Bremen, a small-ish regional 'city' in northwestern Germany. Just an hour by train from Hamburg it seemed the perfect spot for a day trip. So that's exactly what I did once I finally managed to meet up with Wendy after arriving in Hamburg.
Here are the points for Bremen:
1 point goes to Martinianleger (St Martin's quay). It was listed on the free map that I got from the Tourist Information centre as one of Bremen's attractions. On the embankment of the river Weser just to the south of the main part of town, it was sadly unremarkable. Both Wendy & I thought we were looking at the wrong spot but no. There was no hustle & bustle of tourists as the thing described.
2 points go to Hoetger's glockenspiel. It was actually only a few rows of small bells on top of the building. I failed the see the significance or attractions of this 'tourist attraction'. It is meant to go off at 12noon, 3pm and 6pm daily. We didn't stick around for the 6pm 'show'.
3 points go to the Bremen Rathaus (Town Hall). It didn't look anywhere as glorified as in the tourist brochure. It just looked like a boring very of a retro town hall.
4 points go to the statue of Roland. For a highlight of the town/city, it was remarkably small. The surrounding buildings also didn't serve as a good background for any photo-taking.
5 points go to the Beck Brauerei. It sits just to the other side of the river Weser at the western end of Bremen. You can take tours of the brewery and sample. It was, however, closed on the day we visited (Monday) so no luck.
6 points go to its proximity to Hamburg. I originally thought Bremen would be a good short-distance location for a day trip from Hamburg, so sadly its 'full list' (bar the Becks brauerei) of attractions only lasted us TWO hours. It was good thing that it was so close to Hamburg that, after a quick gelato stop, we trained back to Hamburg for dinner in its hip area.
7 points go to the western side of the Rathaus Platz (Town Hall Square). It is nowhere near as beautiful as the town hall squares of many other European cities, but due to the city's relative lack of attractions this still made the list at 7 points.
8 points go to Hoetger's 'Bringer of Light'. This is a golden artwork by Hoetger and located at the entrance gate to Böttcherstraβe just south of Rathaus Platz. It depicts the archangel Michael fighting and killing a three-headed serpent. What a peaceful religion.
9 points go to Schnoor. Schnoor is Bremen's oldest district, and you can most certainly tell with the narrow & winding streets that weren't designed for car use. There are, however, plenty of quirky little shops and cafes. The winding streets though would make the tourist guide's recommendation of 'sit and watch the world go by' a tad difficult.
10 points go to the Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Bremen Town Musicians). It is only a small statue but very touchable. It is also the best-known landmark of Bremen, dating from 1951. A local told us that for good luck you should grab both of the donkey's front ankles.
And finally, 12 points go to Mühle am Wall (Windmill). Not only was it beautiful to look at, it was also functional. It spun about a bit when we were walking closer to it. Better still, it is very easy to get to. Only a short walk from the Bahnhof.
Back to Hamburg next. See you at the second busiest port in Europe.
Here are the points for Bremen:
1 point goes to Martinianleger (St Martin's quay). It was listed on the free map that I got from the Tourist Information centre as one of Bremen's attractions. On the embankment of the river Weser just to the south of the main part of town, it was sadly unremarkable. Both Wendy & I thought we were looking at the wrong spot but no. There was no hustle & bustle of tourists as the thing described.
2 points go to Hoetger's glockenspiel. It was actually only a few rows of small bells on top of the building. I failed the see the significance or attractions of this 'tourist attraction'. It is meant to go off at 12noon, 3pm and 6pm daily. We didn't stick around for the 6pm 'show'.
3 points go to the Bremen Rathaus (Town Hall). It didn't look anywhere as glorified as in the tourist brochure. It just looked like a boring very of a retro town hall.
4 points go to the statue of Roland. For a highlight of the town/city, it was remarkably small. The surrounding buildings also didn't serve as a good background for any photo-taking.
5 points go to the Beck Brauerei. It sits just to the other side of the river Weser at the western end of Bremen. You can take tours of the brewery and sample. It was, however, closed on the day we visited (Monday) so no luck.
6 points go to its proximity to Hamburg. I originally thought Bremen would be a good short-distance location for a day trip from Hamburg, so sadly its 'full list' (bar the Becks brauerei) of attractions only lasted us TWO hours. It was good thing that it was so close to Hamburg that, after a quick gelato stop, we trained back to Hamburg for dinner in its hip area.
7 points go to the western side of the Rathaus Platz (Town Hall Square). It is nowhere near as beautiful as the town hall squares of many other European cities, but due to the city's relative lack of attractions this still made the list at 7 points.
8 points go to Hoetger's 'Bringer of Light'. This is a golden artwork by Hoetger and located at the entrance gate to Böttcherstraβe just south of Rathaus Platz. It depicts the archangel Michael fighting and killing a three-headed serpent. What a peaceful religion.
9 points go to Schnoor. Schnoor is Bremen's oldest district, and you can most certainly tell with the narrow & winding streets that weren't designed for car use. There are, however, plenty of quirky little shops and cafes. The winding streets though would make the tourist guide's recommendation of 'sit and watch the world go by' a tad difficult.
10 points go to the Bremer Stadtmusikanten (Bremen Town Musicians). It is only a small statue but very touchable. It is also the best-known landmark of Bremen, dating from 1951. A local told us that for good luck you should grab both of the donkey's front ankles.
And finally, 12 points go to Mühle am Wall (Windmill). Not only was it beautiful to look at, it was also functional. It spun about a bit when we were walking closer to it. Better still, it is very easy to get to. Only a short walk from the Bahnhof.
Back to Hamburg next. See you at the second busiest port in Europe.
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