…and I am told that being on a train that runs late in Germany is a rare thing… and I was on two of them!
Friday night last week saw me flying out of British Airway’s new Terminal 5 at Heathrow. The baggage problems and massive delays are a thing of the past. Now that it is working properly the terminal is a breeze. No queues, open space and helpful people (is it really in Britain???). Even my return trip via Terminal 5B – the satellite terminal across the tarmac - was easy, even using the ‘Transport’ – a driverless train - back to the main terminal. It’s all very ‘Blade Runner’, right down to the polite and slightly metallic, female voice used for announcements.
Germany on the other hand was not nearly as ‘Blade Runner’ as I expected. Hamburg is a very pretty and vibrant city. It is growing at an enormously fast rate. The new harbour city area is a forest of cranes with residential and office buildings rising from the old docks. Across the river the port of Hamburg has a matching forest of cranes disappearing into the distance, lifting containers off huge ships.
My host for the weekend, Sabine, showed me around the city. We walked for most of the morning along the riverfront, took a ferry up the river and back and then spent the afternoon walking around the old city. There is plenty in Hamburg to fill in a weeks worth of exploring and I think we managed to see most of it in a day!
My final day in Germany was a tad less hectic. Sabine took me to a small town about 30 minutes from Hamburg. Luneburg is a medieval salt mining town and has remained relatively unchanged since its economic peak in the 16th and 17th centuries. The main square is lined with gabled merchants houses with fancy brickwork that don’t look like they have changed, ever.
Luneburg was followed by a commute to the airport and a flight back to my real life here in London. Thankfully the trip home was quick and at least Terminal 5 works now!
1 comment:
Your account of a short stay in Germany was very jealously enjoyed!! Looks a marvellous place for us to visit in the future judging by the photos we've seen so far. We're very keen to see the other 300 + you've taken!
Post a Comment