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- May 27, 2024, 4:36 PM
- ⛅ 18 °C
- Altitude: 25 m
GermanyKaltenkirchen Bahnhof53°32’59” N 9°56’8” E
27 May: Around & About Hamburg

Today we had a couple of objectives: first I wanted to get to see the firm that makes a travel version of the breathing machine I’ve used at night for years; second, we wanted to visit a riverside restaurant which acknowledges each of the many ships that head into or out of Hamburg port.
Carrying my bulky F&P machine on our travels has been an absolute pest for both of us, as we knew it would be. I tried to buy the small travel machine in Wellington, but pleasant and helpful though the Wellington agency staff were, they weren’t able to make the ResMed AirMini work for me.
ResMed’s Hamburg office is in Hafen City on the Elbe river, a car ride and a couple of subways away.
Between the car and the first subway we visited St Nikolai’s church, built in the shape of a tear. The original Nikolaikirche was one of the five great Lutheran churches in Hamburg. In the 1870s it was the tallest building in the world, but only the tower survived Bomber Harris in WWII. When the new church was built, the surviving fragments of the original stained glass windows were used to create a commemorative wall and rose window.
When we surfaced from the subway in Hafen City, we were surrounded by huge new buildings under construction, including a six storey Westfield mall. ResMed were great, I bought the machine, and used it successfully for the remainder of our trip. 🙂
Heading back to the car, we headed for afternoon tea at the Willkommen Höft, a large restaurant & wedding venue on the banks of the Lower Elbe.
On the way we detoured to the original Altona. This was originally the southernmost city in Denmark, until Bismarck seized the territory of Schleswig in a short, sharp war in 1864 (setting a very bad precedent for later politicians). The stress is on the first syllable, unlike the Melbourne suburb. Marie-Thérèse wanted to show us the magnificent fountain.
While we were at Wilkommen Höft, a couple of large ships passed us in the river. As they passed, the Hamburg flag on the flagpole was dipped, and the national anthem of the ship’s country of registration was played on huge speakers.
This practice happens between 8am and 8pm for all ships over 1,000 GT. It was started in 1952 by a retired sea captain.
Another great day!!Read more
Wow! So glad about the CPAC machine. How fortuitous the Head Office was in Hamburg. [Liz Major]