Germany

             (June 24)

I wasn’t particularly interested in visiting Germany. I’ve got nothing against it; I’m just not drawn there. But the path of our travels through Scandinavia to Amsterdam led right through Hamburg, Germany. Plus, as we were planning all this months ago we heard Hamburg was a happening place. So, we allocated a couple of days. Besides, lodging is not expensive there…

We were blown away by Hamburg! It’s an amazing city. Even though we arrived in a drizzle and never saw the sun for three days, we found it engaging, and interesting in surprising ways.

The city has a long history. The official name – The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – clues us that it was part of the Hanseatic League (we ran into them in Bergen), signs of which are still all over the city. The Romans were here (of course!), but the first real building was erected by Charlemagne, in 808. The city was sacked by Vikings (what self-respecting European city wasn’t?!), then by the Poles, then by the Black Death. But it’s location on a river, the Elbe, with access to the Baltic meant it was destined to be a trading center.

Hamburg City Hall, or Rathaus

And trade, in the late 1100s, meant the Hanseatic League. The League was created to protect and enhance economic and diplomatic interests, and eventually controlled trade all over Northern and Eastern Europe. It made the traders – and the city of Hamburg – very rich. Hamburg today is still rich. There are fine, beautiful houses and public buildings from centuries ago; thought-provoking ruins (World War II was not kind to German cities); canals lined with merchant homes and storehouses from the Middle Ages; huge brick warehouses; a fabulous Opera House (why does every city build a fancy opera house?); a major shipping port. And, there were the Beatles.

Buildings lining one of the many canals in Hamburg

Hamburg's opera house; performance halls are set on large springs. The windows open to luxury apartments, offices, and a hotel.

Classy rest room sign in the opera house

We arrived in Hamburg on a wet Saturday afternoon. This was the first real rain since we’d arrived in Europe. It was just drizzling, really, and not cold, but not encouraging, either! Off the train and over to the city bus stop (Paula is really good at city navigation), then dig out some money for the ticket. Norway, and Scandinavia in general, is transitioning to a cash-less economy, so we hadn’t used coins and bills for weeks. Now we had to find our Euros!  A bit short on coins, Paula offered a 50-Euro note. The driver refused the bill, saying it was too old or something* (he enlisted the language skills of another passenger who spoke some English). We felt like real duffuses, standing there all wet with our suitcase and backpacks and laptops slung around us, just off the boat, as it were. Eventually the driver – bless his heart – accepted our few coins, about half a Euro short of the required fare, and we rode to our Airbnb accommodations. (Seriously, thank you Mr. Driver for your generosity to clueless strangers!)

* After some cogitation Paula remembered the bill was our deposit return from our place in Alicante, the same bill Paula had given the manager some months ago, one that we’d gotten on our last trip in 2016. Perhaps the EU had updated the currency? In any event, the next morning a coffee shop accepted the bill without question. Sorted! (As they say in England…)

I really liked this Airbnb. The hosts were most thoughtful; and our room was set up to meet the needs of travelers such as us. In a modern apartment building overlooking a green space, we had a distant view of the Heinrich Hertz Tower, an ugly concrete communications tower that’s become a modern landmark. Despite the lack of esthetics, I like that it recognizes a pioneering physicist (and Son of Hamburg), for whom the unit of electrical frequency -- the Hertz --  is named (and what higher accolade could you get then having an electrical unit named after you?).

View of the Heinrich Hertz Tower out our window

Actually, what made this modern tower noteworthy was the view from the other side of the apartment: the bell tower of St. Michael’s Church, an earlier Hamburg landmark, the first sign of the city seen by approaching ships. Of course, that was the view from our host’s bedroom, not ours, but I thought it was a nice balance: the new out one window, the old out the other.

St. Michael's Church tower, a long-time Hamburg landmark

These two towers symbolize for me the layers of history, of ongoing change, that Hamburg carries. The Hanseatic League gave way to individual merchants building large homes and storehouses on canals to deliver the goods. Improved transport technologies (steamships) expanded the shipping industry. Trading corporations formed and build more large impressive buildings, in a different style. Huge warehouses were needed to facilitate increased trade. Then the shipping container was invented, and huge facilities were built across the river to accommodate this new technology. Older builders were torn down, or repurposed. It’s the story of every old city, but somehow these layers seem more accessible in Hamburg.

