Hamburg

October 3 was a federal holiday (commemorating the unification of Germany in 1990) and we were able get away from Cologne and take a mini-trip to Hamburg. Hamburg is normally about a four-hour drive away from Cologne, but with all of the holiday traffic, it took us almost seven hours and included detours through farmlands! The city is located in the north of Germany and is major port with access to the North Sea via the Elbe River.

We met up with some friends from Cologne who were visiting Hamburg at the same time and we also suspect that Lady Gaga was staying at our hotel! One of the main attractions in Hamburg is the Minatur Wunderland, which is a museum of miniature trains and model towns. We spent several hours wandering through the exhibits. Most of the rest of our time was spent wandering through the well-maintained streets and window-shopping in the expensive shopping districts.

Hamburg by night (after our 7 hour journey)

Miniature Wonderland