Saturday, August 1st - Hannover, Germany

We had breakfast at the hotel today - a very generous breakfast buffet with lots of variety.  Just before 10:00 a.m. we started our day of touring on the The Red Thread, which is a red line painted on the sidewalk and you follow it around town while you read the brochure that explains what you are looking at.  There were a few construction sites that through us off track but basically it was a very easy process and a great way to see the city.  Some of it was a bit of a repeat from the night, like the Opera House, before but nothing major.    I didn't get home until around 4 p.m. so it was a long but very enjoyable tour.  Of course it was made better by skipping the main shopping streets or at least just hurrying through them.

The best part of the tour and the longest of our visits was at the New Town Hall.  Built from 1901 to 1913, the exterior is Baroque in style.  Over 6,000 pilings had to be driven into the marshy soil in order to build this magnificent structure, and it as all paid for by the time it was built.  It has a tower near each end and a high dome in the middle.  Behind it there is a lake and when illuminated, the building reflects nicely in the water.  The many statues and friezes on the building depict the city's many important dignitaries and important events as well as some fantasy creatures.  Inside, the main hall has a vaulted ceiling over 100 feet high and a majestic staircase that goes up one side and then splits off to left and right.  On the other side of the room there are beautiful, large, marble spiral staircases with intricate decorations.  Currently in this hall there are four models of what the city looked like in 1689, 1939, 1945 and today.  

The highlight of the tour was taking the elevator up to the roof area and then getting in an elevator they have designed to climb to the top of the dome so we can get a good view of the city.  The elevator has glass in the floor and ceiling so you can see the elevator shaft and it is very interesting.  It is a small elevator that can only hold six people (one of which is the operator) so only five go up at a time.  The elevator goes up at an angle of 17 degrees and you really feel like you are going to fall over at times.  The wall around the elevator is all brick and you can see the curve in the wall through the windows so it's quite an interesting ride.  Once out of the elevator you can climb a metal spiral staircase to get up another three or four floors to the top viewing level and you can see for miles.  It was a beautiful clear day so we literally could see forever.  It was nice to see how big the lake was that we were walking around last night, and it was nice to see where else we were going to go on our walking tour today.  And before leaving city hall I should also not that just outside in a park there is a statue of an archer with his arrow pointed right at the mayor's office.  We never quite figured out the significance of that.

On our walking tour we walked through the Saturday Flea Market.  It was nothing exciting, just the usual flea market you see everyday that proves one man's junk is another man's treasure.  It all looked like junk to me.  We also went through Market Hall which is over 4,000 square metres filled with vendors selling fruit, bread, vegetables and all kinds of cooked food.  The aromas were very tantalizing and there were a lot of people sitting around enjoying the food and beverages that were offered.  We had already eaten at another square where a jazz group was playing.  The pork schnitzel and bun (schnitzel six times the size of the bun!) was too much for me so I couldn't eat any more.

All along the streets there are restaurants and bars offering great food and seating outside.  It's very inviting and hard to resist as you walk by.  The pedestrian streets are large and so nice to visit without cars involved.  The stores looked great but I have to say that I didn't go in many.  I went into the Mephisto store but $150 for a new pare of sandals just didn't sound like a bargain.  Nearby there are sections of the old city wall remaining, and from pictures and models I know that the original city was totally enclosed and part of a great defence fortress but I never figured out exactly when.

I went into the Market Church for a quick visit.  the Church is rather plain but it has a large beautiful organ at the back.  There was a concert at 6 pm and I did think about going back.  Then they told me it was half organ and half reading.  Since the readings were in German I decided not to bother going.  The church was built in the 14th century on the site of a 12th century church.  Some of the old church foundations can still be seen.  If it was ornately decorated when it was first built, it was certainly made plainer during the reformation and it now sits as a very plain church with high columns and arches, high windows - some plain and some stained glass - with one bright blue window high in the back.   The main attraction as you enter the church is the altar screen which has a golden glow to it although it is just carved linden wood with good lighting on it.  It is not large - maybe only 4 feet high and 16 feet wide but it is impressive.  The carvings or pictures on it are all really detailed, and the two side panels fold in so that the whole altar can be closed if needed.  Much of the church was destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in the 50's.  This likely explains the mix of stone and brick on the exterior walls, which are supposedly in a German Brick Gothic style.  The tower is 98 meters high and is a city landmark.  However, it was supposed to be twice that height but they ran out of money.  It's still impressive at the lower height.

The Old City Hall was not far away and it too is an impressive building.  Built originally in 1410 it apparently went through many renovations due to the different politicians in charge and many of the wings really didn't match.  At one point they were going to tear iit down but instead they restored it to its original 15th century glory with stepped pinnacled gables and decorations in a gothic style.  It looks very authentic on the outside but is apparently modernized on the inside with a glass atrium.  There is even a gargoyle on the outside of the building, apparently a way of warding off evil spirits in the old days.

There are a number of monuments and fountains and other important items that are smaller than buildings.  One is the Kropcke Clock.  Located at Kropcke Square and where all lines of the metro meet and within easy walking distance of all important areas, it is also a favourite meeting place for the locals.  The clock was originally built in 1885, and rebuilt in 1977.  Kropcke owned a nearby cafe that was very popular and rebuilt three times (after fires and war) because the people could not imagine life without the cafe.  The clock now stands at the edge of the square and reminds me of the one in Gastown in Vancouver.  Another meeting place for the locals is "beneath the tail" or just under the statue of King Ernst August I on horseback.  He was the first King of Hanover who lived in the city and the statue is right in front of the train station and just across from the tourist information office where we started and ended our tour.

There were of course other things on the tour like museums and galleries but we didn't have time for them.  There were also a lot of very large ornate buildings, many of them with stepped gables and Gothic designs.  There was also a church, or at least the walls of a church which had been bombed during the war.  It is now a memorial to those who died and the bells toll four times a day - at five past the hour so they are not drowned out by other church bells.  There are a couple of palaces in Hanover.  We went past the Leine Palace which is home to the State Parliament, and Wangenheim Palace where the King resided for a few years in the 19th century

The old town area had a lot of construction taking place so we couldn't follow it precisely.  We did see the old tower that was once part of the city fortification wall and other old buildings adjoining it.  We couldn't go in as they are now museums and were closed.  They were right along the river though and the promenade was very nice.  That's where we bought our schnitzel in a bun.  In the old town square there was a concert underway so we stopped at a cafe and had a drink while we listened for awhile.  The old town has many half-timbered buildings, which are very unique looking.  They are not necessarily from the area originally but were brought from other places in Germany and rebuilt here.  They definitely give the area an authentic German look.  The oldest house actually from Hanover is also in this area and it is very decorated on the outside and is from the 16th century.

That night for dinner we just went down the street to an outdoor restaurant.  I don't remember what I had to eat but I do remember that their pizzas were huge - bigger than any pizza I had ever seen before and they were individual pizzas.  They were amazing and a lot of people were eating them - and I don't think I saw anyone leaving with a doggie bag.  I don't know how they did it.