Day trip to Lübeck

Day 3

Day 5

Tuesday morning we gathered at Berne station to travel to Lübeck and, after some fun trying to buy the right sort of ticket, we waited on the platform...

...for the suburban train into the city.

Here we had another wait while a suitable ticket was procured...

...and on the platform for the 20-minute-late train (a change for the big boys to take pictures of trains!).

Anyway, the train came and took us at speed to Lübeck, where we emerged from the station to see seasonal asparagus and strawberries on sale (everyone goes mad for "spargel" for a month in early summer).

We crossed the "bridge of dolls" towards the city...

...the sculptures are impressive (I think they are reproduction, with the originals in safe keeping somewhere).

As we approached the Holstentor (the main gateway into the city) the many spires reached into the low cloud.

The Holstentor is an impressive building, still standing despite changing ground levels which leave it looking a bit wonky!

On the other side we got glimpses of tall spires through gaps in the buildings.

...and looked back on the salt warehouses outside the city moat.

In the market place we ate Bratwurst and Meld and Tony reminisced on working together 25 years ago - "we never thought that 25 years on we'd be sitting together in Germany..."

The market place is sort of impressive, with an odd mix of architecture - the white renaissance bit was just to prove how wealthy they were, and looks very odd, the darker bit on the right was the council chamber.

Outside St Mary's Church Tony made friends with the devil.

Inside the church is impressive - the tallest brick church in the world.

Günther Uecker's 14 broken crosses:

A bas relief of the last supper

The "Tree of Light"

The broken bells which fell during an allied bombing raid the night before Palm Sunday 1942 are left where they landed as a memorial.

The high altar.

Tony tells Barbara about the Gutenberg press.

From St Mary's we went to the Holy Ghost Hospital, and early alms house or old people's home - a bit grander than McCarthy and Stone!

However, the rooms weren't as big: just a monastic-style cell.

The altar backs were impressive

Walking back to our rendezvous point, I spotted this relief on a house wall.

Our rendezvous was Niederegger's Marzipan Salon and Cafe.

Even the window looked tasty!

In the cafe there were big decisions to be made...

...whether to have the special marzipan cake (below) or another delicacy from the cabinet.

Peter had been avoiding Alan and I all day, but with cake in front of him he let his guard down!

We had a reserved area in the centre of the cafe.

Upstairs there was a small museum, with information and things made from marzipan.

Downstairs was the marzipan shop - we had trouble getting Sylvie out!

Back to the train and via Hamburg to Berne, then we joined Zugvogel for their regular Tuesday training session in the community hall.

During the evening we gave a display - Green Willow:

...some clogging:

...Appalachian:

Half a band...

...and the other half.

Concluding, as ever, with the Rose.

Zugvogel demonstrated some of the set they plan for Hungary this summer.

There were lots of social dances, but Alan hurt his foot and I was too busy dancing to take many pictures, but I was wise enough to sit out Cotton-Eyed Joe.

All too soon it was time to go home: hot, tired, but happy.

Day 3

Day 5