After our adventure to Legoland in Billund, Denmark, we rounded off our European visit with a few days in Hamburg? Why Hamburg? Really no other reason than it was the destination out of O'hare that delivered us within a days travel of Billund at an affordable price.
Hamburg -- a city with stern faces (an observation confirmed by a German living and working in the US w/ my spouse), lots of dogs, and life accustomed to the Elbe River. Upon arrival at our AirBNB we returned our rental car and assumed methods of city transportation: subway, water taxis, and our feet. The city offered some interesting sites, a very funny story involving me seeking out medical care for a sprained wrist, and lots and lots of walking.
 |
| Our AirBNB was a short walk from the Central Station. We paid $12 for a family ticket with access to bus, subway, and water taxis. Great way to save! |
 |
| View from our water taxi. |
 |
| Whimsy -- teddy bear atop of construction vehicle in Planten un Blomen. |
 |
| Hamburg -- a city of stern faces. |
 |
| And dog lovers. Many dogs were not even leashed, just out walking with their human companions. |
 |
| Uncertain of what this building is, but it was on EVERY tour book about Hamburg. |
 |
| A walk turned into a lesson in bubble making. Something we stumbled upon. We left a generous tip in his tip jar. |
 |
| That face! That is why we push through the stress and bumps of travel. For the wonder. |
 |
| Another sample of street art. |
 |
| USA was included in the flags. |
Hamburg is situated on on Elbe River, and water life runs throughout the city. Here is the
Elbphilharmonie -- a music hall. The building is open to view at no cost. The night of our visit a show was going on, and we were still offered admission. Inside and out, it is a spectacular building.
Hamburg's
Planten un Blomen won the prize for favorite location by both kids and parents.
 |
| Dancing water with lights set to music. Happens at dusk (10pm) in the summer months. |
 |
| Another wee one out for a walk. Look at those FEET. |
 |
| My favorite image from this adventure. Summer in Europe. |
Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is a model train station on steroids. A building, with multiple floors, that is home to an insanely large model train set. It is one of the top destinations in Hamburg. Not until we had a sidewalk cafe dinner outside of MW did we learn that Hamburg travel is best known for its "Red Light District". Oops! Oh well, the airfare was affordable.
We can now say we've seen Hamburg. It was a nice few days in a European City. We're settled back in at home and ready to refocus on our goal of having the kids spend 48-hours in all 50 states. Watch for more reflections this summer (and possibly fall) as we stretch our travel legs again. International travel will follow once we settle on a location. Considerations include: Cape Town, South Africa; the Bahamas, and possibly Uruguay. You can wager a goo bet that the destination will be determined based on frugal travel options!
