Day Quatre-Vingt-Sept was another scenic day of Hamburg. A nice little lie in before I headed out on the road, courtesy of Hamburg’s wonderful transit system. First stop, back to Landusbrucken and the tourist bureau to pick up a keychain that I thought was cool; then off to Hammerbrook City Sud and Jungferstein for more “you can only get it in Germany swag” followed by some quick lunch.
It was at this point that I had pretty much given up on getting any sun during this day so I did what I had dubbed the “Blankenese” bus tour. It was a city bus run, about 40 minutes, but the nice thing was that you got to see the city from the other side of the river that ran through Hamburg. Once I arrived at the Blankenese S-Bahn stop, the rain had died down, so I headed back to see if I could climb up Mikaelkirke.
St. Michael’s church, as it is known in English, is one of the highest viewpoints in the city, as the television tower no longer allows people to climb it. At St. Michael’s, you can take the lift or the stairs; I chose the latter for the great exercise it provides! When I got to the top (which isn’t CN tower number of stairs, but a little bit more than Arc de Triomphe stairs) I ran into two Germans who asked me if I indeed did climb the steps, to which I replied “Yes of course!” They wondered if my feet were hurting – I responded with a simple “No, not yet, but probably later!”
The view from the top of St. Michael’s was quite beautiful. While the rain did indeed not exist very much at the top, the wind DID. And how. I was holding onto my dear possessions, fearing that they would blow away. I managed to get a nice picture of the view up top…
… and then after meeting some visitors from Michigan, got a photo taken of me at the top.
It was really a nice way to end my sightseeing day and I was happy that I did it.
I got back to Julius’ house and he was out, but his parents were more than happy to have me join them for dinner. It turned out that it was the anniversary of the day that they first met. I didn’t want to be a third wheel obviously, once I realized this, but it was then explained that they rarely didn’t have guests at this occasion. And as such, as I have so many times on this trip, I was made to feel at home. It was a wonderful meal made by Mr. Koll– gorgeously made meat with rice and brussel sprouts at the sides. He has been making the same meal on this exact day for years, but every time it comes out just a bit different. We exchanged great stories over a great meal, and then retired to the fireplace and listen to some music.
After the first cd had played out, Mr. Koll put on something that I’d never thought that I would ever listen to: Bob Dylan signing Christmas songs. It’s a new release this year and although I do think Bob Dylan is a good artist I am of the belief that he should perhaps leave the Christmas music alone. That being said, we laughed for quite a long time, especially when I started singing along. Adeste Fideles remains the highlight of the evening.
Day Quatre-Vingt-Huit was a Saturday and as such, we all took it easy, until Julius and I headed out to see the Tutankhamen exhibit that was showing in the city.
What a fascinating exhibit it was! You had to go in at a scheduled time, so that they would control how many people were in the area at once. They gave you an audio tour guide, so you’d look for the number on the display panel and would get a 2-3 minute audio summary about that particular time in Tut’s life. Added to that were mini-documentaries on the initial discovery of the tomb when you first started. Although I believe that the majority of the displays were recreations, it was still quite fascinating.
Here is the Rosetta stone, which was written in hieroglyphics, Latin and Greek.
Tut’s mask was quite symbolic of his reign.
When he was buried, it was in four successively small coffins, much like a set of Russian dolls.
And this guy really didn’t have to work in the afterlife… he had over 400 representative symbols doing all his work for him!!! I could go for just one in the present life…
All in all, a great day out, capped by our tour through the “architecture nouveau” district near the harbor. We then popped back to the house in Rissen. Julius was heading out to a birthday party, and his parents had been invited out to dinner, so I changed and then headed back into the city and headed out to see a play. We did get some group pictures however!
Those of you who know me are aware that I can’t speak German very well and as such it was a bit of a relief that this was an English language play. Sadly while the script was weak and the acting a bit pedestrian, it was a fun night out… although this is the first play I’ve ever seen to get FOUR CONSECUTIVE ENCORES?!?!?! Perhaps I missed something…
Day 89 probably can be summed up very quickly. Rissen to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof by S-Bahn. Hamburg to Karsruhle through wonderfully scenic Northern Germany by an ICE train, and with comfortable seating in first class! Karsruhle to Strasbourg by TGV. A quick stopover in Strasbourg, and then off to Lyon by Corail. Not as fancy as the TGV, but hey, it does the job. I got into Lyon around 20h30 – 13 and a half hours after I’d started the day on the train. And then after walking around Lyon in the wrong direction, found my hotel, and crashed.
Off to the Côte d’Azur in the next post!!!
Cheers,
Vick.
Vick.
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