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Bicycle Tour Adventure #39: Germany, Day 1

Pictures and Stories About Bicycle Tour Adventures

Berlin: Check Point Charlie Berlin: Brandenburg Tor (Gate) Lana, Italy: Ray and Letizia, our friends in South Tyrol Schloss Neuschwanstein Dennis and Terry Struck on Schwan Lake with Schloss Neuschwanstein in the background


Flag of Germany

Deutschland - Germany
Hamburg, Berlin, Munich/München,
Rhine, Bavaria; Austrian Alps (passage);
Schwangau; Lana, South Tyrol (Alto Adige - Italy);
Irgendein Fahrrad (some bicycle), September-Oktober, 2011

 Flag of West Germany Government

Flag of Communist/East Germany

-- Itinerary --

- Arrive at Hamburg, Conference/Tour for 5 Days
- Auto Travel from Lübeck on North Shore,
  thence East Side through Berlin, 4 Days
- Naumburg: Wine Castles, 2 Days (1 Bike Day)
- Rothenburg on the Tauber, 1 Day
- Auto through Austria to South Tyrol (Alto Adige),
  4 Days (Bike 3 Days)
- Munich/München, 1 Day
- Auto to Frankfurt via Rhine and Black Forest, 1 Day
- Denver


Enroute: Newark, NJ;
Hamburg: Arrival und City Walk Tour
We are viewing (north) the progress of the replacement tower for the 9/11 felled tower(s). Urinal with an etched fly.
Above Left: We passed through Newark, NJ, on the way to Hamburg from Denver. We had the pleasure of landing in a manner where we saw the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty. This picture is from the Terminal at Newark and we are viewing (north, into NY City) the progress of the replacement tower for the 9/11 felled tower(s).

Above Right: OK, maybe this image does not belong here but how many times does a person get to see a urinal with an etched fly picture? This is the Hamburg Airport Terminal Baggage Area Toilet area and by placing the fly there, the cleanup job of the workers suddenly became a lot less time consuming - Dennis thinks this is brilliant.

Hamburg: Alster-Hof, our hotel room for the next few days. Hamburg's Alster-Hof stair case.
Above Left: Alster-Hof Our hotel room for the next few days. Note the single bed frame with two twin beds and separate twin covers - This is classic Germanic/Teutonic hostelry and it extends from Germany through Austria to Hungary (and perhaps into the eastern European lands). The room does have an 18" wide closet (many have nothing), but we are storing travel gear mainly into drawer space and living out of an open main bag (like many places). Terry's conference clothing must be hung, Dennis' clothing not so much an issue. The shiny aluminum cases with reflector tape contain our tandem bicycle.

We spend the first few days being exhausted by 1900-2000 and sleeping but we wake at 0200-0300 and are reading for a few hours (or pounding out xhtml text/code).

Above Right: Alster-Hof stair case.

Hamburg: Soldiers memorial. Childhood home of Johannes Brahms (1806-1872).
Above Left: Soldier's memorial. There is nothing that glamorizes war here. I and my peers (former Military, not all USA) all appreciate a memorial to soldiers who have served with their lives for their country. About 10 blocks down the road, we see where Napoleon's (French) Army damaged an old church; a longer time ago - in time, these things seem to ebb and flow. I don't think of myself as a soldier, but I did serve (link to old service pictures).

This is the only WWII service memorial that we ever see in Germany, it just happens to be within 200 yards/meters of our hotel, on the way to the conference center.

Above Right: This is the childhood home of Johannes Brahms (1806-1872) and the little sign on the right is a Brahms Museum sign. The street is called Peter Street in English, but see the next picture for details. There is now an academy up the street as well as a popular concert hall. He is buried in Vienna (Wien).

Pronounced Peter Strasza in English. An archway on the Blooming Plant trail.
Above Left: This street, of Johannes Brahms' childhood home, is pronounced Peter Strasza in English (but it spelled with a German 'SZ Sharp' Ligature Character which looks like an English Character's Capital 'B' [html code: &#223; or &szlig;] which looks like ß - Peterstraße). Dennis is starting to get good at coding characters beyond his English Language Key-Board (but it takes added time). See Dennis' White Paper on XHTML Special Character Coding, a handout from his Professor Days at CTU.

