Germany – Are We There Yet?

Kiel, Germany – July 10, 2015

We arrived in Kiel, Germany, at about 05:00 amid a beautiful sunrise. At that time, there did not appear to be even the slightest breeze.

We docked at Kiel, Germany early in the morning allowing me to catch this view of the sunrise.

After breakfast, Leslie, Lorraine, Arlene, and I disembarked. The only direction we received at the dock was to follow the blue painted line on the sidewalk. We left the cruise terminal and immediately saw the blue line. As we meandered, we found ourselves on a small street with several businesses. One of those businesses was an antique map vendor. I wanted an old map of Pakistan since the first day Leslie, and I arrived in Islamabad. I asked the salesperson if they had an old map of Pakistan. She did not; however, she did show me some old maps of India. Ultimately, I bought n 1857 map of India that shows several cities in what is now known as Pakistan.

A small museum at the edge of the business district of Kiel.

The start of the business district. I do not think the Tui sign has the same significance in Germany as it did in New Zealand.

Continuing our walk, I spotted a fruit stand that had Bing cherries that looked wonderful. I bought about eight ounces, enjoying them as we walked along.

We bought some of the Bing cherries from this vendor at the farmers’ market.

Since we were tourists, we were looking for tourist shops. Amazingly, we did not see any. Leslie went into one of the businesses and asked where we might find some tourist items. While she was away, I noticed the oddest named store I have ever seen, Assmann. We did not go in, but it appeared to be some department store.

I could not help myself…I had to take this photo.

Pedestrians on the street in front of Assmann’s.

A yarn and sewing store on the main street.

When Leslie came back, she shared what the man in the store told her. We were to continue following the blue line. Ultimately, he said, we would find the tourist information center. Unfortunately, he did not share any measure of distance. Undaunted, we continued.
Not too long after leaving the shopkeeper, I spotted Sankt Nikolai (Saint Nicholas) church. I went inside while the women waited outside. Dating from 1242, the church seemed a little less decorated than most other churches we have seen. Regardless, the wonderfully carved and painted main altar dates from about 1410 (although I did see a date of 1606 on the altarpiece). The level of detail was truly amazing. Off to one side of the main altar, I found the baptismal altar. That altar dates from 1490.
The hanging crucifix was striking. It reminded me of the cross in the Basilica in Paramaribo, Suriname. I also really like the painting of a man that looked like a king warrior. Since the nearby sign was in German, I am not sure who he is. He may be Adolf IV von Schauenburg.

A crucifix in the St. Nikolai Kirche. The Protestant church dates from as early as 1242.

The very intricately carved altarpiece in St. Nikolai Kirche. It is known as the patriarch altar.

Detail of the carved altar at the St. Nikolai Kirche. One can see the date of 1606.

Detail of the altar depicting the Crucifixion of Christ with the two criminals.

The winged altar in the small room of silence at the St. Nikolai Kirche.

A rather stern looking fellow. He may be Adolf IV von Schauenburg. The painting is in the St. Nikolai Kirche.

Much more modern painting in the St. Nikolai Kirche.

A very intricate plaque near the entrance to the St. Nikolai Kirche.

This artwork is on the top portion of one of the archways near the entry to the St. Nikolai Kirche. Maybe it too dates from the mid-1200s.

I left the church to continue our quest to find the tourist information center. The blue line led us farther south. Now and then, one of us entered a store, but we did not buy anything.
Finally, about 300 meters short of our goal (although we did not know that at the time), Lorraine and Arlene hit the eject button. After walking a little more than a mile, they opted to take a taxi back to the ship. Just after they left, Leslie and I found the tourist information shop. We were able to quench our desire for tourist junk.
Departing the shop, we decided it was time for lunch. There were numerous restaurants along the blue-lined sidewalk, but they were all very touristy. We wanted some more authentic German food. When Leslie talked to Lorraine’s and Arlene’s taxi driver, he told her of a restaurant, The Ratskeller. About two blocks off the blue-lined sidewalk, we found The Ratskeller. It was rather chilly, so we opted to eat inside. The ambiance was fantastic. It was a rugged décor with exposed wooden ceilings and beams, all supported by wooden columns.
We began lunch with a couple of 1.0-liter glasses of Holsten Pilsner beer. It reminded us of the beer we had in Tallinn, Estonia this past January. We shared two appetizers, Büsumer Crab Soup with Dill Cream and a Carpaccio – thinly sliced fillet of beef, parmesan, and fresh basil. Both were delicious. For the main course, we both selected Schnitzels; Leslie had the Jäger, and I had the Weiner Schnitzel. The portions were huge, and the food was delicious. The Jäger Schnitzel came with a mushroom sauce. It tasted like cream of mushroom soup, but with huge chunks of mushroom. The Weiner Schnitzel came with French fries. The Jäger Schnitzel came with a mixed salad. We both thoroughly enjoyed our lunches.

