October 20 Bremerhaven to Hamburg

I spent a quiet morning packing, and left Bremerhaven by train for Hamburg this afternoon. I am getting good at figuring out the trains and their schedules. I arrived in Hamburg around 5:00 o'clock and got directions to Nichole's house. I got a little excited and almost got off the bus early but I made it to her house on time for supper. Not a very exciting day but that is what travelling can be like.

October 21st.

The next morning I began the day with laundry. Nicole took me to the local laundromat and I got everything washed and dried. Then I went downtown to explore Hamberg. I took the subway to the harbour. I had purchased an all day ticket so I rode the ferry around the harbour. It was included in my ticket. Since all the tours were in German I wasn't missing anything taking public transit. The harbour has container ships and container loading areas, lots of tour boats, small pleasure craft, tugboats and barges. They are all crossing back and forth but seem to keep out of each other's way. The Queen Mary 2 was supposed to come into port but I didn't see her. There are also a number of sailing ships tied up at different docks. I checked out a number of stores and wandered from one end to the other taking in all the sights. It was a cloudy day but no rain. Once in awhile the sun would peep out for a few minutes.

I went on to the central station or haufbanhof. I needed to change some money and to do a little shopping. I bought a hot pretzel and ate it as I walked. I went over and down a few blocks and then followed the signs to go back. On the way I found a shop that sold soccer shirts that said Hamburg. This goes with my new Viking t-shirt from Norway. I am also trying to buy small presents from each city so I have a few things to take home.

I found the pedestrian streets around the Haubanhof and had a delightful time window shopping. I stopped for a rest in a book store and signed on to the Internet and checked the mail. I found the bank the money exchange and decided to head back to Nicole's. Lasagna for supper was delicious. I got all my cards ready for Bielefeld and headed for bed. We are off to Bielefeld in the morning..