Above Right: An archway on the Blooming Plant trail that parallels our walk (from the #1 Ring's North Side to now, the West Side) - We don't know the meaning.

St Nikoli's Anti-War Memorial. Two remaining wood structure homes.
Above Left: We're on the south side of the #1 Ring and looking north (toward the town center). It is a gothic styled church steeple/tower. It is black and it feels wrong - something is not right. My actual first thought is Stephen King's Dark Tower - It is about a mile away (2 km). I'm not kidding, that monolith gives off bad vibes. More Later, I'm right.

Above Right: Most big cities have big fires over time. In fact, until the 1900's fires seemed to occur every 100 years in some major segment of most cities. In the center of this block, on the left hand side, are the only two remaining wood structure homes of their time period. We're on the south side of the #1 ring, looking south.

Hamburg: Saint Michaelis Church. Hamburg: Saint Michaelis Church.
Above: This is the Saint Michaelis Church. It is now a church of brick construction and it has been rebuilt a few times; it was first built in 1751-2. The base, now under ground, is of stone block. The church has a basement/crypt and some famous citizens are buried there. I think that I read that allied bombing took out a section of the church during WWII but further reading indicated that even Napoleon's Army had damaged the church (details not written). The church has suffered fires, bad winds, and wars; it just seems like it gets rebuild every 50-100 years.

We got to climb many many short steep steps of the bell tower in order to take a look around the city.

The Following Pictures are composites from Saint Michaelis' Cupola.
Saint Michaelis' Cupola's view to the northwest.
Above: Saint Michaelis' Cupola's view to the northwest.

Saint Michaelis' Cupola's view to the southwest.
Above: Saint Michaelis' Cupola's view to the southwest.

Saint Michaelis' Cupola's view from northeast to southeast.
Above: Saint Michaelis' Cupola's view from northeast to southeast.

As high as we were allowed. Hamburg: Saint Michaelis Church - Martin Luther statue.

Above Left: This was as far as we were allowed to climb.

Above Right: At the base of Saint Michaelis Church is a statue of Martin Luther (so not a Catholic Church). I'm thinking of how brave Martin Luther had to be to do what he did at that time. Just think, he had the audacity to tell the Catholic Church that its policies and teachings were off course.

One of the twin organs of Saint Michaelis Church. One of the twin organs of Saint Michaelis Church.
Above: The twin organs of Saint Michaelis Church. The organs are, of course, magnificent.

The main hall of Saint Michaelis Church. High School kids having fun with their teacher.
Above Left: The main hall of Saint Michaelis Church, we're facing east (of course).

Above Right: High School kids having fun with their teacher.

Angel of Wrath. Our very first German Meal: Bratwurst and Brot (bread).
Above Left: Angel of Wrath (St Michael's).

Above Right: Our very first German Meal: Bratwurst and Brot (bread). The bread is just an accoutrement; the Brat is eaten by hand (not eaten like an American Hot Dog). We are directly across the street from Saint Michaelis' Church. We will have salad later tonight - this is a good filler for people who are walking miles.

nautical looking building. bullet proof Ping-Pong table.
Above Left: We walk due south and see this very nautical looking building but we never learn what it is. An Elbe River channel is just out of view. Hamburg has a huge sea port, perhaps only second in size in Europe, following Amsterdam (it is the largest seaport in Germany).

BTW, we are following a recommended walk from a Lonely Planet Germany guide book and note that Dennis has a way of going off the beaten path and discovering unusual places, people, events, or objects - such is life.

Above Right: This bullet proof Ping-Pong table was sitting in a park. It has a concrete surface and a stainless steel net. It is not going anywhere nor is it going to corrode. We will observe many metal finishes of stainless steel in Hamburg. The people certainly have a quality minded 'Do it Right, the First Time' attitude here.

Hermes or Mercury. Ship Warehouse District.
Above Left: Hermes or Mercury.

