So had to wake up at stoopid o'clock this morning so I could get to Hamburg by lunch time. So up, ready, out the door and at the station by 6:30. Three trains and six hours later and I'm in Hamburg (and I'm well over half way through my book).
Zollkanal and Hautpkirche St Katharinen
View down a canal in Hamburg
Couldn't check in yet, so dumped my suitcase and walked down to Miniatur Wunderland!!
I saw this on the internet some time last year, and added a night in Hamburg to my trip just so I could see it. It's incredible!! The dioramas are of Hamburg and Germany, Austria/Switzerland, Scandanavia and the Americas. Most of the fun of the show is looking closely at the figures to find them doing funny (or rude) stuff. There's action going on everywhere. It's just amazing. I got there just after 1:30pm and stayed til nearly closing time (5:45pm). The crowds were starting to thin out by 3:30 and it was pretty empty by 4:30, so afternoon is definitely the time to go.
The biggest trouble I had was finding the entrance and actually getting in. The Hamburg Dungeon is right next door and gets all the big signage. The Miniatur Wunderland just a portable sign by a door further along the building. I wasn't sure if I was going in the exit (and it's up a few flights of stairs - next time - catch the lift up!). There's not a word in English so I wasn't sure if the line I was getting into was for people with or without tickets. There was only one line though, and it was all a big mess. Even when you got your ticket you're in the middle of the shop that's selling stuff and that's where the exit is too. It was just chaos. This is pretty abysmal for Germans who are usually so much more organised at that sort of thing.
Miniatur Wunderland
Amusement park scene
Amusement park scene by night
Miniatur Wunderland
Mountain scene
Lowenbrau cart
Station by night
Station by day
Railway evelvator spiral
Mountain scene
Spiral car parking garage
Airport scene
Airport scene by night
Airport scene
Airport scene by night
Air show scene
Neuschwanstein castle
Alps festival scene by night
Miniatur Wunderland
Bank robbery scene
Miniatur Wunderland
Festival by night
Festival scene
Portaloos at the festival
Stork nest in a chimney
Elephant road construction
Castle in a river
Oh noes! The cheese wheels!
Church
Palace scene
Castle scene
Cuckoo clock building
German pub scene
ICE train on a bridge
Miniatur Wunderland by night
Hamburg canals
Church
Las Vegas scene by night
Americas scene
Americas scene
Bridge
The Shell House in Denmark
Train control room
Miniatur Wunderland building
Anyway, so after that I just wandered up through the city, passing St Nikolai's (which is being renovated - don't know what the view will be like) and the Rathaus and Binnenalster.
Northern end of the Rathaus
Alsterfontane fountain and ICE train on Lombardsbrucke in Binnenalster
Hauptbahnhof
Went through the station, and looked for local beer and/or hamburgers for dinner. No local beers, but did find a hamburger (patty), but it was pretty dry.
Finally back to the hotel and checked in. This is a nice hotel from what I've seen so far, pity I only have the one night!
My room at the Eden Hotel
Distance covered on the GPS: 487.5 km (a bit more than this but the GPS kept dropping out on the last train :( )
Steps walked: 12415
Photos on the Canon: 421
Photos on the Sony: 71
Videos: 23
EUR Spent: ?