We did get a good chance to examine that bell tower, however. The World’s Cup was on, semi-final match between Sweden and Germany. Now, we’re not given to sports; not soccer, not American football, not baseball. But the World Cup is a Big Deal in Europe. Plus, the Germans were playing! Our hosts were off to watch it at a friend’s house, and offered us their bedroom. Lounging on the broad bed and watching the wide-screen TV! Our loyalties were a bit divided, having just been in Sweden, but we were glad Germany won. (They clearly had better control of the ball throughout the game, but the Swedish spectators were having a lot more fun.)

 

This was taken only hours before (the Germans won) the game

As always in a new city we took the “free” walking tour (guides collect tips at the end). As always, it was fantastic. There is much to see in Hamburg (all those layers), and our guide brought them out well. In addition to he usual up-town public buildings, our guide took us on a brief ferry ride, saving some walking, to a more modern and less reputable part of Hamburg, known for its sex shops, night clubs, Red Light District, and Beatles history.

Beatles-Platz, monument to the "Fab Four" -- Pete Best stands apart (he stayed in Hamburg)

Fifty years ago the Beatles played in Hamburg for a year or so. They are still remembered: there is a sort of shrine to them on the Beatles-Platz. There’s still night clubs there with loose (and often lewd) acts, some with plaques commemorating past artists (like the Beatles!). Our tour guide, keen on Beatles lore, filled us in on the antics of Lennon and company in their year in the area. He also cautioned us to be careful, as it is (still) renowned as a place to get really ripped off. He pointed out a price list, for example, posted in public in conformance to local law. Can you imagine paying that much for a drink! Everyone looked, and shook their heads at the outrage. (Until Paula commented, “Hey, this is cheaper than in Oslo!”)

Our tour guide shows us the street where the Beatles played, still home to clubs and bars today

Where the Beatles got their funky haircuts

There are endless interesting vistas in Hamburg, thanks to the canals and the layering of old and new. A church bombed in World War II, now a peace shrine; tidal canals that fill and empty twice a day, many lined with expensive apartments and interesting cafes; monuments, statues, and public art both old and new. Crowded ferries offering low-cost river rides; extensive ship facilities right across the river from expensive offices and residences. 

St. Nikolai Memorial: a church bombed in WWII, now a peace monument.

Angel on Earth by Edith Breckwoldt, part of the peace monument; plaques read, in multiple languages: "Take my hand and let me lead you / back to yourself"

Tide's out! The level of the canals fluctuates widely due to tidal action

Bridge spans a canal

Massive warehouses from the 19th Century, now housing offices, studios, and the Miniatur Wunderland

Buildings in the lower right housed a major magazine publisher; with the decline in publishing, they are now "repurposed" (to gov't offices); that's the opera house in the upper left

Oh, yes, and then there’s Miniatur Wunderland, what must be the world’s largest and most detailed model train layout. It’s an absolutely jaw-dropping installation of miniature models of… well, much of the world, done both accurately and with subtle and extensive humor. Hamburg itself is presented in miniature, including the airport with planes, about a foot long, landing and taking off. We see Las Vegas; the red rocks of Southern Utah; idyllic European pastoral scenes; a lagoon in Venice that drains and refills as a building collapses; snow-covered Alpine passes. It goes on and on through multiple rooms and various floors of an old warehouse.  Oh, and five or six times an hour night falls, everything gets dark, lights come on in the miniature cities; then, the sun rises and things brighten as the city lights are extinguished. Just like real life!

I’d better stop now. I could go on for pages, though! There's a brief video of what we saw below.

A scene from the Red Rocks of Utah at the Miniateur Wunderland

Las Vegas!

St. Michael's Church in Hamburg, as seen at the Wunderland

And lastly, note the license shows a double H, for Hasiatic Hamburg. (Innovative trailer hitch ball protector, too!)

Here's the Miniatur Wunderland video!

OK, I think the next blog will be about our adventures in London. About time!

Sweden

             Sweden   (June 12)

We are currently – August 10 – in London, enjoying our flat in Notting Hill, continuing our attempts to catch up on where we’ve been since leaving Alicante in early April. Then we can start catching up on what we’ve done in London!

Another first-class train ride took us to Stockholm (no hot chocolate on this one, though). I must admit I really liked the public transport in Norway, both the long-distance trains and the city trams; all very well done with plenty of information for passengers. Sweden and Denmark also have great public transport, but I expect Norway’s is newer.

New and old: dome of Hedvig Eleonora Church, from 1737

Stockholm is a fantastic city. The harbor area is full of gorgeously-decorated buildings of a decent, human size (like the iconic Haussmann buildings in Paris, it was built in the mid-1800s, before elevators, when six floors were as high as anyone wanted to climb). Sweden has long been a rich country due to trade. It’s open to the Baltic Sea, with access to Poland, St. Petersburg, and all of western Russia. Rich merchants built rich buildings, and the results are still with us in Stockholm.

