Friday, 15 June 2018: Hamburg (Altona, Blankenese, Sullberg), Germany

Das Weiss Hotel is very comfortable, and we learned it was a former Consul's home. We had breakfast in its elegant dining room overlooking the Elbe. Breakfast was the traditional buffet we've had everywhere, with the northern Germany addition of creamed herring.

Dan went out for an ambitious morning walk, down the terraces and north along the river.

The Elbe across from the Airbus plant

I stayed back at the hotel and sent some emails, and then took a short walk along the Elbchaussee to see the large mansions that lined the street. Almost all of them had tall gates and hedges, so you could only see the top story and roof of each.  I stopped at Das Kleine Cafe on a side street, and enjoyed people-watching there for a time.

Kräutertee und Toast mit Gouda und Tomate (Herb tea and toast with Gouda cheese and tomato)

The florist next to the cafe

Around 2:30, we met up with our friend at the hotel. It was so good to see her!  She took us to Kaffeegarten Schuldt, a lovely 150-year-old cafe on Sullberg Hill in Blankenese. Blankenese is like a colorful Italian village clinging to a cliff above the sea, except you are in Germany, and you are above the Elbe!  It is full of narrow little roads, which she negotiated expertly in her BMW, and lovely gardens and terraces. We visited over cups of coffee and delicious cherry and plum Strüdel.

The view from Sullberg Hill

Waiting for our Sprüdel und Strüdel

Then we went into the city to St. Nikolai, where we rode 75 stories up in the elevator for great views of Hamburg. St. Nikolai church was bombed during World War II, but somehow its tall tower remained standing. Now it is a memorial to the lives lost in the bombing of Hamburg and other cities. The museum in the basement was very sobering and heartbreakingly sad.

St. Nikolai Monument

The Hamburg Rathaus from the top of the Nikolaikirche

Right: Nikolaikirche when it was constructed
Left: The tower that survived after the war (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) 

Afterwards we parked in the Portuguese Quarter, and visited the St. Michaels Church, the Hauptkirche of Hamburg. It has three huge organs! I wonder if they are ever played together.

St Michaels

The three organs at St. Michaels

We went for dinner at Krameramtsstube, a restaurant in Hamburg's oldest street, which once was home to shops and grocers' apartments. Today the restaurant is known for its Hamburg specialties, like Pannfisch (pan-fried fish in mustard sauce) and Labskaus (a hash of corned beef,  potatoes, onions, beets, with pickles and a fried egg on top).  

Krameramtsstube in Hamburg

Despite being cautioned, we ordered an appetizer of Labskaus. I shouldn't admit it, but I thought it was rather tasty--and yet I agree, it's probably not very good for you and not particularly appetizing to look at! We shared several bottles of Merlot and Sprüdel. I ordered the Pannfisch for my main course.The Pannfisch was Salmon, Zander (like Walleye) or Wolf Fish (like Seabass) served over mustard sauce, with potatoes and cucumber salad. 

We had such a good time at dinner, but finally had to go back to the hotel. We went straight to bed after a long day of 14,000 steps, but we look forward to another day with our friends tomorrow.