Year 3 Day 341- “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 4/07/2024. Day 6 of 28-day European Vacation – day 4 of 18-night Northern Europe MSC Euribia cruise. Guten Morgen – We are In Hamburg, Germany today. It is another cloudy day but going to be in the high 60’s which is nice.
Looking from our balcony we see many large windmills spinning. The top ten countries that create and use wind power are 1 – China, 2 – United States with an installed capacity of 74,471 megawatts, 3 – Germany which is particularly impressive given how small Germany’s population is compared to America and China. Germany produces the highest amount of wind power in Europe, 4 – India is the only country in Asia other than China to make the list. Installed wind capacity is currently 35 gigawatts, 5 – Spain has a low population of just over 46 million and has an installed capacity of around 23 gigawatts, 6 – The United Kingdom has their offshore wind farms, 7 – France has a large number of people who dislike and protest the windmills out of fear that these wind farms will ruin the landscape, 8 – Brazil has wind capacity of 14.5 gigawatts, 9 – Canada has a renewable energy capacity of nearly 13 gigawatts. Ontario produces the most wind power, with more than 5 GW installed, 10 – Italy has a capacity of 10.33 gigawatts. Most of Italy’s wind farms are located in the south.
The sun will be peaking through to say hi throughout the day I had Bircher Muesli and a fried egg for breakfast. The Muesli is good. It has a little bit sour taste. I think it is made with Apple juice. I love the coffee on MSC ships. The best part is they have hot milk to put in it. Here is a video of the Marketplace Breakfast buffet from this morning.
There are three terminals at Hamburg cruise port: Cruise Centre Baakenhöft, Cruise Centre Steinwerder and Cruise Centre Altona. We docked at the Cruise Centre Steinwerder. The Port of Hamburg is located on the right bank of the lower Elbe River in northern Germany, bordering the Helgoland Bay. It is the largest port in Germany and the second largest container port in Europe. We are meeting in the Delphi theatre this morning at 8:50 am to go on our excursion to Lubeck, Germany.
Sitting on the couch in our room waiting to go, I look at Steve and say, “I keep thinking those milk packets sitting by the coffee cups are candy bars”. How funny he says, “yes and I keep wanting to grab one”. I guess we really do think alike.
Steve bought a new Citizen watch in one of the shops on board the ship yesterday. He forgot his in the car. You really do need a watch on a cruise vacation. Don’t depend on your phone. What is cool about his new watch is that it has the time in the 24-hour clock. Most places on Earth, people use the 24-hour clock, so there’s no need for a.m. and p.m. Early mechanical clocks showed all 24 hours, but over time, clockmakers found the 12-hour system simpler and cheaper. a.m. stands for ante meridiem, which is Latin for “before midday.” And p.m. means post meridiem — “after midday.” In Europe they use the 24-hour clock time. No am and pm. Confusing to me. I find myself using my fingers to figure out the time. The currency in Germany is the euro. Each euro is divided into 100 cents. Good thing we visited the casino yesterday and cashed out. We now have Euros. We are boarded on the excursion bus and heading out to the countryside and Lubeck at 8:30am. I am excited about seeing Germany’s countryside. Steve’s ancestors came from Germany. We started in Hamburg which is the largest city in Germany. Europe loves round abouts. We started out by driving alongside a huge number of railroad tracks. Traffic is very light. In fact, there is no traffic at all. It is Sunday and most shops are closed. We are in Northern Germany and the land is very flat with the ground composed of sand, salt, and clay. Everywhere we have been one of the first buildings/stores we see is an IKEA. They are everywhere in Europe. The highway is very nice and smooth with sound barriers down the side. On this excursion we are having lunch. It is nice we get to try some local food. The canola/rapeseed flowers are blooming along the roadside. Yesterday this area had a record high temperature at almost 70 degrees Fahrenheit which is a normal summer day. There is no speed limit on the motorways in Germany. Most casualties are in the country roads where there are speed limits. In towns the speed limit is 50km/h or 31.0694 MPH and open roads other than the motorways is 100km/h or 62.14 mph.
Of course, our bus is a Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Pay toilets are here in Lubeck also. The Pissoir is a public urinal only found in Europe. As you can see in the picture below the Water closet is for both men and women.
Most homes have a few bicycles parked by their front door. Shops are closed by law on Sundays in Germany and yes this is Sunday. The tour was wonderful, we walked for a long time. Lubeck was founded in 1143 and is known for its medieval and brick Gothic architecture. The Holsten Gate dating back to 1464 is composed of a south tower, a north tower and a central building. What a beautiful fairy tale like medieval gate. Notice it is leaning a little bit.
We walked along the river and up the hill to the Town Hall and Market Square
Then we had a great lunch. Excellent food, coffee, beer, and wine. Funny, we are in Germany, and we had lunch at an Italian Restaurant.
After lunch we visited a cathedral and walked for a few more hours.
The day turned sunny and warm. It was a great excursion with great food, and a great guide. Our guide told us he was 77. He walked up and down these hills like a young man. What great stamina he had.
Here’s today’s Daily Planner, shuttle bus information, and dinner menu.
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
Packing Cubes – Here’s a link to today’s Amazon recommendation: https://amzn.to/49Z48ax These are the best packing cubes. I have had other less expensive ones. These are worth the little extra cost. Traveled to Europe for a month and used these. They are strong, the sizes are perfect for my needs, and they keep your items organized. I rolled my clothes and packed them tight. They seem really durable. I expect to have and use these for a long time. Also, the burgundy color is nice and rich looking.
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To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count