Last November I went to Hamburg for a day. Don't get me wrong, I didn't fly over from UK just for a day, I'm not that rich!!! Hamburg was one of the stops on my cruise holiday that time, and my little girl Snowpea had posted about it here
St Micheal Church
Our first stop after getting off our cruise ship was to St Michael Church, or Michel, as it is more commonly known by the locals. Built in 1786 and standing at 132m tall, Michel is the largest church in Hamburg, and boasts the largest clock faces in Germany! From the outside, it doesn't look that grand, particularly when I compare it to the centuries old cathedrals I normally see in the UK. However, I read that Michel is one of the most famous landmark in the city, so I figured I should come here on my first visit to Hamburg.
You know when people say "don't judge a book by its cover", that's exactly how it is with Michel. After seeing the exterior, I didn't really have much expectation of the church. How wrong was I!!! Instead of being welcomed by dark stone built structures as I normally am by English churches, Michel's interior was built with beautiful white marble. Whilst I'm not religious in any way, it was like an angel welcoming guests with her open arms. It felt so very peaceful and inspiring, walking into the unknown with a lot of hope and future. The contours of the interior was absolutely stunning, and if I remember correctly, I didn't even take these images with wide angle lenses. I just kneeled down quite low towards the floor and zoomed upwards.
St Pauli Elbtunnel
The next stop is another famous landmark, the Elb Tunnel. In London, we have a Greenwich foot tunnel that goes beneath the River Thames, and I posted about it previously. When I learnt that Hamburg has something similar, I was very interested to see it, as both Germany and Victorian days England are well known for their engineering. Just as a little background information, this is how the two tunnels compare
| Geenwich Tunnel London | Elb Tunnel, Hamburg | |
|---|---|---|
| Year built | 1902 | 1911 |
| Length | 370m | 426m |
| Depth | 15.2m | 23.5m |
| Width | 2.74m | 5.64m |
| Use | Pedestrian and cyclists | Pedestrian, cyclists and cars |
My first impression of the Elb Tunnel was that it looked a lot more magnificent that the Greenwich Tunnel. From the ground level, you can either take the lift, or walk the stairs. Walking down the stairs was much easier than up!! The staircase itself was a piece of art, something that I hadn't expected, as my impression of German engineering is always rather rigid and functional. The first part of the staircase was along the side of the wall, and if I remember correctly but I can't be sure, I think you can see all the way to the bottom. Not that I took a good look as I started to get jelly legs already. The next part of the staircase was suspended a little further out away from the wall and that's where you feel like you're suspended in mid air even though we weren't. It was quite an experience descending down.
And after a couple of minutes, we were down under The Elbe in Hamburg. If I hadn't been under the Greenwich Tunnel before, this would have felt really surreal. Imagine yourself 20+ meters underwater walking along a magnificent piece of engineering built over 100 years ago. This was a first for Snowpea, and my girl was very excited. You may have noticed the path behind Snowpea has a walkway on both sides and a space in between. That is for cars. Yes, cars can actually use this tunnel to cross the river! The Elb Tunnels beats the Greenwich Tunnel hands down with this.
I took the lift on the way back up, no way was I going to do the stairs! By the way, this is how the cars get up and down as well.
Elbphilharmonie
In between, we wandered around the city walking past many of the landmarks and our final stop of the day is the Elbphilharmonie, or Elphi. This is Hamburg's concert hall, a spectacular structure, and to be honest my photos does not do it justice at all. This is what it looks like from the outside.
The main purpose of visiting the Elphi was The Plaza. This is the viewing level on the 8th floor where visitors can walk outside around the building to get a 360 degrees of the area. The Plaza visit experience starts with a two and a half minute escalator ride. Yes, that's 2.5 minutes which sounds like a long time, but it's definitely the best part of the whole visit. The escalator is 82 meters long, and is curved, a first in the world, according to their website. As I ascend through the tunnel, white sparkly discs shimmer from the wall, left right and above. I like how welcoming Hamburg landmarks are!
Elphi is definitely a place that can wow you again and again. After the escalator ride, I arrived at the viewing level 2 levels above on the 8th floor. A massive curly wavy window lines up one side of the building allowing visitors to see directly outside. It was fun trying to find the way out and I kept on pushing at some of the gaps, only to find the exit at one end in a quite obscure place. The walk and view outside was absolutely amazing, but difficult to get good photos as the place was so hugh. Let's just say, if you ever in Hamburg, I highly recommend a visit to Elphi. Admission cost €2 which you can book in advance.
Although I can't personally show you some good photos of Elphi, I can do one better and show you something very unique .
