14 July 2014 Hamburg

22C Cool & Cloudy

Surprisingly we got a good night's sleep considering Germany won the World Cup, a few horns honking, some fireworks exploding and it seemed to be business as usual today.

We took the hop-on, hop-off bus this morning which had a commentary in English via ear phones. It was very comprehensive and we now know a lot more about Hamburg. We covered an extensive area some of which we had not reached on foot, but a lot that we had already seen. It’s always nice to be informed about what you are seeing and hear the occasional story about the history.

At the end of the tour we went to the old tunnel under the Elbe, there are a series of lifts that takes you to the tunnel, some are for passengers only and others for cars. These are used to transport the workers to the shipping sites on the docks. We took a passenger one down at both end but a car lift up at both ends. The view from the other side of the Elbe is very extensive from the Fish Markets to the Symphony Hall (currently under construction).

This afternoon we went to Miniature Wonderland. It was very busy (it is school holidays) but it was also very interesting. The display is on 3 levels and currently covers 1,300 sq metres, there are 930 trains operating throughout the display. The displays cover Switzerland, Austria, Middle Germany, Hamburg, Scandinavia, America and an airport which was very popular. The displays are under lights which dim to represent night and all the lights come on then sunrise and day. The aeroplanes take off and land at the airport – this is particularly well done and attracts huge crowds. The details are incredible and there are interactive buttons which brings the displays to life.