After a perfectly normal week, this weekend was absolutely extraordinary. Gommar, a fellow counselor from Camp Luther this past summer, is studying abroad in Finland this semester. She took a vacation to visit me and experience as much of Germany as I could show her in a long weekend!
Gommar's flight arrived late Thursday night, so we just went straight back to my apartment to rest up for a big day on Friday. In the morning, after a pastry from the Lüneburg train station bakery for breakfast, we boarded the train for Hamburg. Remembering to buy train tickets for Gommar made me appreciate what a blessing my Leuphana Universität student ID is!
We followed the route in my Daytrips book to the Rathaus (Town Hall). Because parliament was in session, no tours were offered, but we still stepped inside the entrance hall (above). We wandered through the Rathaus courtyard and past the Börse (Stock Exchange) to the Mahnmal St. Nikolai. Our route was backtracking along my USAC-led tour a few months ago.
A stroll down Deichstrasse, a street lined with restaurants and shops housed in former merchants' houses, and through the old harbor district brought us to the Michaeliskirche (St. Michael's Church). Famous for its unusual sanctuary layout and unique pulpit, "Michel" also boasts a 434-foot-tall spire, the largest clock tower in Germany. At the top is an observation platform, offering an excellent panoramic view of Hamburg and its harbor. Originally constructed in 1647, Michel was damaged multiple times by fire (most-notably in 1906) or war (all but the tower was leveled during WWII), but its design has changed very little through the centuries of reconstruction.
A short walk back to the harbor brought us to the St.-Pauli Landungsbrucken (below), the main terminal for harbor or city tours (with a boat or bus, respectively). We stopped for lunch at a small stand, and Gommar tried currywurst for the first time. Although one would expect it to be spicy, currywurst is actually almost sweet. A sausage covered in curry ketchup and curry powder, served with a small hard roll, currywurst is a classic German treat.
We walked back along the Reeperbahn, through the infamous St. Pauli district, before entering Planten un Blomen (Plants and Flowers, old Hamburg dialect), home to beautiful waning fall colors. We took a detour to see the Justizgebäude (historic buildings home to the legal court system) before catching the train back to Lüneburg.
In Lüneburg, we visited the three churches (St. Johannis, St. Michaelis, and St. Nikolai), and saw most of the historic center as we walked between them. I was able to remember quite a bit of the city's history from earlier tours and presentations, so I think Gommar got a good sense of the city in the little time we had before night fell. As evening approached, we climbed the Kalkberg for a view of Lüneburg through the fall leaves.
Dinner was Krosse Bratkartoffeln at Krone. I was very happy to order the traditional (and delicious) dish for both of us. After good conversation and Bundesliga soccer at Mäxx, my favorite Lüneburg sports bar, we called it a night, looking forward to another great day in Bremen on Saturday.
To Be Continued...
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