Altstadt & Binnenlaster (Hamburg Day 2)

After what was a good night's sleep - we all eventually left the apartment about 10:00am - a BIG change for us - leaving so late that is...

We walked over to Deichstrasse, one of the few streets in Hamburg that escaped major bombing during Operation Gomorrah (the name given to the operation that also destroyed Hannover). The buildings were lovely, but it was here that the Great Fire of Hamburg broke out in 1842, which destroyed almost all the city.

We continued along in the rainy weather (I've heard its very hot in Brisbane - perhaps we can give you a few degrees, and we can take some of yours???) to the ruins of St. Nikolai - which was almost totally destroyed in the war, and today stands as a memorial to all victims of war and violence, and especially the 35,000 who died in Operation Gomorrah in Hamburg alone.

 It was a pretty special museum, mostly curated with photos of the destruction, which meant we were able to appreciate the exhibition as well as anyone else. We then headed up a glass elevator that has been installed inside the ruined tower of the former church for a view of the city, and despite the rain, we were able to get a pretty good impression of the city. Back down the tower, we headed to Kontorhausviertel, where many old office buildings still reman, most notably Chilehaus, the design of which was inspired by the prow of a ship.

We then weaved through the streets of the Altstadt (which wasn't very old - as it had been all bombed), past St. Jacobi and St. Petri, to the Rathaus. Hamburg's Rathaus is pretty awe-inspiring, and its dimensions are MASSIVE. It's a pretty special building, with a wide open square in front of it, and sitting next to one of the canals that then open to the Binnenlaster (Inner Lake).

Some of us were getting pretty hungry, so we stopped in at the Alsterarkaden for lunch at one of the numerous cafes along Neuer Wall. 

After lunch, a little light shopping was then followed by us finding a cinema which showed ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILMS on Jungfernsteig, the street that opens onto the Binnenlaster. And our afternoon was set from then on. We saw the Ides of March - while Emily (who had already seen it) went back to the hotel for a bit of me-time. Mum, Annabelle and I walked back to the hotel, before having dinner in the room. It's been nice not having to go out every single night of the week.

(P.S. - I should have said this earlier - but I do need to acknowledge the wonderful photographic efforts of Mum and Emily. Many of the photos published have been theirs - I hope you're enjoying looking at them as much as we are taking them!!!)