Buildings along the waterfront in Stockholm

An impressive building in downtown Stockholm, now a major hotel

Stortorget, Stockholm's oldest square. 

There is an incredible array of islands east of Stockholm, called the archipelago (which, after all, means a group of islands). Some are tiny islets; but there are many that host homes, and even towns. We took a ferry (always ready to get out on the water!) to Vaxholm, about 30 minutes away. Along the way the boat made at least half-a-dozen stops to let off and take on passengers (many with bicycles). Some of the houses we saw from the water appeared to be summer cottages, but we were told this ferry is a commuter boat, carrying people from the islands to jobs in Stockholm year-round.

One of a half-dozen ferry stops 

Vaxholm was a cute town, worth a half-hour of wandering (and another half-hour having an excellent lunch at a water-front café!). Just as we were preparing to leave, four old-time steamer ferries arrived from Stockholm for a yearly celebration. They were welcomed by Vaxholm’s Marine Band and dozens of excited spectators. (We had originally planned to ride one of these boats, which are in regular ferry service, but they were all booked for this special occasion.) Our modern ferry left soon after the vintage ones arrived, so we got to see them arrive and dock from both the land and the water. And 30 minutes later, we were back walking the waterfront in Stockholm.

An appreciative crowd listens as the Marine Band welcomes the classic ferries to Vaxholm

We take our leave from Vaxholm on the ferry as the classic steamers arrive

Our Airbnb room was in one of the more prosperous areas of the city, in an older but well-appointed building. Our room had a floor-to-ceiling Swedish stove, covered in plain white glazed tiles. While it has been replaced by more modern heating (hot water, I think), it is impressive. It spoke strongly of blowing snow and long, very cold nights. Next to our room was the dining room with a similar but more elaborate stove. The next room over was the living room, with a truly remarkable fireplace, covered with intricately worked glazed tiles.

Well-furnished living room

Detail of the amazing ceramic fireplace

Paula in the dining room/office. Note the Swedish stove behind her!

Both the living and dining rooms were fully furnished in period furniture, probably from the 1920s. As I said, this was an up-scale part of the city, and everything was very well done. Our host left shortly after we arrived, so we never heard any stories about who lived here or what they did, but the room looked ready to host a soiree for a dozen or so guests. It was pretty fantastic, like living in one of those cultural museums showing what life was like back when. Except, we got to sit in the chairs!

Why barns are red

In 1674 the Swedish nobility erected a building for their use, called Riddarhuset or the House of Nobility, in Stockholm. It was used for meetings and concerts. Made of red brick, it was greatly admired, and many of the noble families copied it for their country estates. But bricks were very expensive outside of the city, so the country houses were made of wood, painted red. The popularity of this style spread, and all the farmers wanted red houses as well.

The Riddarhauset today

It so happened that at this time copper mining was a significant industry in Sweden, and a by-product of the production was a bright red pigment that made fine paint, and, more importantly, was quite cheap (being a by-product and all). So, the countryside became dotted with bright red buildings, called Falu red after the town of Falun, where the copper mines were located. (As a side note, the copper in the paint made it a good wood preservative, but it was the low cost that made it popular). Later the nobility started painting their homes white and yellow, colors that were much more expensive. The farmers stuck with red.

Farm house in rural Sweden. Falu red.

Flash forward to the 19th century and a decline in infant mortality in Sweden (thanks to advances in health and science and all). Families got bigger, since more of the babies survived to become children. And heirs. Since only the oldest son inherited, there were more and more landless farmers. With improved transportation to the New World, many rural Swedes emigrated to North America. They prospered, and painted their buildings in the New World the traditional color from back home.

So barns in North America are red because Swedish nobility build a pretty building in the 17th Century.

As I’ve said before, we are not always keen on public buildings and monuments. But we did tour the Stadshus, Stockholm’s town hall. Among other functions it hosts the Nobel Prize banquet, honoring the recipients of that prestigious award. It’s a large, relatively new building finished in the early part of the 20^th Century. Throughout our tour I was impressed by the commitment to equality of the people. The layout of the council chambers assures access by the public and puts all the officials on the same level. Displayed inside are numerous busts, not of famous rulers or legislators but of construction workers, the people who nailed the beams and placed the bricks. For the Swedes and Scandinavians in general, “equality” is not merely a concept, but an on-going reality.

Heroic statue in front of Stockholm's stadshus, the Town Hall, where the Nobel Prize ceremony is held

Inside the Stadhaus where the Nobel Prize dinner is held, all done in gold tile (eat your heart out, Donald Trump!)

