Sunday at the Port and a Boat Trip on the Alster.

I like the Port of Hamburg.  It bustles with life, the trip boats and ferries arrive in quick succession, pick up their passengers and are gone again in a flash.  Here a red ferry picks up passengers wanting to see  Disney's musical, "The Lion King" which is being performed  in a theatre on the other side of the harbour.  These boats are so manoeuverable, they come in at speed, switch on the bow and stern thrusters, immediately reduce speed,  and gently sidle into the mooring, a  pleasure to watch.   We found a nice cafe here on a mezzanine deck, where we sat, drank beer and watched the milling crowds go by.   A cold wind blew, the sky was grey and rain threatened,  but the beer kept our spirits high!    

Below are two photos of the port, always very busy and with moorings for huge ocean liners that visit regularly.  The crowds flock here when the "QE 2" comes into port, and on "ytube" there are several video clips of this event.

The "Cap San Diego," with tugs moored in the foreground.

Sailing boats on the Alster.  The weather was somewhat dismal!

In the afternoon we enjoyed a two hour cruise on the "Eilbek," one of many trip boats that takes visitors around the "Alster,"  the lake formed by the damming of the river, and along the canals that once helped supply and defend the city.   We went past a very smart hotel where Prince Charles and Lady Diana had stayed nine months before Prince William was born.  The city is proud that it may have  played a part in the continuation of the British monachy.



The "Eilbek" our boat for the trip around the Alster and along the many little canals.