Hamburg - Day 1 - September 4-5, 2014

Finally the day has arrived that we leave for our Legend of the Seas Transatlantic cruise starting in Hamburg, Germany. Since our flight wasn't until 5:30 we thought it would be a good idea to stop for lunch at one of our favorite Portugese restaurants in Elizabeth....Valencia. Airplane food leaves much to be desired and far be it from us to take a chance on being hungry!

The whole seabass was delicious, but I didn't like the way he was looking at me! :)) After lunch we dropped the car off at the Crown Plaza Hotel where it will stay for the 3 weeks we are gone. Our 8 hour flight was fine, but long. Arrived in Hamburg 7:30 AM, picked up our luggage and picked up the next train that would take us to the Central Station. EU3 each rather than a hefty cab fare. The Hotel Senator was located just a few blocks from the station. Not a bad location. Our room wasn't ready so we decided to have some breakfast in the hotel and head out to pick up a bus tour for a couple of hours. Weather much warmer than we expected. 78 degrees and sunny today. Not bad, but a little warm at the top of a double decker bus! We were exhausted after being awake about 27 hours. No sleep on the plane.
Hamburg, Germany's second largest city and home to 1,8 million people, is located in the North of the country.
With a harbor, interconnecting waterways, and hundreds of canals, Hamburg has more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined, all adding up a to a great city with lots of maritime charm.
Hamburg’s 800-year-old harbor, one of the largest ports in the world, was the starting point for many life-changing journeys: Between 1850 and 1939, more than 5 million people from all over Europe emigrated from Hamburg to the New World.

The Hamburg Central Train Station

The City Hall (above) is called the Rathaus. Rathaus: The Neo-Renaissance City Hall, built between 1886 and 1897, houses some 647 rooms with varying decorative styles and serves as the administrative center for the State of Hamburg. It's open daily at widely varying hours with English language tours beginning hourly at 10:15 a.m. It also houses a Rathauswienkeller (city hall wine cellar), which is open to the public. The square out front is used for civic event and festivals. (U-Bahn Rathaus)
Of course we had to go to the Hofbrau House for an early dinner. The music wouldn't start till later in the evening, so it was somewhat quiet. We enjoyed some nice conversation with 2 attorneys that were at the table next to us. Very friendly and very helpful. They insisted we get this photo with our waiter.

Hamburg, Germany's foremost port and one of its most handsome cities, may also be one of Europe's most underrated destinations. Many Americans -- and even Europeans -- have yet to discover its charms, including its beautiful situation on the banks of the River Elbe and around the Alster lake, the loveliness of its mostly traditional architecture, its premier museums, and its long history and association with the powerful Hanseatic League. The city is also more sophisticated and walkable than Germany's capital, Berlin, a huge plus for visitors.
Founded back in 800 by Charlemagne, the city initially took off as a trading center, given its proximity to the rest of Northern Europe and its location on the Elbe River, which links the North Sea to inland Europe. While Hamburg was largely destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War, much of it was rebuilt in the traditional style, resulting in a powerful sense of continuity with the past. Few intrusive modern structures upset the skyline, so the churches and the lovely Rathaus (City Hall) dominate the cityscape. The notable exception is HafenCity, a separate district of brand-new housing, offices and cultural centers.
Today, Hamburg is a thriving north German city of just fewer than two million people with the surrounding districts doubling the population. The city thrives on its port, shipyards and international trade, and it's also a media and civil aerospace center. Not surprisingly, water is a key element in Hamburg life. The Elbe passes through the city, splitting into waterways that meander, canal-like, between handsome, brick, Victorian-era former warehouses that now serve as offices, residences and museums. Hamburg's lakes -- the Binnenalster (Inner Alster) and much larger Aussenalster (Outer Alster) -- form centerpieces for the city center and its transition to the close-in residential suburbs. Parallel canals and narrow streets link the Alster and the Elbe's wide expanses. For the tourist, it's a delight to follow them.
The city has oodles of individual sights relating to its maritime heritage: excellent museums, historic ships, architectural landmarks and a church tower viewpoint. Visitors can take simple pleasure in walking the grand Elbe River promenade, the canal paths in the Speicherstadt (Warehouse District) and the lakeside footpaths. Day cruises are a popular pastime, with numerous boat operators departing from the Landungsbrucken pier to cruise the Elbe River and from Jungfernsteig for Alster trips.
Hamburg's visitors are mostly Germans and other Europeans, and most of the cruise calls are by ships carrying German-speaking passengers. However, some lines catering to North Americans are finding their way there. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 is the city's favorite caller, and one million people routinely turn out along the banks of the Elbe to see her arrive from the North Sea. Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Hurtigrutren and Ponant Cruises have followed.

The Hotel Senator was centrally located and we were able to walk everywhere! Wonderful.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to the Harbor Cruise. We don't board our ship until Sunday, September 7th, so we'll have a little more time to enjoy this interesting City.

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