Baltic Cruise- Day 14: Kiel and Hamburg, Germany - May 31, 2018

I have been looking forward to today’s excursion probably more than any of the others. For one thing, we are going to Kiel, the capital of Schleswig Holstein, a state in Germany that I have never visited before. Now that I’ve been to all 50 US states, I figure I ought to finish off all sixteen German ones. Our excursion, however, takes us to Hamburg, a city-state I visited in 1979. My husband K and daughter J have never been there and wanted to visit it. I felt like I’d already done it and wanted to explore Kiel. However, when we found the excursion that we are going on, it sealed the deal. I’ll tell you why, when we reach what I am so anxious to see. As for Kiel, we will get back with enough time to look around a bit before the all aboard time.

When I got up at 6, it was clear and cool, but it was to get to 86. The umbrella that had been on our bed when we first boarded the ship had been back on it last night. There was a 40% chance of rain in Hamburg. That umbrella is way to large to haul around. We packed our own small ones into K’s backpack.

 At 7, J arrived and we went to breakfast. Fortified, we went to the World Stage to await our call. We were given neon pink 12 and headed out the gangway and along a very long outdoor passage to the terminal. We passed the huge TUI ship we’d seen as we’d sailed. It was covered in friendly vacation terms. It’s name was Schiff 4 or ship4, which is descriptive, I suppose. We found out later that they are a travel agency that has branched into ships and planes. We entered the Ostseekai terminal and rode the escalator down and then went out to the bus. We boarded at 8:05 for "Hamburg Highlights". 

 At 8:07, we were on the road and our college student guide Sarah started telling us things, as guides are wont to do. One thing I remember from before I fell asleep was that Doner places are making more money than McDonald’s.

At 9:32, we picked up the older woman who would be our city guide. Germany has a thing about that. On almost every tour I’ve been on, there was a local person as a city guide.

It was clear now and there was plenty to see in the city. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany. The harbor is the biggest employer and the third biggest harbor in Europe, but the biggest in Germany. The Alster is an artificial lake resulting from the Elbe River being dammed.

This first picture is an apartment building. The second was our pit stop, the Michaeliskirche or St. Michaels. We didn’t go in the church, but to the restrooms under it on the side at 9:50. We got to hear the trumpeter who plays at 10, in the tradition of the time for the opening of the city gate. He’ll play again at 9 pm, for the closing time. We left just after he played.

 We drove by the series of entrances for the floating bridges. We got to go by the new Elbphilharmonie building, with its glass top evoking waves. We saw a lot of interesting architecture, as well as old warehouses, some of which had been repurposed. It’s amazing that anything old stands here, what with the way Hamburg was fire bombed in World War II. 

 At 10:30, we were let off the bus to visit my whole reason for agreeing to this excursion- Modelleisenbahn Wunderland, a.k.a. Miniatur Wunderland (model train wonderland or miniature wonderland). It is the world’s largest model railroad. And it is not just a railroad. In recent years, they added an airport, with actual take offs and landings. There’s a large water area with actual floating/sailing ships. Cars move along highways. The miniature people are set up in mini stories. I’d seen videos of it and had even shown my students. I was so excited to see it myself!

 We were led upstairs and had to wait while tickets were sorted out between the seller and our two guides. Eventually, we were let it. The first thing we walked into was the gift shop. I set K and J to work helping me find the video of the place. I knew they had to be selling a DVD. We found it in PAL and NTSB formats. My daughter asked a clerk which worked in the US, but he didn’t know. Luckily, they had Wi-Fi and she found out it was NTSB. I decided not to buy the huge, heavy book, but I found postcards and a pin. I really wanted to buy an HO car, but there were too many to choose from.

We found a restroom and then set off to explore. There were vignettes in cases in the walls. We saw workshops and bins of pieces. A relatively recent addition, are HO scale scenes-without trains-depicting a town from the Middle Ages onward. There were also models of Berlin before, after the war and then Wall and then freedom. There was a giant stadium filled with fans and a music show going on. 

 I wish I could describe all the things we saw. Some things I didn’t realize I had seen until I saw the photos, for example, St. Peter’s in Rome. When K and I watched the video and home we kept seeing things we missed. We must go back! 

 

The 90 minutes we were given flew by and we hurried downstairs to be back on the bus at noon. None too soon, it seems, because we were on the road again 2 minutes later. It was warming up and staying clear. It felt like we would reach the predicted high of 86.

At 12:14, we were let off the bus just up the street from the Rathaus (city hall), which is about as tall at the tower as it is long. After the city guide told us about the city hall, she told us when to be back at the bus and bid us farewell. K remembered to tip her 2 Euro. 

