Water and Wedding, the Found and the Festival

I am actually writing this on Sunday. Greg had to wrok today, but he took the morning off and we went to St Michaelis Church for worship. The service was about 2 hours and he suggested I just come down to where he is working and set up in an office rather than staying back at the motel this afternoon. Since it was misty outside, I thought it was a good opportunity to make myself record the last couple days. 

After church, ouside St Michaels. 

St Michaelis (St Michael's) is a very famous Lutheran church here in Hamburg. There are seven other impressive protestant churches in Hamburg, but all but St Michael's were formerly Catholic. They were built in a different style than St Michael's was built as one of the first specifically protestant churches after the reformation. This is honored by the noteable statuary of Martin Luther on the outside of the church. 

The service was in German, but we were able to follow the liturgy and knew the music to many of the songs sung. The organ was outstanding and just what a cathedral of that scale needed. Handell and Purcel selections were part of the service music and in other settings it might seem over-the-top. But here it was not just appropriate, but what the space would call for and it was glorious. 

The space in this church was so bright,open, and magnificient, you couldn't help but feel that you weren't the center of worship, that there was another more worthy. If you want to see a panoramic video of the space with a better quality, log on to their website and you can get an even better picture of it all. On Saturday, early afternoon, there were many touists streaming in and out. I sat down in one of the back pews to look around and take it all it. 

When I realized the three little older ladies operating the rope that kept tourists from going to the front of the church were letting more and more (nicely dressed) people through, I quickly figured out that a wedding was going to take place shortly. In fact, on Friday and Saturdays particulaly, there are multiple weddings scheduled all afternoon, one after another. 

 I decided to stay. (Below, I thought the hats ladies that attended this wedding were wearing was particularly interesting. I asked about it later to some local younger women and they said that wasn't the norm. People attending this wedding were dressed to the nines, so I suppose the hats were particular to this crowd. 

The wedding liturgy was beautiful, the music was amazing (organ and dual soloists - soprano up front and the other echoing and blending from the back of the church in the balcony. I recognized the reading of I Corinthians 13 and the Lord's Prayer.

Of interest in how they pulled off allowing multiple weddings.... about a half hour before the wedding, the family and guests arrived and were seated. When the bride came in, she was escorted by her father but not proceeded by any bridesmaids. Nor were there any groomsmen. The bride and groom were seated on the first level at the front of the church during the ceremony and didn't arise until the vows at the end of the church. After the pronouncement and presentation, flower girls gathered round them, pictures were quickly taken and they briskly left with family and guests following immediately after. It wasn't 15 minutes later when the next wedding guest party began to arrive. 

I had heard that the city view from the tower of the steeple at St. Michael's is the best view one can have. As a matter of fact, the steeple had guided many mariners to the harbors of Hamburg over the centuries, and the city developers have protected it by not allowing any buildings to be constructed that would be higher than the church to protect its prominance in the skyline. 

I bought a ticket to take the stairs up and began. First landing showed pictures of some of the 

 historical  ups and downs the church experienced. The first two pictures you can't see, but there was an early fire (1700s) that burned the church down. It was rebuilt and the blueprints were used to construct 7 other churches in Europe. It burned partially during construction in the early 1900s as the picture shows and later was damaged and required reconstruction during WWII years.

I found that even though I can bike all over the city and feel great, walk and walk and walk and am fine, climbing the elevation in a tower really effected my heart rate. I don't know if it was mental in part (I have had the whooping cough you know :)), or if my blood sugar was low, or if I am in worse shape than I care to admit, but I stopped quite a bit to lower my heart rate. Hence, all the pictures at various levels which socially functioned to hide my situation as interest in historical building. 

Dispite that, these bells were amazing!

Board construction of the steeple. 

A few more flights and turns, and here is the clock which keeps the time on the display clock outside. It was a piece of workmanship, weights and all...