Above Right: Our first view of the Ship Warehouse District. Later we will learn the Hamburg has more waterways and bridges than Amsterdam and Venice together. The Hamburger's (people of Hamburg) are subtle about indicating that their city is well engineered and not sinking.

More canals and warehouses. More canals and warehouses.
Above: More canals and warehouses.

Decorations on the foot path of a bridge crossing. the port of Hamburg.
Above Left: Decorations on the foot path of a bridge crossing.

Above Right: A view to the west and a peek at the ocean going ships in the harbor (noting that the port of Hamburg is generally a weather protected port about 100 kilometers inland on the deep water Elbe River). More harbor pictures later.

One of the few remaining homes of well off Ship Captains. A north-east view up a river channel.
Above Left: One of the few remaining homes of well off Ship Captains, now a commercial shop.

Above Right: A north-east view up a river channel. There are remarkably few private boats in this area.

walking north ward toward. Another view of the dark tower.
Above Left: We are now walking north ward toward the main city plaza (maybe 3 K yet).

Above Right: Another view of The Dark Tower - more info to come.

The remains of Saint Nikoli Church.
Above: The remains of Saint Nikoli Church.

This is all that remains of the church after a WWII firestorm bombing by the Allies in 1943. The church has become an anti-war symbol to all Germans. There are many little posters and signs about with anti war messages. A person can ride a working lift to the top of the tower and there is, apparently a magnificent view, but the place just gave us a bad feeling, so we did not stay very long.

This photograph is a three photo composite, taken at the base of the church steeple while standing inside the former main hall of the church.

This is the oldest working bridge in Hamburg. First Arch Bishop Ansgar, founder of <i>Alstadt</i>.
Above Left: We're walking north, generally. This is the oldest working bridge in Hamburg.

Above Right: On this bridge (Trostbrücke), there is a statue of a religious figure (first Arch Bishop Ansgar, founder of Alstadt, the Old City) on one side of center and a royal on the other side (see next image). BTW, almost all boat covers have this same curve angle on their roof line.

The Royal, Count Adof III (founder of <i>Neustadt</i>, New City). The symbol at the top of the stock exchange pole.
Above Left: The Royal, Count Adof III (founder of Neustadt, New City), from the previous statement - so the Bridge (brücke) connects the old city and the new city and has the founding father represented on each side of the bridge for their respective cities.

Above Right: The symbol at the top of the stock exchange pole (it was mainly about the shipping trade).

The former Hamburg Stock Exchange.
Above: The former Hamburg Stock Exchange (now a meeting place of the Chamber of Commerce) and present Rathaus. The former exchange was centered on the shipping trade. This is a huge plaza and somehow we don't have a general picture of it. This is the town center, shops spend extra money to be located in this area, this area serves as a bus and subway hub, and the main train station (Hauptbonhauf) is about a kilometer away.

Rathaus means meeting place of thinkers or idea solvers (like the word congress) and in English it is pronounced more like Roth-Haus, quick with no accent and the Germans quickly tire of the American styled pronunciation. Notice the South Korean Flag, some sort of trade agreement was occurring during our visit.

This lady is performing (as a statue) on the plaza. The Main Mall, the Newer Wall (Neuer Wall) is across the water way.
Above Left: This lady is performing (as a statue) on the plaza. Terry and I dropped an Euro in her donation cup and we got a very subtle wink and silent 'Danke' mouthing from her.

Above Right: The Main Mall, the Newer Wall (Neuer Wall) is across the water way on the other side of the plaza (Rathausmarkt): Cafés on this side, Brand Stores on the other side.

Heiße Schokolade und Milch Kafé. A northwest view over Alter River.
Above Left: Heiße Schokolade und Milch Kafé on the mall - a joyful rest break.

Above Right: A northwest view over Alter River; Mall on the left, very pricy Hof's on the right.

A south view from the Mall of the Plaza and the Old Stock Exchange. interesting looking building design.
Above Left: A south view from the Mall of the Plaza and the Old Stock Exchange.

Above Right: We're walking east; here is an interesting looking building design.

An Apotheke (Apothecary or Pharmacy). It is pronounced exactly like it is spelled.
Above Left: An Apotheke (Apothecary or Pharmacy). The big red 'A' is just as common as the green cross.

