Gruner + Jahr Building
Our tour starts in Hamburg.Day 0: We arrived one day early - Monday, August 07, 2023
I worked for Brown Printing Company in Minnesota that was owned by a German company in Hamburg called Gruner + Jahr. I visited a couple of times for training and had to take another look. The building is pictured above and on the right. It is on the Hamburg Harbor. Day 1: Group Meeting and Dinner - Tuesday, August 08, 2023
Our group met with Jutta (pronounced "Utah") for our orientation to the tour. After our meeting we had a short walk to dinner at the Gasthaus an der Alster where we had a great meal and got to know a few of our tour members. It looks like we have a great group to travel with. Day 2: Hamburg's Old Town and Harbor - Wednesday, August 09, 2023
Today, we headed out with Thomas, a local guide to get an overview of Hamburg. Our first stop was City Hall which inaugurated around 1897. It is built in the Neo-Renaissance style is very beautiful. Did you know that Hamburg actually is its own state within the Republic of Germany. Our next stop was St. Nicholas Church Memorial. Before the mid 20th century downtown Hamburg had five churches with tall towers. The only thing remaining of St. Nicholas Church is its tower. The allied firebombing ("Operation Gomorrah") in 1943 devastated the city and this church but not the tower. Supposedly, the tower was left standing to guide the allied planes on their bombing missions.
When I went to Hamburg for job training, there was a lot of talk about the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall. Most of the locals were not in favor of constructing it saying that it was too expensive and way behind schedule. They were correct, it did cost 865 million Euros instead of the 77 million Euros budgeted. But today, they are very proud of this gorgeous building. In addition to the concert hall, it contains a hotel and an apartment complex. It is stunningly beautiful.
Our final event for our tour today was aboard a boat to see the city's massive modern harbor. The Port of Hamburg is a seaport on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, 68 mi from its mouth on the North Sea.
Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" it is the country's largest seaport by volume. The tour with our local guide was over. We ended the tour near the St. Pauli Elbtunnel. This is Europe's oldest underwater tunnel which was completed in 1911. The 1,398 foot long pedestrian and vehicle tunnel was a technical sensation. It is 80 feet beneath the surface connecting central Hamburg with the docks and shipyards on the South side of the River Elbe. This was marvel to see what they accomplished.
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Gruner + Jahr Building
First meal at Gasthaus an der Alster
Local guide Thomas with Rick Steves' Guide Jutta and Hamburg City Hall
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Did you know that Hamburg was the launching pad for the Beatles. They were unknown when they arrived in Hamburg from Liverpool. They left Hamburg in 1962 and were only months away from stardom.