The Hamburg Maritime Museum

With a predicted top temperature of 32C, I thought I would moderate the challenges I would set myself today. My toe is still suffering from the gash I inflicted on it yesterday, and my heel is still hurting with every footfall. When you combine these new ailments with an ageing body that is just steadily wearing out, there was no point in doing anything too ambitious.

In reading about Hamburg, I had learned of two places that seemed worthy of a visit. The first of these was the Miniature World (the most popular tourist attraction in Germany), and the second was the famous Maritime Museum. Since I am already booked in to visit the former tomorrow, I thought that it would be logical to visit the latter today. Simples.

According to Google Maps the distance from my hotel to the Maritime Museum should only be about 2 km. Well, it probably should have been that, and almost certainly would have been that if I had taken the shortest and most intelligent route. Somehow it didn't turn out that way.

On the screen the route looked relatively simple. Surely I could not get lost? I set out with high hopes, guided by the direction of my shadow on the footpath. I figured that if I kept the shadow direction correct, it would unerringly guide me in the right direction. It was a good plan, but you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? I don't know about the mice, but I did find out that this man definitely did NOT take the best route to the museum.

After about an hour of hot walking, I figured that I should be getting pretty close to the museum. I had crossed a succession of canals that suggested I was getting closer to the harbour, but it was time to get the phone out and check with Dr Google. I was horrified to discover that somehow I had veered way off course and was actually nearly as far from the museum as I was at the very start. That was not what I wanted to learn. It was also getting HOT.

Oh well, I had come this far, even if it was mostly in the wrong direction, so it was too late to back out now. I studied the map again and determined not to make the same silly mistake again. About 40 mins later I was finally at the museum. All I had to do was buy a ticket.

The price board stated that there was a concession price for pensioners. This reduced the price from 17 Euro to only 12 Euro. There is sometimes a benefit to being a certified old fart, to compensate for all the other negative side effects of ageing.

I walked to the counter and asked for "One concession ticket, please". The lady took my 20 Euro note and handed me 3 Euro change. That was not right. "I wanted a concession ticket", I pleaded, and waved my Seniors Card in her face for added impact. I suspect she could not believe that I was actually any older than about 40, so I was glad I had bought my Old Farts Card for evidence.

A short time later I was issued the correct ticket, and pocketed my 7 Euro change. The next hour was spent wandering through the extensive exhibits that were on display. It really is worth a visit, although I was feeling too tired to take full advantage of the place. And I was well aware I still had to find my way back to the hotel. In addition, it was now at the hottest time of the day.

After an iced coffee in the museum kiosk, it was time to face the blazing sun and make my way back to the hotel. This time I was much more diligent with my navigation and made it back without useless deviation. I was certainly glad to stagger into the cool refuge of the hotel foyer and enjoy an ice cold glass of water.

That will do it for today. According to my calculations, we now have 8 of our team in the city, so I will be able to see some familiar faces around me.

So, tomorrow I will be off to Miniature World. Will I be brave (silly) enough to walk, or will I find a better way to get there ?Read more