Above Right: It is pronounced exactly like it is spelled (It means Small-Kitchen-Bakery).

The <b>Hauptbonhauf Train Station</b>.
Above: The Hauptbonhauf Train Station on the east side of Hamburg. One of the trains is called the Berliner, gee, I wonder where that goes?

A view of Lake Alster (this segment ist called Binnenalster).
Above: A west looking view of Lake Alster (this water section ist called Binnenalster). The clock tower on the far left is the Old Stock Exchange's clock tower.

The Official Flag and Emblem of the City of Hamburg. A variation of the Hamburg Flag.
Above Left: The Official Flag and Emblem of the City of Hamburg.
BTW, the next city to the west is called Saint Pauli and it's unofficial symbol is the Skull and Bones of a Pirate (more pics later), so guess what the kids like to wear?

Above Right: A variation of the Hamburg Flag theme.

End of Day Walk - Start of Evening Dinner Stroll
A Communication Tower. My Bus Stop.
Above Left: A Communication Tower: As in all of Europe, all communication relays and antennas are mounted on one joint use tower - It is a cleaner and more elegant solution than the Mumbo-Jumbo placement of multiple individual towers (like in the USA). In addition, the European towers do not have all those arrayed and splayed guy lines (like in the USA) - said an ex-pilot.

Above Right: My Bus Stop: The 'H' means Haltestelle (Bus Stop). The other transportation options are 'S' - Subway (or something like that) and 'U' - Underground [Untertage]). In a day or two I will have this sign and route memorized (also there is a underground train ['U'] diagonally across the street and a minor feeder train station about a block away - this is all good). By the way, Bus Tickets (including multi day tickets) can be purchased from the driver. Train tickets are bought in electronic kiosks at almost each station, certainly at all of the well populated stations. We were never once bothered to show our tickets.

Landungs-Brucken. A view south.
Above Left: Landungs-Brucken (Brucken means Bridge). This is a city wharf area and we are looking for a restaurant. [See the Red Hamburg Flag]

Above Right: A view south: ship yards across from various water taxis.

A three masted 'steel sider'. This is a Water Taxi.
Above Left: A northeast view up the wharf: A three masted 'steel sider'.

Above Right: A walk downstream on the wharf. This is a Water Taxi (and the Lion King is one hot theater act right now, along with Sister Act and Tarzan).

A view, further down the wharf. This is the before-during-after dinner drink.
Above Left: A view, further down the wharf.

Above Right: We had a seafood dinner (lobster soup and a salad with fish pieces). This is the before-during-after dinner drink.

n evening view of Lake Alster.
Above: An evening view of Lake Alster. BTW, Hof means Hotel and our hotel is called Alsterhof.

This is the Hotel Alster HOF's 'Bucket Boy': Light ON, Light OFF. This is the Hotel Alster HOF's 'Bucket Boy': Light ON, Light OFF.
Above: Hummel made these plain red 'Bucket Boy' statues for Hamburg and distributed them to various key locations in town (I don't know the details), but each sponsoring location/business has decorated the statue in their own humorous manner. This is the Hotel Alster HOF's 'Bucket Boy': Light ON, Light OFF.


We've been up 36 hours now ...
Gütten Nacht.

Dennis Struck, Terry Struck, bike, bicycle, bicycle trip, bicycle tour, bicycle travel, Bicycle Touring Pictures, Bicycle tour, travel log, travelogue, bicycle stories, bicycle tour pictures, bicycle tour photos, bicycle tour images, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Bavaria, Lana, Meran, Merano, Bozen, Bolzano, Schwanga, Füssen, Füssen, Fussen, Neuschwanstein Castle, Hohenschwangau Castle, Via Claudia Augusta, Germany, DE, IT, Italy, Frankfurt, South Tryrol, Alto Atige, München, Munchen, Müchen Munich, Rhine, Wine, Black Forest, Alto Adige, Reeperbahn, Tyrol Annexation Victory Monument, BAS Resistance/Freedom Movement, Benito Mussolini, Alps, Northern Italy; Sep-Oct, 2011

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