A painting in the Ratskeller Restaurant.

My version of THE beer in the Ratskeller.

View through rolled-glass in the Ratskeller Restaurant.

Looking out onto the sidewalk seating at the Ratskeller Restaurant.

When we left The Ratskeller, we walked down to the waterfront. As we walked along, we did come across a couple of other tourist shops. They just were not on the blue-lined sidewalk. I also found a store that sold jackets. I wound up buying two, thinking they will be suitable for use in Wellington, New Zealand.
As we continued our walk back to the ship, we came across a two or three-block stretch of various sex businesses. Before I realized where we were, I saw a couple of tables and some chairs. I suggested to Leslie that we sit down and have a glass of wine. Leslie said, absolutely not!!

The sex trade is alive and well on the harbor-front.

More sex businesses just around the corner.

So, it was back to the ship to prepare for our departure from Kiel.

A bus waiting for pedestrians to cross at Holstenbrücke.

A very nice looking Porsche. The building in the background is flying flags of the Netherlands.

Our cruise ship awaits to depart Kiel, Germany.

Frankfurt, Germany – January 17, 2015

Leslie and I left Tallinn, Estonia together. We had an early morning flight to Frankfurt, Germany. It was 06:00 when we departed, about five minutes early. We encountered a few turbulence. It was pitch dark during the entire flight.
We arrived in Frankfurt around 08:00. Leaving the plane, we stumbled upon an electric cart. Even though we did not have a reservation, the woman driving said she would give us a ride to our gate. We thought that was fortuitous since we arrived at concourse A while our flights to the United States were to depart from concourse Z. We both got on the cart with our carry-ons.
I ended up in the rear-facing seat with my carry-on between my legs. I was also carrying my notebook computer and an Estonian newspaper, both of which I placed beside me.
Ultimately, our driver stopped at an elevator. She said we were to go up one floor, go through passport control, and then we would be in concourse Z.
Exiting the elevator, we stood in a short line. I observed a couple of airline employees and some immigration agents. I saw the airline employees looking at people’s boarding passes and passports before letting them cue for immigration. I reached for my passport in my shirt pocket. I noticed my boarding pass was not in my pocket. I remembered I had slipped it into the zippered notebook computer case. Then the bottom of my stomach fell out…I had left the notebook on the seat of the electric cart! I told Leslie. We both left the line and dashed back to the elevator. I was pushing the call-button wildly, trying to get the lift to our floor.
When the elevator finally arrived, I did not let those passengers who were on the elevator off before I pushed my way on. I was afraid that it might be a “one-way” elevator because of the immigration facility. The passengers got off, the doors closed, and we began to descend.
The doors opened again. It so happened the elevators were at an information booth. We quickly related our dilemma to the man at the station. Luckily, Leslie had learned the name of our cart driver as we rode along. She shared that with the man. He began to make a cellphone call to the cart dispatch.
While that was going on, I told Leslie I was going to retrace our steps a little way. When we had earlier passed on of the concourse gates, our driver told someone there she would return for them. I could not remember which gate, but I began a brisk walk in that direction while Leslie waited at the information booth.
After walking a couple of hundred meters with no results, I turned around and started back to Leslie. I felt horrible about my stupidity. When I got within eyesight of Leslie, she was smiling and holding my notebook. That was such a relief.
Oddly enough, I had thought about a similar scenario while I was on the plane. Thinking about that scenario, I vowed to begin traveling with my notebook in my carry-on instead of my good camera. Now it was time to put that into practice. My camera bag has a shoulder strap. That allows for it to be placed around my neck… not forgetting it!
We went back up the elevator, through immigration, and into concourse Z. We were able to sit down at a restaurant for breakfast.
After breakfast, we walked to my gate since my flight departed first. My flight was direct to Dulles. Leslie’s flight was direct to Denver.