Day 28 - Tuesday, August 27th "Hamburg Museum Day"

My last full day in Hamburg and I decided to hit the two museums I was wanting to see. Another beautify day although slightly cloudy in some places. I meditate and start figuring out directions to both museums. They are not close together. I take the U3 Bahn and off at a station near the Hauptbahnhof and walk using my directions. Yup, I find the Hamburger Kunsthalle Museum described as one of the largest and most important art collections in Deutschland. I arrive around 11 am and it is not busy. I figure to cover most of the first building and then head out for lunch and return. Admittance is 12 Euro and I have to leave my backpack at coat check. An english audio guide is 2 Euros - I always get an audio guide. No flash cameras allowed. I love being in art galleries. For many reasons, I find the experience very soothing and peaceful. Almost meditative. Perhaps, the lack of noise is helpful, as most everyone is pretty quiet. Regardless, I love the museums and try to appreciate the art exhibits.

I have a new camera app for my iPhone called "Over". It allows you to place text on your photos and some other functionality. Good idea to use when in a gallery as you won't always remember which artist was responsible for the picture.

 Group taking an art lesson.

This picture is an incredible 9 metres wide. 

Examples of the ingredients used for oil painting.

I leave the gallery as I am hungry. Close to the gallery I find a salad place called "Dean & David". Wow, if I lived in Hamburg I would come here for lunch every day. I ordered the "Land & Sea" salad for 7.25 Euro and it was excellent. Sweet honey mustard dressing and fresh ingredients. You carry a buzzer and when its ready you get buzzed. 

Land & Sea salad at Dean & David

Back into Kunsthalle Museum. Probably the most complicated and confusing art museum I have ever experienced. The floor plan is very poor. You can get lost easily. Finding the other building is not easy and to top it off you need to take an elevator down to get to the other building. They had one exhibit in the other building of photos that I could have taken. Every person that was on that floor seemed to speed up. No english pamphlet. On a good note, most of the exhibit titles had both German and English. The audio guide in english was great too. I did enjoy my time there and covered pretty much everything they had. 

Into the U Bahn system and found U4 and then my station located in the new Hafen City area (previously described as the biggest land development in all of Europe) for the International Maritimes Museum. Hey, I am in Hamburg of all places and I should be at the museum which triumphs what has made Hamburg wealthy and powerful.  :-)

This is a private museum first opened in 2008 in what used to be a warehouse. Peter Tamm is responsible for the museum mostly from his private collection. Entrance is 12 Euro and an audio guide is 3.50 Euro. It is on nine floors, plus some sub-floors so this is a huge and comprehensive collection.

My notes from the Maritimes Museum:

• creaky wooden floors although this was an old warehouse
• got to look into a real periscope (the lens was one floor up)
• the english audio guide was good and worked
• 9 floors and lots of stairwells and sub floors (for disabled people they have an elevator)
• located right beside the canal
• not many people at the museum
• anything and everything to do with maritime is covered here - incredibly comprehensive
• the top two floors have miniature models and paintings

 This is pretty cool as it looks like a boat on the ocean. In reality, it is a small vessel hanging from the ceiling and you take a picture against the background. 

German Navy submarine.

 Examples of torpedoes.

 Shows the height and depths all around the world.

 The founder of the museum received this miniature in 1934 and this started his collection.

 Models are big here (get it?)  :-)

 Lake Titicaca water craft.

Ever wonder how they get those ships in bottles? These ships fold down when pushed in and then spread out once in the bottle. Just like magic!

I did enjoy the time spent in the Maritime Museum which totalled about two hours. I learned a lot about ships and navigating etc. I would recommend this private museum. It is now 5 pm and some clouds in the sky and it is cooling off. I am getting hungry and take the subway and get off in the Jungfernsteig station. I find a German place near the canal as it is 5:30 and I am super hungry. Ponton Restaurant has a number of tables on the sidewalk facing the street. I can be outside and enjoy the weather and people watch - just like Paris! I order an Alsace Flammkuchen,  German white wine Weinschorle and a small bottle of still water. Definitely a tourist place and lots of high end shopping here. Lana would love it. Across the street is Zara. Food comes quickly which is the norm in Germany. Eating on my own here I don't feel self-conscious. Maybe because all around me is German or another language I don't understand. Beside me are three Iranian men and to my left are two young German fellows. Cell battery is at 5% so turn it off. Enjoying the people watching and in no rush. I return to the apartment at 7 ish.

Yummy Flammkuchen!

OK, one more picture of Hamburg architecture in Hafen City:

Had a great chat with Johannes (host) finally. He has been very busy with work so we have not connected. It was great to talk with him about Hamburg and life in Deutschland. They are both great hosts. Connected with Lana on FaceTime to finish the night as it is now close to 11 pm local time.

Hamburg hasn't been anything like I was expecting. Four days was perfect for a visit. A couple of German friends from the western part of Germany weren't too impressed with Hamburg. I think it has a lot to offer a tourist and German alike. Canals, rivers, lakes and a place where the wealth is pretty obvious. Lots of different activities. Plus, good to get up to the northern part of Deutschland. Tomorrow, is an earlier day as I take the train to Munich located in the southern part of Deutschland (Bavaria).