Hamburg to Bremen

Quick trip to Hamburg. Arrive late to a lovely large hotel room. . Plenty of room to spread out and has a large desk with a window behind it. The bed is super warm and comfy. 

Catch the train to Bremen but before leaving have fruit and yogurt and buy a pretzel and Danish to have on the train. They were absolutely delicious.We ate them as the countryside whizzed past our window and we lapped it all up.

When we arrived in Bremen we got a taxi to the Swissotel, which was luxurious. Settled into the room and had a cup of tea then ventured out into the cold. We rugged up in scarves, hats and gloves with our coats to keep us warm. Outside the hotel was the river with its lovely floral display on the banks. Directly above was the Bremen windmill. 

Crossing the bridge and walking into town we ran straight into the large bronze pigs. This was a great photo opportunity and we snapped away. They were gorgeous and we fell in love with them.

Went shopping down the strip turning the corner only to see a very ancient steeple of the church and walked straight into the Marktplatz which took our breath away. This is the place where my ancestors walked and this hit me with a deep sense of awe. Row after row of ancient buildings with statues either on them or mounted outside. 

The church turned out to be the one where my ancestor Mathias Martinius was buried so I ventured in asking the man at the front if he knew anything about it. He did not and I could tell from the inside that the church was completely cleaned out. It was all so old that there was not much left. No traces found so that was a disappointment. I will send them some information from the internet and see if they have any records. Travelling on we walked round the corner only to see The Musicians of Bremen statue. This statue is from an old fairy tale with four animals piled on top of each other. On the bottom is a donkey with a shiny nose and feet where people have rubbed it. This is supposed to be good luck and everyone wants to partake. Next comes a dog then a cat and lastly a rooster. I took photos of Heidi with the four of them. I was so excited to see them at last.

The Tale of the Bremen Town Musicians

We continued on thinking we might visit Schnoor, the old medieval part of town originally where the fishermen hung out. Stopping along the way we decided to visit McDonalds for a toilet stop. This costs half a euro which is a dollar in our money. We then walked into Schnoor, so quaint and lovely. 

The cobbled streets with their small narrow entrance ways wind enticingly around with shops and coffee houses to visit along the way. We visited a coffee shop and had a cup of hot green tea and the ambience was magical. Large layered cakes and shaped biscuits were on offer and the smell was enticing. We rested our legs before the return journey back to the hotel. As we sauntered through the square we spied a kiosk selling hot chips so we decided to buy some to warm us up and hold us over till tea. They were offered with sour cream and ketchup on top so of course we partook of both. They were simply delicious so we gobbled them up. I decided to visit a shop that we had seen  on the way through. I bought a purple bag with brown handles and a small ceramic pale blue bunny on sale after the Easter break. 

Sauntering back to the hotel room where we crash. The flu had struck again and it did not take much to wear us out. We decided to hole up for the night but before we did we dashed out to a local sushi place close by to purchase our dinner in case we did not feel like going out again later. We were thinking of watching Brave the movie but discovered that we had to pay for it so decided to watch TV instead. Only problem was that it was all in German so I read and did Pinterest and watched You tube. By eight thirty we were beat so slept the night away. We had enjoyed our sushi which was like a vegetarian wrap, very fresh and light. Just what we felt like. The following morning we were off to Amsterdam for the next part of our journey. We were getting closer to the boat. Amsterdam here we come. Another day to get up and onto a train. Bremen station was huge and we managed to extract our tickets from the machine and grab some breakfast. More yummy pretzels for the trip ahead which was going to be four and a half hours. Just enough time left before departure to souvenir shop, so off I headed. Finding such great treasures was fun. Bought a lovely figurine of Roland, a key chain with the musicians of Bremen on it, a snow globe with the same and a badge with them on also. Treasures to take home and enjoy. Finally onto the train which is so smooth and comfortable. They glide down the tracks like running oil. The countryside flashes by and is so green and fertile. Wind turbines are dotted along the way and houses with slopping roofs for the snow to slide off look majestic in this setting. I could sit all day and watch the world roll past. It is a day of rest for us and time to recuperate and get our strength back. Soon it will be arrival in Amsterdam.