the
door. No one was in sight and no one was coming. Still, we had to climb 4
flights of stairs to reach our freezing room.
The next morning we headed towards the
castle, looking for breakfast along the way. We passed one person, and not a
single car. Every building we passed was dark. Soon we learned that Reformation
day is a holiday in five German states, including Mecklenberg-Vorpommern, where
we were, and Sachsen, where we live, meaning very few things would be open. I
had four pieces of bread in my backpack, and upon reaching the castle we each
decided to eat a piece while we searched for food. It could have been a large
and arduous journey. As we bite into the bread, a swarm of sea gulls surrounded
us and began squawking. They flew far too close for comfort. Fortunately, we
escaped their claws and found a bakery.
The castle grounds and interior was
beautiful.
After returning from Schloß Schwerin, we made
human contact at the hostel and paid for our rooms before heading back home. It
was a successful trip.
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