Hamburg Big And Small

The last time Mary went to a rat house I had to carry her around on my back. The Hamburg Rathaus was a far more pleasant experience. 

Our next adventure in Hamburg was to focus on the centre, escorted by Louise and Catherine. 

The Rathaus was particularly interesting as it wasn't an historic monument, it was a fully operational and busy civic administration centre. As well as ourselves and several primary school groups enjoying the architecture and history, the place was the working office for many civic employees, and the wedding venue for several happy couples. The photo below was timed to avoid those crowds... 

A brief coffee break by the canal fortified us for the trek across the CBD to Miniature World. I assumed this would be essentially a collection of dolls houses or similar toys. What it actually entailed was a series of models of parts of the world in miniature, just like it says on the label. Trains feature prominently but to call it a giant model railway display does not do it justice nor does it come close to reality. 

There are theme parks, football stadiums, cityscapes, etc., etc., all with moving models, sound effects and incredible detail. The lights dim on a regular basis to simulate day and night, and the scenes change accordingly, Pompeii being a particularly dramatic example with Mt Vesuvius blowing up every 'night' . 

My personal favourite was the airport. The ground operations and soundtrack were both detailed and realistic, and given the nature of the rest of the displays were as we had quickly come to expect. What I did not expect were planes taking off and landing... 

Awesome! 

Having had our fill of the world in miniature, it was time to explore the world in full size again, so off we went towards the opening of the Hamburg Harbour Festival. 

We timed it very well as we caught the opening ceremony complete with fire tugs, cannons, etc., so we stopped by the railings of the promenade for the best views - only to be shouted at by Police and security guards to move on. Everywhere we went, someone yelled at us angrily to move, so sadly no photos... 

Never mind, there's always tomorrow...