Sandtorhafen

Leaving the house in a bit if a panic as I wanted to catch the 8am bus to Hamburg for the day and realised I had no way of knowing how to pay for the trams or buses (no English and archaic systems - no contactless pay to zap on and off) so it was Uber. Well, ‘computer says no’ moment. No cars available 🙄 Thankfully Clara was still home so I ran in and got her to call me one. Arne had left earlier for a mtg in another town. Get to terminal - go to buy ticket - closed! Now I was archaic because I’m sure I could have got one online there and then (I’ve just purchased one now, for Prague). Anyway, I thought - train! Shot over there - tried to keep warm in shops etc until I could get on the train set to leave at 9.30. We sat there for an age and then they said we’d go at 10.30. A guy across the way said this was good - it could be a lot worse. At 11 they said get off! There’s a bus out front. Well the swarm two’s and froe’s around different places with no buses to be seen anywhere and there were way too many people for probably two buses. I decided to head back to Flixbus but went for train refund first - oh you have to apply, fill forms out and wait 4 wks! Took the forms and scarpered. I was just in time for the bus. However- the woman on the desk said she couldn’t give me one because I wasn’t 20 mins early. It sat there, I had no luggage. It wasn’t going yet. Again though - I’m embarrassed now that I didn’t think to buy online. Have no idea why! Anyway - back to train as I knew there was another due at 1.30. Finally - Yes!! So we set off. We stop at a few towns but I did not know that there is a Harburg as well as a Hamburg. I hear the announcement in thick German and of course jump off. And you guessed it - at Harburg! I don’t realise till I get outside and start to map out my first destination and think - that’s not right! Where am I? Look up …. mmmm. Luckily there was another train up on the board but you have to watch like an Eagle. They changed the platform to the other side of the tracks literally in the last two minutes. In this case, I was helping the local! She was confused. We dashed to the other side in the Nick of time.
Finally I get to Hamburg and raced about … on foot again and got to see the things on my list. I’ll only put a couple of my many photos of Miniature Wunderland up. Something that from quite young, I’ve thought I’d love to see that was so special.Read more