Wow, there are so many exciting things that have happened in the past few days that I’m not sure where to begin. I might save some text/pictures for a later post, but I’ll write about a few things while they’re still fresh in my mind.
Yesterday I went to the inner city of Hamburg to explore and see all the tourist sites. I set off from my room at 9 AM equipped with my camera filled with a 2 GB card, a good pair of walking shoes, and a desire for an adventure. I returned at 6:30 PM with a filled memory card, probably 10 miles added to my shoe mileage, and a good feeling of contentment. The day was full; at times, frustrating; and at the end, tiring; but I’m thankful for safety and a rainless day when I could do everything I wanted.
The day was full with the final count being: 7 Kirches (churches), 2 Hauses, and 1 (big) park. Even though walking was tiring and took a long time, it gave me the opportunity to be flexible in my adventure. I did a little bit of research on the city of Hamburg, but only enough to know that St. Micaheliskirche is the most famous church and I should stay way from the Reeperbahn at night. When I arrived in the city, I found a strategy that worked pretty well: look for anything that stands above the buildings and walk towards it. If you find anything interesting along the way, take a detour to explore. This plan worked out pretty well for me, since at the end of the day, I did most of the major sites in Hamburg. Signs like these helped out a lot too because then I knew what the major sites were around the city.
The first church I saw was St. Johannis, which is actually in Eppendorf. Sorry I don’t have a great picture, but I will return to this church for more pictures since it is very close.
Next was St. Petri. I think this might have been my favorite church for its high arching ceiling and beautiful lighting at the front of the room. I spent some time in the chapel room and found this beautiful illustrated Bible. It looked ancient, but I liked some of the pictures.
Then I went to the Rathaus, which is Hamburg’s beautiful town hall. This is the fountain that is in back of the Rathaus.
St. Jacobi was a church only about 500 m from St. Petri. They were very similar in structure, as you can see from the stained glass behind the candle. This is one of my more “artistic” shots.
Then I stopped by the Chilehaus, which is a group of buildings built in an older German architectural style. I’m not exactly sure what the historical significance of it is, but I know it is on some of the tourist lists of things to do. I can probably do some more reading on historical sites of Hamburg in the future.
St. Katharinen was not as well lit as the other churches. I’m not sure if that’s usual because I saw that they were doing some renovation on the outside of the steeple. When I entered, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the organ playing. I believe the organist was practicing, but it sounded beautifully. I enjoyed sitting on the pew and just listening to the organ playing in this beautiful old church.
St. Nikolai is a memorial for the victims of war and persecution. It was built on the site of a former 14th century church that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1842. The new building was built from 1845-1874, but was destroyed, like much of Hamburg, in World War 2 leaving the tower and outer walls. The ruin has been maintained as a monument against war. I liked seeing that the statue on the left has its title and caption in 8 different languages around the pedestal.
St. Michaelis took me awhile to find, considering it is supposed to be Hamburg’s most famous church. I was so determined to find it though, and was really disappointed to find out that it is under renovation. Here is the little part that was open to viewing. The rest of the church was blocked off with scaffolding. I guess this means I’ll have to visit Hamburg again when the church is open.
My next stop was the Reeperbahn. I was not planning on going to this street because it is known as the red light district in Hamburg, but it is also a tourist attraction. I was a little nervous, but I figured it was broad daylight and I would try to stay with large groups of people. When I got there, I saw that they were having a Harley Davidson showcase. That would explain the many motorcycles I had been seeing and hearing all around the city that day. Needless to say, I didn’t like the Reeperbahn or the showcase, so I got out of there as soon as I could. I still snapped a picture for proof that I was there and experienced all of Hamburg that I should have.
The last church was St. Ansgar. This was the smallest church and the sanctuary wasn’t fully open to visitors. I did go in as far as I could though and this was what the sanctuary looked like. It is very well lit but not as well known.
My favorite place for the day was Planten un Blomen. I thought the parks near my room were nice, but this park blew me away. It’s right on the edge of the inner city of Hamburg. A Hamburg fun fact: There was a moat surrounding the city before, but then it was destroyed. In an effort to conserve some of the water that remained, the city formed parks with water running through. So if you look at a map of Hamburg, you’ll notice that the green areas of the map kind of form a ring around the city. Planten un Blomen is beautiful. It’s like a large botanical garden that includes a rose garden, a Japanese tea garden, and a musikpavilion for performances. I hope that I can have a future post dedicated solely to Planten un Blomen.At times, the day was frustrating, especially because I did not have a map. I found myself walking in large circles sometimes, but I got a lot of exercise and saw sites that I would not have been able to see if I was just following a map. In the end, I kind of enjoyed traveling without a map. I don’t know if I’ll make it a regular habit, but when I have the time and energy, I can take the risk.
At the end of the day, I was very tired. I just came back to my room and lay on my bed for a few minutes because my feet were so sore. I had basically been on my feet for 8 hours, only sitting when I reached a church or found a scenic outlook bench. But it was a good-tired feeling and I’m glad I got to see so much of the city of Hamburg. I hope you are inspired to come visit me after you see all these pictures. I would love to share the city with you.
As you know, I’ve made it safely back after my adventure. Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for sufficient rest this week and budding friendships. I hope to have another post up shortly.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8
whoa, that picture of Plantem un Blomen looks so pretty!
ReplyDelete