Image credit to @growandbow
Hive's very own @growandbow, Mazin, is a cleaner at Elphi, but he is no normal cleaner. Mazin is a climber, and is part of a team that cleans high rise structures and buildings. He and his team cleans the 108m high Elphi three times a year, and each clean takes three week. He's just finished the last clean a few weeks ago, and shared with us some extraordinary view of his work and Elphi. Make sure you check out his post here.
You can checkout all my travel post on the Pinmapple here or click on Mr Pinmapple below
Thank you, Livinguktaiwan, for mentioning me and my post.
May I say, good teamwork 😉
It looks like you had a good journey through Hamburg and its multifarious neighbourhoods.
I definitely will stop at St Micheal Church on my next visit in Hamburg. I've cycled by so many times but never paid attention to it.
Thanks for your impressions.
Thank - you for your amazing post and image, that certainly puts another perspective on such an amazing structure
Yes, your photos are interesting but I must say that the most impressive photo belongs to @growandbow. It looks unbelievable.
The interior of the church is amazing, it's very bright, exactly as you said, and I think religious places should be like that, they should light you up. Just my two cents.
The tunnel is also incredibly impressive, and a curved escalator, wow! I'm totally impressed with your post. The whole thing!
Maxin's content certainly gives a very unique perspective on the structure, not something we get to see that often!
I'm glad I managed to pack quite a lot in during my day trip to the city
Thank you 🙏🏽 I'm honored
Thanks for sharing this post - I have passed through Hamburg dined and kept driving. Now I know what I will definitely visit next time. Inside the church is definitely impressive and also that amazing tunnel. However a Hiver hanging off and cleaning the building - wow!! That is super impressive. I always watch the cleaners with a lot of respect - sending some to @growandbow
Received. Thanks a lot, I bow to you 🙏🏽😌
The interior of St Michael church is beautiful
Nice photos
Thanks for dropping by!
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I've been to Hamburg a couple of times and didnt see any of these landmarks ! Its a fantastic city - and great for nights out. I wish I'd known about the tunnel - that would have been pretty cool to go and see.
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That church really is beautiful. The curving architecture is really unique. I've never seen anything like that in a church. Very true not to judge it by its exterior. It's good that you went inside.
I figured since I'm there, I gotta tick the box. Glad I did that
For sure. It's a very unique church by the looks of it.
Greetings!
I really liked the pictures. You took very representative pictures of these places and i was really surprised how long that escalator ride lasts, for those who like to be on the escalator will repeatedly pass by that place.
!LUV
Th escalator is certainly one of the highlight here and a great way to start the visit
I love visiting churches. The interior is magnificent.
This is definitely some place very worth visiting if you ever go to Hamburg
Yes, anywhere in the world, if I can find time to visit churches. I really do it. :D
I really love all the old European architecture over in Europe. Missed my time when I stayed in the UK for an extended period. I must make a trip back there one day. :)
!PIZZA
There's olenty of great architecture in Europe for you to visit if you ever return
Happy days, brought back memories for me. When I was working, I had to visit Hamburg on a regular basis, it is a wonderful city, I love it. So much to see and do I hardly got any work done! Just a shame you did not have longer there.
Normally when we go away on business all we manage to see is the airport, office, hotel, and pub. You did well to see so much of the city. Sadly I guess I just scratched the surface during my few hours there 🥴
Yes you did, maybe one day a return.
These look like some really beautiful locations! You captured them quite well. My Pinmapple post today is going to have a tough time competing with yours! I wouldn't have guessed that church was that old. The work on the steeple makes it look much newer than it is. Then you get inside and it is just awe inspiring!
I totally wasn't expecting the inside of the church to be like that, so glad I didn't skip it!
Beautiful pictures!! I really want to visit this place. I was in Hannover and I had the opportunity to travel Hamburg in during Christmas, but then, some people told me that everything was going to be close, so I stayed in Hannover. Anyway, I know I’m gonna be there soon.
Thanks a lot for sharing!
Many places in Europe close down over Christmas, definitely not the best time to go for a tourist. You got plans to come back to Europe ?
Yes! For sure! My plan is to travel there and build my life in Europe! :D
You know, of all your great shots, that escalator one jumps out at me the most. That's a fantastic shot! I am forever taking shots at various angles when I ride them.
I think I also would get jelly legs on those staircases...
Great tour!
That escalator was quite something. It was moving fairly slow like those travolaters at airports, only you can't see ahead, adding to the suspense. Very nice experience
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1848.
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Wow, your photos look amazing and I love the one with the window washers. ;-)
Thanks @sunscape. That amazing photo credit to @growandbow, not something we get to see everyday
Thanks for dropping by!