Medieval Visit

We have to laugh at Hamburg's claim to be the Venice of the north. Yes, they do have a lot of canals, but these waterways definitely show their heavy duty industrial origins, and the beauty of the buildings is found in their practical design.

While the city takes pride in its past, this is clearly a modern CITY. This has been our least favorite port because we are no longer city people; we left Chicago 16 years ago and have never looked back. We are going to force ourselves to use the remaining days to check out the museums and the night life. It won't be easy, but we will struggle through it somehow. Oh, the sacrifices we make.

We have enjoyed the German beers. Neither of us drinks, but each brewery now features its own alcohol free beer; and unlike the American non alcoholic beers, these beers are truly alcohol free. And Tasty! Sehr Gut!

We took the train out to Luneburg this morning and wandered the cobbled streets of that medieval village until our dogs were barking. Half of the town is a tourist haven but remarkably, none of the tourists wander away from the Disney like shopping arcade. The other half is composed of the same ancient brick and half timber buildings, but people actually live in these listing structures. We zig zagged up and down the narrow stone streets between houses which threatened collapse if they leaned any further.

Like many towns we've visited this town has small versions of its mascot scattered about, each decorated and painted by a different resident. What we found interesting was that the Luneburg mascot was a fish, the original Fish Out of Water.

We depart this comfortable second home of a ship tomorrow for a return to the real world of mere four star hotels. What an absolutely perfect vacation this has been. We are both incredibly grateful. Thank you Lynda and Bob for giving us the time of our lives. Mahalo.