DAY 5
July 18, 2022 (Hamburg, GERMANY)
An Early Start
Last night when Michal (Michael) told the group that we had to be ready to leave at 7:30 there was a gasp and a scream, I’m not sure which was louder. This meant that we had to get up, get breakfast and be down in the lobby to board the bus at 7:30.
Despite the gasps, everyone was present and accounted for and everyone assisted in loading the luggage on the bus.
And off we went – heading 2 hours toward the dock to board a ‘ferry’ to cross the Baltic Sea to Germany, leaving behind a marvelous buffet breakfast that got rave reviews by the group.
FERRY RIDE ACROSS THE BALTIC SEA...
After two hours of highway driving with typical countryside scenery on each side of the bus, everyone was fast asleep an hour in. The snores could be heard from the back of the bus and one glimpse showed open mouths and heads leaning back – off to dreamland.
There were those, though, that got their pictures taken while they were asleep whether they liked it or not….thanks to our up and coming photographer…
As we got to the dock to board the ‘ferry’ we realized that it was a massive ship that had multiple floors which loaded cars, trucks and lorries that were transported back and forth from Germany to Denmark daily. We were amazed when the ferry arrived and we watched scores of vehicles coming off of the ship.
We climbed a mountain of stairs to get to the point where we got our tickets and lined up on the gangplank to wait on the boat to dock and went on board. We were the first on it seemed and managed to get the ideal seats by the store, and coffee/donut shop near the windows.
During the 45 minute boat ride we were free to move about and many checked out the duty-free shopping or got water, coffee and donuts.
We're In Germany!
Just like getting off of the Bo-Hengy in Spanish Wells, we stepped off of the boat and had to maneuver down 2 flights of stairs and an elevator with all of our luggage.
But thanks to the teamwork of the group, we loaded luggage into the elevator with a few people and had others waiting downstairs to take the luggage off.
Onto the bus we went and drove another 2 hours to the hotel –NH ALTONA. We got our luggage, went to our rooms and cam back down ready to go on a BOAT TOUR and DINNER.
THE UNFORGETTABLE BOAT RIDE...
We were told that this was a MUST SEE while in Hamburg – a boat ride where we would hear interesting facts and see buildings while on the lake. However, all of the talking by the boat guide was in German and we had to use our cell phones to attach to a particular WIFI and listen to the exact same dialogue in English. The WIFI was intermittent and didn’t match up with what we were seeing. The sun was also not very friendly to us. Many of us used our umbrellas to shade the sun. Oh did I mention that the boat had no top – but the breeze was refreshing and we went under a few bridges and saw several large buildings from the lake. Cross this one off the list of to-do’s for next time.
THE UNFORGETTABLE DINNER...
Ok no sarcasm here – this was an authentic German restaurant called Schiffer Borse.
The décor was stunning, and old with lots of German artifacts around and wooden walls and even chandeliers.
We started off with a shrimp soup which was creamy and very tasty with mini shrimp and dill.
Next, we had typical German Weinersnitzel (is that how it is spelled?) The meal consisted of two pieces of breaded veal with cranberry sauce, roasted potatoes and cucumber salad.
As if that wasn’t enough, the waiter brought out typical German Apple Strudel with ice cream and whipped cream.
Talk about a fantastic meal and excellent service. The table next to us gave it two thumbs up!
STAY TUNED FOR TOMORROW...
Day 5 is done and at the start of Day 6 on Tuesday morning, June 19, we head out at 8:30 towards Amsterdam in the Netherlands stopping in Bremen, Germany along the way.