It did take me a while to arrive at the top. I was considering quitting, getting a rush of claustrophobia at about 1/5 the way up. But I stuck it out. I was so glad because the top revealed a view of the city that testified to its long and rich history. Jigsaw puzzle material as I panned around the 360 degree platform. Inspiration in every direction. 

 A look toward the harbor (above)

Various city views. . .

Here the harbor can be seen at the top of the picture. 

And also some exterior angles of the church itself from the street: 

Archangel Michael (whom the church is named for) slaying Satan (per Revelation)

 

 A classical version of  an open-air (screen) door,        and it is still lockable.

I then biked down to the port region. Hamburg is great about having a lot of large open spaces for the people to hold events, gather, sit and drink coffee or beer and visit in the picturesque town of cobbled streets, canals and bridges that rival Venice I am told. Every corner I turned was just crying out to take pictures. So I did! I even got so good that I could ride my bike and snap a shot without having to stop. 

The pictures can convey some of the beauty of the architecture, but the largeness of the area you can only get if you look at a map and see how many of these canals are lined up, one after another. We were told that Hamburg rivals Venice for bridges and waterways and it is called the "Venice of the North". 

This is  how many of the canals look - they go on for blocks and are lined to the ground with what likely were warehouses, or vendors. They are still being used. 

You can see St Michael's steeple in the background of the photo below. I understand it was almost like a lighthouse to seafarer's returning back to Port. They would watch for the steeple. 

This photo shows the mulit-storied buildings that line the canals. I think part of it is a theatre district now, and part of it is still in use for warehousing and distribution. We watched a larget pallet being load into another building. The turrets may seem only decorative, but at the top, there is a pulley that opens up and cable lowered. The load is attached to the cable, then lifted to the correct level, the green doors are opened and the load is swung in and dropped inside. 

Not St Michael's in this photo...notice the steeple identifies it as another church. 

     Okay, I was not stalking. I was just as surprised as anyone to have attended a fancy schmancy wedding today, so was even more surprised to come upon the outdoor reception of the same wedding party on a large patio/docking area along one of the canals. (I recognized seveal hats, so knew it was the same group!) A tent was put up, linens and drinks, food and the red carpet for canal cruises for the guests and children to explore as part of the reception. No one seemed to recognize me, and I kept moving.

As I mentioned earlier, Hamburg is a place for lovers to kiss, walk hand in hand, and arm in arm. 

Here was a photo shoot I came upon on one of the port ramps. Two photographers and a Spanish-themed couple dancing. I assume it was for some promotional pamphlet, rather than senior pics!

This was an interesting building. Microphones were placed at various levels all around the exterior of the building with music playing softly enough that you had to put your ear to it to hear, but not so loud that you could hear chaotic scribbing of sound blaring from the building. People would stop to listen to the music that were highlights of groups or programs of various concerts that had recently been to Hamburg, or were upcoming in 2014. They were all of classical (as opposed to modern) music. 

The bicycle was a great way to weave in and out of the narrow roads and walkways around the canals and streets in the port district. After leaving that area, I stopped in the city center where the festival was going on. I don't know if the occassion is a "Taste of Hamburg" type thing, or preview of Oktoberfest, but I stopped for a latte and to watch people. When I headed back to the hotel, my bike cable somehow stayed behind at the bike rack of my last stop in the area where hords of people were thronging the festival. I made my way through and when arriving back at the hotel, realized I left it behind. Greg was already back from work, so we drove to the bike rack, thinking it was doubtful I'd ever find it and the hotel concierge looked a little worried that I had lost it!  Thanks be, there it was still draped over the rack amid 50 other bicycles!!! 

We suppered at the festival that offered, pizza of procietta and fungi, currywurst mit brotchen, steak und brot and a finisher of eis. 

Taking a final stroll through a street or two of the very upscale shopping district, we happened into this open mall walkway. It reminded us of your kitchen, Amber!

Our day ended with a hot cup of cammomile tea and a visit.