After the early night before, we each awoke at different times, and headed down to breakfast separately. It was nice to have a little bit of alone time each - and I think that it is important when on holidays together with the “fam bam” that you do have that little bit of alone time.
We were able to enjoy the morning in Bremen, and had a little stroll up the Botterchstrasse, an old street that has today been transformed into a home for shops that make their own wares.
Annabelle had a lovely time at the tea store, and purchased two “Bremen” teas, a “Candlelight” tea, and a “Ladies” tea, as well as a teaspoon. She also told them about T2 back home, which they seem bewildered about - believing that most Australians drank coffee! 
Bremen is home to the UNESCO World Heritage listed Town Hall and Statue of Roland, and this was another site that Mum was able to tick off on her list.
We were able to take part in a tour of the Town Hall, and while there were many stories about it - the one that I remember most vividly was that during World War II, the townsfolk, who loved their Town Hall, built enormous wooden walls around the building, filled the “box” up with sand, and then stationed guards around it, so that the building would not be damaged by artillery fire or bombing. This clearly echoed what had been done to Charlemagne’s chair at the Pfalz in Aachen.
We were able to take part in a tour of the Town Hall, and while there were many stories about it - the one that I remember most vividly was that during World War II, the townsfolk, who loved their Town Hall, built enormous wooden walls around the building, filled the “box” up with sand, and then stationed guards around it, so that the building would not be damaged by artillery fire or bombing. This clearly echoed what had been done to Charlemagne’s chair at the Pfalz in Aachen. 
Another story that the townsfolk of Bremen are proud of is the story of the “Four Bremen Musicians” - a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster that all stand on top of each other (Make up your own mind as to which of us is the donkey, dog, cat or rooster - I'm not sure any of them are particularly flattering). A tale by the Brothers Grimm, it mostly involved a bunch of hungry animals that head off on an adventure to Bremen to get fed, but end up finding a house full of food along the way, and so they just stay there. I’m still not quite sure why the townsfolk are so proud of this story, as the animals never even make it to Bremen, but a lot was said in the tale about how there was “food in Bremen for all” - so perhaps Bremen represents a sense of prosperity.
This was certainly evident in the sense that he townsfolk have for independence. Part of the Hanseatic League, a loose confederation of city states that included Lubeck and Hamburg, the league was mainly based around the trading of spices, and Bremen was one of the richest of those city-states in the Hanseatic League. As such, Bremen was never ruled by the nobility or by the church, a tradition it remains to this day. Oh - and for the beer lovers out there - Bremen is the home of Becks...just thought I'd throw that in there...
We headed to a nearby market to find some food for breakfast tomorrow morning, mainly cheese, hams and some berries, then enjoyed lunch at a cafe, where Emily bought some “mushroom inspired biscuits” (not sure what that’s about…) We then set off for Hamburg, and arrived in Hamburg late in the evening, and checked into the hotel, and Emily and I were delighted to hear about the free internet, and Mum about the full laundry available on our floor. I wonder who picked such a great choice of hotel?!?!
In an effort to find something for dinner (we’re a little over eating out every single night) Mum and I set off to find a local supermarket, and I’ve been instructed to write about this “food experience” in the blog for today. Basically, there was a lot of cured meats, a LOT of canned sausages, and EVEN MORE types of alcohol available. The one meal that mum had chosen - chicken curry - was not going to work for two reasons. One - we couldn’t find any curry paste/sauce, and two - which we found out later - that just because the packet says “brustfillet” it does not mean it’s chicken. It was turkey. So we had turkey covered in creme fraiche and some sort of curry powder - which was actually a fairly large culinary achievement considering we don’t speak German, and we didn’t cook sausages or just eat cured meat.
We settled in for an early night. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!!
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