Sunday April 17: Hamburg, Germany (Outer Alster)
Bob: Although we had initially thought to take a walk in Das Alte Land, a pretty area of fruit orchards across the Elbe river from Hamburg, Gustl's cold was worse and Heinke was also feeling poorly that morning. Since doctor's offices are not open on Sunday in Germany, the only feasible option was for them to visit the ER of the Krankenhaus (American: Hospital) that fortunately was not too far away. Meanwhile, we went for a walk around the Bramfelder Lake because it is a very pleasant 5 or 6 kilometer loop with lots of people and things to see. We kept trying to get decent pictures of the herons nesting on an island in the middle of the lake, but that was an exercise in frustration. Still, the day was once again sunny and warm, so the walk itself was very pleasant, and by the time we returned Heinke and Gustl had also returned with some medicine for Heinke. |
Monika: Heinke felt rather poorly this morning so she and Gustl decided to go to the nearest emergency room to see what was wrong and what to do about it. The Barmbeker Hospital is just a few miles down the road so that's where they went. Left alone at home, we first checked our E-Mail and facebook and then decided to walk around th Brahmfelder See. To get to the lake, we had to walk through a parcel of "Schrebergarten". These are little plots of land for people living in apartments to rent so that they have a place to garden. They also often put a little cottage on them so that they can enjoy their gardens. At the lake the herons and the ducks were still there and this time we did have our camera and got a few nice pictures of the herons. |
Bob: We invited them out to lunch, and Gustl suggested "Bobby Reich", a restaurant right at the upper end of the big Outer Alster lake. We took the car and Gustl maneuvered us among the Sunday drivers in Hamburg, who drove as oddly and unpredictably as Sunday drivers the world over. Since Hamburgers love to gather in parks on sunny days and this was a sunny Sunday, the area was packed with cars but Gustl managed to find a parking space and we walked a block over to Bobby Reich's restaurant. There we had a wonderful and leisurely meal of Koenigsberger Kloepse, which turned out to be huge meatballs in a capers sauce with boiled potatoes. We all chose Berliner Weisse beer to drink, which was a medium beer with nice color and flavor. Our table was literally one step from the shore of the lake and we had a wonderful time watching the folks both setting sail from a nearby pier and sailing back up the lake to return the boats, which were obviously rentals. |
Monika: When Heinke and Gustl came back, Heinke was feeling better and the weather was great. So we all decided to have lunch at a nice restaurant situated right at the Aussenalster. They had outdoor seating and we found a table right at the railing - in Germany it is custom to just sit down at an empty table and the wait staff will come to you. The restaurant also rented sail boats, so we were sitting right next to the slips and could watch people getting ready to sail. There were other sailboats already on the water and in the distant we even could see a regatta. The sun was shining, the food was good, and the beer wasn't bad either. A wonderful meal! |
Bob: After the meal, we all started walking clockwise around the Outer Alster lake, which was a new stretch for me. We passed some boating clubs and continued down the lake until we reached a new mosque built just off the lake. There we rested a bit before retracing our steps to the car and driving home for the evening. |
Monika: After the meal, we all were ready for a little bit of walking. The restaurant was at the side of the Alster we had never walked, so all this was new to us. We even saw one of the mosques that have become part of Hamburg. |
Bob: That evening Detlef came by for a final visit, but unfortunately he was bearing the sad news that his wife's father had just passed away. We felt very sorry for Susanna and her mother, of course, as they now had to deal with all of the stressful details that follow a death in the family. Still, it was good to see Detlef one last time and we exchanged pictures before he left for the evening. We all turned in early also as we anticipated a long day of travel the next day and Heinke and Gustl were both a bit under the weather. |
Monika: But we did not walk too long, since Heinke was getting tired and Bob and I were anxious to pack. Back home that is exactly what we did. Since the BA flight we were going to take to Ireland (via Heathrow, of course) allowed only one piece of checked luggage, we packed carefully and Bob also had a backpack as carry-on. Detlef came by to say Good Bye but also to tell us that Susanne's father had died. We were sorry to hear that and told Detlef to give her our condolences and love. |
| Index |
| Prolog | Map of Transatlantic Cruise | Map of Drive in Ireland | Epilog |
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