We took another, short, train ride to Gothenburg, on Sweden’s west coast. Neither of us is sure why we chose this unremarkable town, although we did find the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, and we spent most of our short stop in Gothenburg at the race village. We have a previous blog about our time there.

Aside from that, Gothenburg didn’t leave much of an impression. The Volvo race, a couple of fabulous rain squalls (one with thunder and hail), and that was about it. We probably missed a lot.

And how can we leave Sweden without seeing a classic Volvo!

And, finally, what is this? I saw these wires coming out of downspouts in Sweden and Norway. Finally, I got it: a heat wire to keep the downspout from damning up with ice. Hard to imagine in the summer!

First Rainbows, then Reindeer

                   Written August 3, 2018

Although the May and June  weather in Alicante had been excellent, as it often is, it held a special surprise for us as we left: rain! And a rainbow. 

We were returning to our apartment after a visit to Punta Palo, just south of Alicante, hosted by Teresa, the apartment manager who has become our friend. It had been raining, unusual for this time of year. As we walked along the mirador near our street the sun, on its way down, peeked out from below the storm clouds. The light shone clear and bright on the buildings up the coast: then a stub of rainbow appeared out to sea. It morphed into a double, and up the coast, the far end appeared. (I noted which building; next time in Alicante we'll check for the pot o' gold.)

Double rainbow over the beach in Alicante, Spain

Early, so early the next morning we were on the street, our taxi waiting to take us to the mostly deserted airport. By 6:30 AM we were winging our way north. While I am certainly no fan of early morning plane flights, arriving before noon has advantages. We got settled into our Airbnb in Bergen, Norway with the whole afternoon before us.

             Bergen  (June 7)

As we flew in we were struck by how much the region resembled the Pacific Northwest. Bergen could almost be a stand-in for Seattle (if it were 20 times as big!). In fact, Bergen and Seattle have some kind of official connection, sister cites (or maybe just friends); in a park along the bay that surrounds Bergen we found a totem pole given by the city of Seattle! It was a bit bizarre, traveling so far to stand before this tall totem surrounded by lush greenery.

Greeting sign outside the Bergen airport. I'm still unsure about that "?" ?

A Pacific Northwest totem pole, gift from Seattle, WA!

One bit of good fortune we had was that it was not raining, Paula likes to check ahead for what the weather is doing in places where we will be going. For four months straight, it rained every day in Bergen. In fact, rain is one of Bergen’s claims to fame. Our days there, though, were sunny and bright. In fact, although we didn’t know it at the time, this was the start of a sunny streak that would follow us all the way through Scandinavia, Scotland, and Northern England to London!

I liked Bergen, in spite of the lack of rain J! It has a long history, and was a key element of the trading network build up by the Hanseatic League* in the High Middle Ages. The Norwegians (or whatever the residents were called then; modern Norway was only established early in the 19^th Century) traded cod, an oily fish that could be dried and kept for long periods, an important “feature” in an era with no refrigeration! The original Hanseatic buildings are still preserved on Bergen’s seafront, although we chose not to visit them.

* An early trade and defensive organization that spread throughout Northern and Central Europe in the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th Centuries. We were to learn more about it in Hamburg.

Bergen's water front; this once was Norway's major port

Of more interest to us was the massive fish market that’s been going strong for several centuries; the funicular climbing the steep hill across the harbor; the amusing local art, and the Teslas!  I saw enough of these electric cars that I began to check license plates to verify I wasn’t seeing the same car over and over, because Bergen really is a small town. I found there are a great many electric cars of various makes. Our Airbnb host explained that the Norwegian government, to encourage the use of renewables, offered free passage to electric vehicles on toll roads. Ah! Then the incentive was removed (and everyone was left wondering, now I’m stuck with this crappy car…).

The fish market. Great meals here at a good (for Norway!) price.

Dried cod is still availabe in the market,but pricey: about $30USD per pound!

We toured the fish market, today given over to tourist restaurants. We skipped the old buildings, and on the day we chose to take the funicular (ride up, walk down, or so we told ourselves!), it wasn’t running. So we hiked up the steep streets for an excellent view across the town and the docks to the fiords beyond. And we found that the hill, forested and natural-looking from the town, is full of tiny roads and interesting homes clinging to the hillside. All in all, we got a really good feeling from cute Bergen! (Although it was sunny, and I kept wondering if I would be as keen on it with the “horizontal rain” our host described, cold and snow, and six hours of daylight instead of the 18 we experienced!).

Bergen really is a cute town. (Many of those cars in the foreground are electric.)

