Back To Hamburg

We completed our last day in Schleswig with a lengthy tour of the former duchy's castle, which doubles as a fine arts and interior design museum, equipped with a private stepped garden over many acres. My favorite portion of the castle included displays of lacquered, intricately carved dark wooden furniture of Baroque design. Dinner was at a tiny upscale restaurant in our small hotel, both enterprises run by a very well-organized, vocally efficient German married couple. Happily, the Frau was a gourmet cook, as this was a memorable meal, including the tastiest wiener schnitzel in memory.

A speedy train ride south returned us to the country's second largest city, Hamburg, a reunion with two additional former travel buddies, Karen and Mike Ruff, and the commencement of the formal portion of our commercial tour and river cruise. We've done a lot of sightseeing, by coach and boat, in this large harbor city. It was fun to get up close to container ships while on the water and observe the highly-mechanized transfer of large cargo. Another highlight was an afternoon spent at the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum, the reverse of Ellis Island. It was to this embarkation point in Hamburg (and a sister site in Bremerhaven) where most emigrants from across Europe traveled by foot to begin the sea journey to America. If you have an ancestor who was part of the wave of late 19th Century U.S. immigration, this is probably the soil they trod. 

For those wondering if any photos in this blog will actually include me, here's a glimpse of my adorable face in the rear-view mirror while driving our Mini Coop in Schleswig-Holstein.

Odds and Ends:

-- I'm convinced that Germany is a country without a Surgeon-General, or at least a viable anti-smoking lobby. Apparently everyone smokes, obnoxiously and voraciously, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. It doesn't seem to provide its citizens an added air of sophistication, as exhibited in France; in fact some seem downright angry at having to participate in the activity. And the presence of a low cloud of smoke in even the finer restaurants is often harder to take than the omnipresence of beloved leashed pets underfoot. But it's just part of the charm. 

-- Air France came through with an apology for missing my special meal, along with a bonus of 9,500 Delta Skymiles. Who says bureaucracy isn't attentive?

-- For a reason we can't fathom, food on display, either unprepared or cooked, looks and tastes more luscious in this country. Even hard boiled eggs contain a richer-colored yolk. Are the feed and agricultural products more natural? Why question?

-- Back in Lübeck, one of the first towns visited, we noticed several irregularities in the arrangement of paving stones in front of certain homes and private stores. Closer inspection revealed a phenomenon on display in cities throughout Germany known as "Golden Cobblestones." Sponsored by Jewish families throughout the country, these brass markers identify the precise locations where Jews were abducted and transported to concentration camps. Each plaque cites the individual's name, birthdate, suspected date of death and internment camp.


It's sobering to stop in front of a residence or business and imagine the personal dramas that took place here. Now that we know what the plaques represent, we seek them out and find these markers on sidewalks in every city we visit. 

Low water levels on the Elbe have altered our itinerary, allowing one additional day in Berlin (no complaints from this former resident), to which we are now motoring with our tour group. Then on to Wittenberg, and the cruise.