 We looked at nearby kiosks for postcards, pins and J’s mini Hamburg. Then, we needed food and saw a mall and went in. There were several food sellers with tables in the center. J and K went to Nur Hier, while I sat at a table for two, saving a seat at the next table for J. My German was put to good use, when I had to tell a guy the seat was taken and that there were three of us. He moved to the next table. J and K each bought food and we would split it all three ways.  J got a Schokomichel, which was a pastry with chocolate chips, and a Schute mit Käse und Kochschinken (their sandwich with cheese and cooked ham), as well as a Coke for 6,70 Euros. K got a turkey sandwich (evidently, it actually said that) and a Puddingbrezel (in spite of the pretzel in the name, it was more of a cream pastry), plus a Coke Zero for us to share for 7,30 Euros. It was a very good meal. 

Afterwards, I insisted on going out the door nearest us to find out what else we could see. Looking up the street, I recognized that the Binnenalster (Inner Alster Lake, yes, there is an Outer or Aussenalster) was just up there. So, we went up to see it and take photos. We got another nice manhole cover out of the deal. 

Needing a restroom, we retraced our steps, went back through the mall and out to the kiosks at the Rathaus, because there was a Toilette down the stairs there. It cost us 0,50 Euros each. It continued to be sunny and warm.

We actually beat our required 1:15 on the bus time by two minutes. At 1:18, we were headed out through the city. I espied a film crew, when we were stopped at a stoplight. I also managed to get a cool shot looking up at the TV tower (Fernsehturm). It wasn’t long before I was asleep again.

At 3:02, we arrived back at the port. K had read about a blue line that led from the port into Kiel. He asked Sarah, where it was, but she didn’t know. From the map that we had picked up in the terminal in the morning, it seemed that it should be just across the street. She had a little trouble orienting herself to the map, but finally told us to go to the nearby light and cross the street. We did find the line and headed into the Altstadt (old city).

It was an unremarkable old town and we did not make it all the way to the new section of town. I did rather like this sculpture of what looks like Wagner conducting and a large dog. The second sculpture is seriously cool. It depicts the founder of Kiel, who founded the town and a monastery in and then became a monk. The sculpture shows him shedding the garb of a knight and putting on the cowl of a monk. 

 We ducked into a McDonald’s for the restroom and I used their Wi-Fi to post some pictures. K tried to exchange our rubles at a bank for Euros, but no luck. We went on to the Nicholaskirche (St. Nicholas Church) and took photos of the exterior. Looking for a souvenir shop, we walked a bit along a shopping street, but no luck.

 We turned back and I noticed this neat fountain. We’d passed a bookstore on our way in and I’d seen postcards. This was the only place we found with them. I also got stickers for the album. J thought it was ridiculous that that huge terminal had no souvenir shop. It did seem a waste. 

 As we neared the port, I noticed the sign with our ship and this cool windsurfer on top of a very tall pole. It was windy at the port as we entered the terminal at 3:47. We noticed passengers not going up the escalator, but rather with their faces staring down at their phones. Free Wi-Fi! We used it until we could no longer bear the terrible heat in the building. We boarded the ship at 4:06 to take a quick shower. 

 

 

We were supposed to sail at 5, which would have let us take some photos of the port of Kiel before dinner. However, the captain announced that we would be delayed, because a bus was stuck in traffic. This is why we took Holland America tours. They’d never have waited on another tour company.

 When we got to our table for dinner at 5:20, there were no flowers on our table. When I said something to Gandhi about it, he said he’d steal some for us. He chose well. 

 For my appetizer, I ordered Haloumi Tapenade, which is a cheese with a dressing. It was very good. J had a Citrus-Chicken Meatball Soup that was quite tasty. K had a seafood spring roll. 

For my main course, I had a delicious, rather German, broiled pork chop with braised sauerkraut. J ordered Parmesan-crusted chicken breast and K had cobia puttanesca, which is a fish thing. Of course.

We had to wait a while between the main course and dessert, as usual.  I wished that I could go out and take some photos of what we were missing as we sailed. K kindly went out and took some for me. What a guy! 

 For dessert, both he and I ordered Black Forest Cake, which was good, if not the traditional kind. J was leery of any possible Kirschwasser in it, so she got a fudge sundae, which suited her better.

 When dinner was over, we went out on the promenade to take more pictures, but it was cold and windy. We were glad that we had to be at the Lincoln Center Stage in 5 minutes. 

 At 7:30, we went back to my cabin to discuss the schedule for tomorrow. We all went to see the excellent illusionist on the World Stage at 8:30, but K left early to go to a scotch tasting.

The wind was very, very strong and there was rough sailing. I felt the rocking in the cabin, but I didn’t get seasick this time.

 

We have got to go back to Miniatur Wunderland someday and just spend hours there!