🇬🇧 David Wilding 🐾

Chilled out enough there, Bobby? 🤔🤣🐾

And that’s me home! It’s been a packed 3 days. Hopefully a chance to do something again soon, but in the meantime, hope this has been fun!

Night time in Hamburg!

A warmer day but even more ice on the Elbe!

And being a model railway, there are of course plenty of trains!

And of course the planes taxi, take off and land!

Miniatur Wunderland is also home to the amazing Flughafen Knuffingen - perfect mini airport!

The cars even race, with a great view here of the Nouvelle Chicana through to Swimming Pool

Saturday was cold and wet, so most of the day was spent in Miniatur Wunderland, the world’s largest model railway! It includes models of many countries and even the complete Monaco Grand Prix track!

And a ride on the ferry was fun! Those metallic clunks are the huge chunks of ice hitting the hull of the ferry!

Back to Hamburg, where it’s fair to say the weather was brisk! And yes, that’s ice on the River Elbe!

More views of the cathedral. Outside, a statue commemorates Otto Von Bismarck, first Chancellor of Germany. More portly than in other statues I’ve seen of him I have to say!

Magnificent Bremer Dom, dedicated to St Peter, dates back to Saxon times. Now Protestant, the dom began as a Catholic Church. The older part, now the crypt in the third pic, was built by Archbishop Adalbert after the Saxons sacked the church in 1064

More views of the classical Hanseatic heart of the city, with the Bremer Stadtmusikanten - the status features a donkey, dog, cat and rooster, who live in Bremen and become the town musicians, according to the Brothers Grimm fairytale published in 1819!

Bremer Markt, the heart of Hanseatic Bremen. Classic old trading building, with that “Dutch” appearence common in many Hanseatic trading ports, plus the Rathaus and the Bremer Roland, a statue symbolising freedom and trading rights

A short tram ride from Parkallee to the centre of Bremen. The statue is of Carl Wilhelm Kaisen, mayor of Bremen for 20 years from 1945, with Herdenstormühle, a windmill with origins as far back as 1699 nearby. This iteration of the mill dates from a 1898 rebuild

A murky day, but time to look around Bremen, starting with a walk in the park where Bunker 31 is located. A rare war survivor, the commander of Bremen’s defence based himself here until it fell to the British in April 1945

At the Hbf it’s onto the Metronom to Bremen

It’s a murky, slushy, cold start to Friday, and it’s a walk to the Hbf for some exploring…although due to weather disruption not quite where I’d planned!

Must be my inner terrier Bobby! I’m in Hamburg!

I don’t do resting and relaxing very well Bobby 🤦🏼‍♂️

And then a slow walk back down the Kleine Alster, past the Rathaus, and back to my hotel

Cites often look their best at night, and even in severe cold, Hamburg and the frozen Binnenalster look stunning

A pre dinner wander around, and drinkie!

Bit of a snowy mess in Hamburg too on arrival in to the majestic Hauptbahnhof

Snowy!

And off to Hamburg! Always enjoy riding an ICE, with a proper beer, in a proper glass!

Pre-train snackage!

And then, presumably because they originate from Hannover, a rather random shrine to the heavy rock band “The Scorpions”. I can feel the Winds of Change as I head for the S-Bahn, and they are cold!

The lounge was actually the Qantas Lounge which is one of my favourites! But I’m headed for Hannover and then Hamburg!