The week flies by in Hamburg - June 20-25th 2015

The past few days have flown by with more coffee, walking and sghtseeing than you can imagine. As Alischa attended classes in Lubeck on Saturday, we explored the Elb tunnel and a Russian submarine with Tom.

On Sunday, the Fiat Panda was racing down the autobahn at 140km/hr on our way to Parin.

A delightful guesthouse arranged by Alischa was the perfect destination to relax and indulge ourselves. The vegetarian meals were a smorgasbord feast that had us heading back for more. The gardens were a delight which had Cathy racing for the camera. We explored the local "Klangdom" - a round mudbrick construction 8 metres in diameter and 5 metres in height with 3 metres beneath to make the acoustics perfect. They run yoga classes in there.

They have rows and rows of wicker beach chairs to rent so the parents can sit in shade watching their kids play nearby. We took a walk out the pier and saw a few brave people paddle into the water.

Despite Alischa's encouragement to try the naked sauna, we opted for other pursuits. The competition was fierce in table tennis, backgammon, yahtzee and bocce. It left David opting for an afternoon nap whilst the rest of us explored the beach. After an enormous country breakfast and bocce tournament, we headed off in search of Shwerin. There we found a fantastic castle. Unfortunately, the rain also chose to set in, but a break in the showers gave us a chance to wander around the outside and gardens. It reminded Cathy of the Disneyland castle!

Back in Hamburg, we had a quick Vietnamese meal. Tom and Alischa both had work commitments on Tuesday but we amused ourselves around town before meeting Tom and Arvid at St Michael's church.

What we thought was going to be a quick trip up the tower and back, turned into the most amazing adverture ever as we explored the bells, roof, church and crypts of this amazing building. The organist was practicing for a recital the next evening adding a special atmosphere. We were so impressed that we returned the next day for the midday service, when all 3 organs were played simultaneously. The other fascinating thing was the trumpeter who plays twice a day every day from the tower. He begins to the east then goes to each direction with the hymn of the day. We watched him on the 9pm run.

It's not often that David is seen in a church so I had to take a photo.

Dinner at Tom and Alischa's apartment was a feast as usual with fish, traditional German potato salad, crepes and more time to chat. We left so late that we caught the second last train home. Hamburg public transport is so efficient and easy to use that there are few cars on the road. There are plenty of old bikes peddled by everyone from men in suits to little kids no older than 3 - with not a trainer wheel in sight. The baby carriers come in every form so they seem to grow up on the bike.

Cathy's other favorite spot has been "Planten un Blomen", the botanic gardens just down the road from where we stayed. She has been jogging there a few times but walked David through the gardens on our final day until we met Alischa for minigolf. As the Hamburg humidity came and went, we laughed and played before meeting Tom at the brewery for a final German beer. The chauffeur took us all to the airport so they could wave us off. Cathy's plans to claim the tax back on her purchases ended in frustration as we were sent to the wrong rebate company. With no time left to search for the correct one, we will have to take our chances by trying to claim by post later.

Our travels have been fantastic, but we're ready to head home to familiar languages, cars on the left side of the road and the comfort of our own bed. Not to mention - we love flying business class!