Trip to Hamburg

June 7 2019

Hamburg is a coastal city in north Germany, about 335 miles or 540 km from Eislingen. We were traveling there by train in two legs: a local train to Stuttgart, then an ICE (intercity express) train to Hamburg.

The trip to Stuttgart took about 40 minutes and we arrived there in time to grab a sandwich for breakfast. The ICE train left at 9:30 and arrived in Hamburg at 2:35. The train made about 6 stops during the trip.

For the long ICE trip, we traveled in a modern car in a 6-passenger compartment. This was closed off from the corridor running the length of car, and was quiet and pleasant. A good train ride on a German train is very good!

The German Countryside

Most of our trip took us through farmlands. Many little villages nestle in the hills surrounded by fields planted in new green crops.

More than on my last visit, wind turbines and photovoltaic collectors are seen even in these small rural villages. Germany generates about 20% of its power from wind turbines.

Arrival in Hamburg

Our train arrived on time in Hamburg. One of several advantages to train travel in Europe is that you begin and end your trip in the heart of town. We walked off the train with our luggage, flagged a taxi, and were checking in to our room right at the 3 pm check-in time. That's 30 minutes from train arrival to front desk.

The cab cost 7.50 €.

We got settled into our room, then went in search of a place to eat. The concierge recommended a German bar close by, so we trudged off on a scouting trip to find it. I took some pictures and we finally found the bar and a decent dinner! Called Frau Möller's, It was about a kilometer away from the Crown Plaza.