Is this the Argyll Forest? No, just quirky public art...

A couple of things struck me about the locals we saw: many of them had on backpacks – and not little day packs, like ours, but serious outdoor stuff. I expect they were doing errands, and carrying their groceries home, but I like to think on weekends those bags saw heavy use out on the trail. Also, there seemed to be a fair number of people on crutches; mostly young guys who seemed only temporarily affected. I don’t know, but again, I like to think these are the result of “outdoor” accidents: a skiing fall, a slip on the glacier. (Or maybe tripping on the roof of the Oslo opera house?)

Soon we were on the “Nutshell” train, the train that follows the “Norway in a Nutshell” route between Bergen and Oslo, giving a cross-section of the Norwegian countryside. It was a very pleasant seven-hour ride. We splurged for first class, only about $60USD with our senior discount. Free coffee and hot chocolate, large, comfortable seats with plenty of leg room, and quiet, pleasant fellow passengers (not that I would expect any public conveyance in Norway to be a hell-hole!) The mountains we passed through were fantastic, heavily forested with wonderful views (what we could see; half the time was spent in tunnels!).  Once above the tree line things were stark, with sharp peaks still snow-covered in early June, and small settlements alongside very cold-looking waterways. Paula found it strongly reminiscent of the Alaskan tundra; not surprising, since we were at about the same latitude. Once in the flats the countryside was pleasant but less interesting: gently rolling hills and green pastures.

Oh, one thing that struck us as a huge negative in Bergen and Norway in general: the high cost of food and especially alcohol. We paid 49 Krone for a can of beer in a store, about $6USD. A few days earlier we had been paying less than a third of that for una cerveza, seated in a restaurant!

Heavily forested hills on the "Nutshell" route to Oslo

A bit further up in the mountains. Snow and ice in early June, around a pristine lake.

             Oslo  (June 9)

We both liked Oslo, a clean simple city, full of lively people and impressive public art works. We were given to understand that Norway was a very poor country for much of its existence, being passed around between Sweden and Denmark for a few centuries. In the mid-1800’s as much as one-third of the population emigrated elsewhere looking for a better life, much like Ireland. And, of course, many of those dirt farmers ended up in North American, providing one American story teller with endless tales of Norwegian Bachelor Farmers.

The discovery of oil in the North Sea changed all that, and Norway is now a very rich country (in addition to the Teslas, there are plenty of Porsches and Mercedes on the roads). But its past poverty means its traditional ceremonial buildings (the palace, the cathedral, stuff like that) are quite simple and understated – overall, architecture in Oslo is rather bland, compared to other, older, European capitals. Meanwhile, there is now a huge construction boom on, with cranes dominating the sky along the waterfront – to some controversy, of course.

The Stenersnmuseet, Oslo's Museum of Fine Arts. Public sculptures in the foreground.

The Oslo opera house is fantastic. Made of white Carrera marble, from afar it’s distinctly reminiscent of a glacier. We only briefly saw the magnificent interior on our way to the roof, which is open to the public. People swarm over the steeply-slanted stone, as did we, looking over the harbor (and forest of construction cranes) with an ever-changing perspective. And I got to thinking: a place like this in the US would shut down in a few weeks, burdened with “slip and fall” lawsuits. But Norwegians are a hardy lot, used to taking risks while engaging in the many activities available in their rugged countryside. (And they know, if you fall off a glacier, it’s your own damn fault!)

Opera house roof and hikers. Note the construction going on behind!

A cute back street in Oslo that almost got ripped out for highway construction.

The Akershaus Fortress, overlooking the harbor (behind us)

View of the harbor from the Opera House roof.

Although we are not big museum goers (“moments, not monuments!”), we did take the effort to get to the Viking Ship Museum, where three of the best-preserved Viking longships are on display, along with numerous other Viking artifacts. The displays are fantastic, and the short video of Viking exploration and conquest was very well done. We were thrilled to see these ancient ships used for some pretty amazing voyages – those Norsemen really got around, from North America to the Baltic and inland to the Black Sea, and south to the Mediterranean. (Norse settlements in the north of France – Normandy – ultimately were to have a huge impact on English history and language.)

The Viking ship museum. Fantastic!

Intricate carvings on the ships prow. (Those Vikings were poetic and sensitive...)

But our time in Oslo was short; in only a couple of days we moved south to Sweden’s capital, Stockholm.

Paula watches the beginnings of a beautiful sunset in Oslo... at 10PM!

Public sculpture by Norway's premier sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. Imaginatively titled "Mann og Kvinne" (Man and Woman)

Vigeland Park, a huge park full of sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. Quite, quite remarkable!