Wanderung 31

Knowing that Linda and Jerry had made it safely back to Chicago, we could relax and enjoy a day with Heinke and Gustl. Detlef and Susanne had generously offered that we could stay in their house, which was beautifully well-equipped, so we were "snug as a bug in a rug" for a couple days in Hamburg before we were scheduled to fly over to Dublin for a driving tour in Northern Ireland with Lois and Beth.

We had invited Heinke and Gustl for lunch and they proposed that we have lunch at a nice restaurant located where the Alster River flows into the Aussen Alster (English: Outer Alster Lake). There is a nice trail, more of a promenade, really, that meanders down the side of the lake, and we all wanted to walk that as it provides quite nice views along the way.

So off we went--Gustl driving and fortuitously finding a parking spot only half a block away from the lakeside next to some of the villas that dot this part of the city. Gustl expertly shoe horned the car into a spot that was none too big!

Before lunch we ambled down the promenade, just being entertained by both the expected and unexpected things we saw out on the lake. The expected things, at least on a warm, sunny, Sunday, were the sailboats tacking to and fro across the lake. That looked like fun and reminded us of the time Heinke and Gustl had rented one of those sailboats and took us out for an afternoon sale on the Aussen Alster back in 1973, as nearly as I can remember. Also expected were things like the canoeists and kayakers paddling their way across the lake.

More unexpected were the "newfangled" ways of having fun on the lake such as the paddle-boards. We saw a group of around 14 young folks who looked like they were just learning how to paddle the boards. In fact, while we were watching we saw a couple young guys fall off the boards, and then have to clamber back up on those tippy things and try to paddle some more. Having once learned how to sailboard, also a difficult skill, I was quite sympathetic to their plight. Also unexpected was a couple just lounging around in an inflatable kayak, I think, just dangling their feet in the water and watching all the activity around them.

Along the shoreline, we also found scenic spots such as an inlet with a Japanese-style stone lantern beside it, and several nice bronze sculptures as well as roses still in bloom. All in all, it was a very pretty and surprisingly entertaining walk down the side of the lake.

We even sat down for a bit just to relax and enjoy the scenery.

But we still had to have lunch and so we walked back to the Bobby Reis restaurant that is located right where the Alster River empties into the Alster Lake. Lunch was a bit drawn out as the service was slow, but the food was good and the view out over the lake was very pretty. Finally it was time to go, and we reluctantly all walked back to the car, and Gustl drove us back home after a very pleasant day in Hamburg.