A VISIT TO HAMBURG

Sunday, September 14, 1997 Lubeck, Germany

Up and going to breakfast by 8 am. We had soft boiled eggs with breakfast and managed to make our little purse sandwiches on the side. Drove to Hamburg where we purchased cokes to go with our sandwiches. Then into town to visit some of the highlights per the travel books. Visited three churches….

St. Nikolaikirche: Built during the 19^th Century this church stands as a monument to those persecuted and killed during the Nazi era. Only the towering bell tower and the shell of the church’s core remain. Bells have been installed in the tower that ring on the quarter hour.

Katherinenkirche: A Lutheran church. Nice bell towers but nothing too special. It was heavily damaged during 1942 and has been rebuilt.

Hauptkirche St. Michaelis: The premier church of Hamburg. It is capped by the largest clock tower in Germany. It has been rebuilt 3 times, the last time after 1942 air raids. We paid 2 DM each for a ride in an elevator to the viewing platform for a spectacular view of the entire city. This is a port city for the North Sea. It was raining and cold but worth the trip up for the view. Wet and cold, we hurried back to the car and headed towards Lübeck; our northern most point of the trip.

Arrived in Lübeck about 4 pm. Checked into our hotel and tried to connect to AOL. No success…tried a second room and even from the clerk’s desk. Must have the wrong access number. Grabbed our umbrella’s and set out to inspect the city. First stop was at a street vendor to buy a second umbrella for Shari. Then we went to J. G. Niederegger…a candy store that specializes in Marzipan. We bought a box each and decided that it wasn’t very special; but did enjoy them for dessert.

Second stop was at Marienkirche. Heavily damaged during the war and rebuilt they had photos of the damage. Several large organs were installed and a small Astronomical Clock. It was a very impressive church. The bells that fell during WW II were embedded into the floor and remain there to this day.

Outside it was raining even harder and we were glad that Shari purchased an umbrella so that now we each had our own. Walked over to St. Jocab’s…not nearly as impressive as Marienkirche. Back to the rain as we proceed to walk back to a Pizza place next to the hotel. There we enjoyed a very good pizza dinner and stories of Shari’s experiences with the more sensitive side of life and their Hallmark Store in Whittier. Now we know what it means if she says that “Frank is in the store”! (It meant that they were having a problem with a shopper! Possibly a shoplifter!)

Back at the hotel we gave AOL another try with no success and then made two telephone call. Wendy said everyone was fine but that she didn’t think that any work was being done at the house. Also said that they are expecting rain and would check on things as the dishwasher was still outside on Friday night. And life goes on!