I start most of my travel stories with my arrival, but not on this occasion, as it wasn’t good. Hamburg proves to be the most wonderful city to visit, with an abundance of history, an amazing amount of lakes and waterways, canals, and the very important Elbe River. The city has two thousand bridges. There is so much for us to see and do in three full days. Historic buildings, greenery and the world’s largest warehousing complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our arrival off the Queen Mary 2 ship into Hamburg is smooth and well organised. We then face massive queues at immigration, very slow and chaotic. Four hundred-plus people and four slow immigration staff. It’s thirty minutes to our well-located hotel, which is close to the shopping and in the centre of the city. Being a big believer in hop-on, hop-off city tour buses, we do a ninety-minute session with excellent commentary. Great start to what looks like a very interesting city.

Our ship, like others, sails in from the North Sea on the Elbe River some seventy miles to Hamburg. It could even do a 380 degree turn in the Elbe River, which is 680 miles in length.

As 9000 steps are the minimum daily target, we decide to walk the city and do the waterfront stroll. To get there through the red brick renovated warehousing area, we cross some of the many bridges and canals. These commercial buildings are the cornerstone of the major success of this city over a century. It is the second largest German city, with a 5.4 million metropolitan population. Its history goes back to the ninth century. 

We board an old ship, Cap San Diego, launched in 1962, an ocean-going cargo and passenger ship. The signage is well done and informative. It is worth an hour of our time; it includes videos of its working life.

There is an old Mississippi-type paddle steamer that looks a bit out of place and a seriously large traditional three-masted sailing ship. The riverside walk on the promenade comes to an abrupt end; we are in a shady-looking district. We still decide to walk back to our hotel to take in more of the city. We sense this is quite a safe city to walk in. The locals we meet are helpful and try with the English language.

The history of this amazing German city, which has lots of links with England, goes back hundreds of years as trading partners. Many English people decided to live in the city. World Wars changed many things. I visited St Nikolai Church, dating back to 1874, in the heart of the city. It was once the tallest building in Europe. The building, all but the Gothic Tower, was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1943. There is lots to read on the site and some unusual statues.

Dinner with our friends is in a mid-level German wooden-style restaurant, looking Bavarian. Reminds me of the Bavarian on Galle Road, Colombo. Better food and service in Colombo.

Church steeples of varying styles, towers and an amazing array of architecture. Stylish area around the waterfront with stunning architecture. Our hotel is in a great location for three in our party, but not the Whinging Pome. I want to absorb as much as I can of the city and find sightseeing is sometimes better done alone. My fellow travellers talk about shops, brands and where to eat. I do notice the many well-dressed people in this city as I mooch about. 

We find a city that we could live in. Mild winters, warm summers, parks and outdoor spaces.
A clean, organised, historic city. The jury is still out on the restaurants. Even Jezzabel could live here.
The deal is we will come for a month and see if it still grabs us.