HAM HAM HAMBURG

The Hamburg Port Festival 2008 by John K. Lindgren


On my first visit to Hamburg in the early 70s, I had gazed at the majestic ocean liners with their towering, black smokestacks and smelled the salt air of the Elbe river that leads to sea and has carried all kinds of vessels to the Hanseatic port down the centuries. It was an awesome panorama, and for one in whom the sap was still rising, powerful enough to fill with lifelong deep wanderlust… I am now live in the Far East and revisiting Hamburg this summer was more than nostalgic. Flying from Bangkok "Turk Hava Yollari" IATA code name TK Turkish Airlines provides one of the fastest routes from Bangkok to Hamburg via Istanbul. Turkish Airlines, since April 2008 a proud member of Star Alliance flies daily to Turkey, Istanbul. Departure Bangkok BKK around midnight with early morning arrival at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul IST which is a modern new international airport boasting a Starbucks, two large bookstores and brand name boutiques galore. And sweet Turkish delight candy, of course. After a three hour pleasant day flight with a beautiful bird's eye view of Europe you arrive in HAM at noon. Hamburg is today Germany's second largest city with a population of 1.76 million, and over two million trees - and a Greenpeace office by the waterfront, just to protect the tree population and the air and the water. It was mid May – spring was gone and everything seemed bathed in summery sunshine. With city parks and gardens filled with birdsong and a youthful spring in the pedestrians' step. No matter where you turn in Hamburg, there seems to be water ......So it is no wonder that there are in all more bridges here than in Amsterdam, London and Venice - put together! Besides the great Elbe river there is the Inner and Outer Alster Hamburgs two manmade lakes almost in the middle of downtown and canals, all interconnected and crisscrossed by those bridges. To a lot of visitors it comes as a surprise to learn that this port is actually situated inland, located downriver almost 100 kilometers from the Elbe river's mouth on the North Sea, between Denmark and Holland. Strolling through the streets it was hard not to feel the excitement of the 819th "Hamburg Hafenfestival" or the Hamburg Port Festival that was to unfold within hours. The annual Hafenfestival" or the harbour birthday party" is a four-day tribute to Hamburg's long maritime past. The annual extravaganza celebrates with justifiable pomp, the port's glorious history and spirit. This prosperous Hanseatic city is commonly known as "HH" in German as "haa-haa" Hansestadt Hamburg. The locals are proud of their place in history and the city's contribution to Germany and Europe and the world. The football aficionados know that Hamburg hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Their home team Rothosen ("Red Shorts") or Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V is currently in the fourth place in the Bundesliga. Today the maritime city not only has a state-of-the-art port container port, second largest in Europe after Rotterdam and Germany's media center, by far being the home to an astounding 13,000 on-line and off-line companies; among them the respected Der Spiegel publishing group, Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa), and Axel Springer Group's "BILD" newspapers. All that aside, Hamburg was the birthplace of the iconic haute couture, uber fashion designer Karl "white ponytail" Lagerfeldt, the Joop and Jil Sander designer brands. While the Mont Blanc, high-end writing instruments and horology manufacturer is another world famous "Made in Hamburg" brand. And lastly, who does not know the blue iconic tins of Nivea cream? They were first manufactured in Hamburg by the Beiersdorf family to protect skins all over the planet. Among the historic buildings in Hamburg - and there are so many - is the neo-renaissance Kaiser Wilhelm "Emperor's Hauptbahnhof" (Main Railway Station) from 1906, the The Chilehaus (Chile House) is a ten-story 1920s office building of brick architecture with strong maritime elements another must-see, as is the infamous Reeperbahn, in the naughty St Pauli district. Walking along same at day's end, we were jostled along by tourists and locals alike. Once a seedy smorgasbord of hardcore dives catering mainly to sailors, sexy entertainment it is now a legend providing a vibrant, attractive nightlife scene with theatres and cabarets, galleries, discotheques, bars and clubs the all embellished with blue and red bright neon tubes. And who in the world could possibly walk on the Reeperbahn, and not remember the Fab Four from another historic European port Liverpool? Inevitably, one young female journalist clipped: "well, the Beatles were born here a 50 years ago – right?" Yes. John Lennon once said: "the Beatles did not become big in Liverpool but in Hamburg". Their last Hamburg gig was in 1961 at Star Club. But it is the Port of Hamburg, "die Hafen", the docks, the gigantic engine which propels the second largest container port in Europe smoothly operated by 14 giant computer controlled container gantry cranes and unmanned vehicles loading and discharging around 9,5 million standard TEU containers boxes per year. On Friday May 9th, the opening day of the festival Hamburgians were blessed with clear, deep azure skies, cumulus clouds and warm summer breeze full of promise. The auspicious event was welcomed with a long weekend as the following Monday was a bank holiday. So four days of festivities flowed like lager on tap..... The 2008 festival was inaugurated by Ole von Beust the First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the guest of honour was the first lady President of Finland, Mrs. Tarja Halonen. The Finnish navy was present with their flagship, the sleek grey minelayer m/s Pohjanmaa flying a full set of multicoloured signal flags. The entire VIP entourage, including the local dignitaries, decorated naval officers and invited members of the press were raising their champagne flutes on the poop deck of the tall, sleek green and crimson red hulled three-masted windjammer, Rickmer Rickmeers. This magnificent Cape Horn class sailing vessel is now a museum and a symbol of Hamburg's significant past as the home of the tall, fast sailing ships; the legendary "Flying P-Liners" and the majestic Hapag-Lloyd ocean steamers outward bound for Buenos Aires, New York and Montevideo. The 2008 maritime festival attracted more than 1.6 million visitors and 300 vessels, ranging from a compact grey pocket submarine to pleasure boats of every size and configuration; and most striking of all, three handsome Dutch North Sea sailing schooners with hoisted main sails and topsails bellowing. They were a sight to behold! Ship ohoy! And the stars of the show the and Russian naval cadet windjammers, the Mir, the Sedov and the biggest of them all the black and white majestic four-masted bark Kruzensthern (built in 1926 in Bremen) ex Padua which was one of fastest the "Flying P-Liners" of Laeisz company. Carl Heinrich Laeisz also consigned a generous testamentary sum for the construction of"a dignified place for the exertion and enjoyment of noble and serious music" - the Laeiszhalle from 1908 in neo-baroque red brick architecture. The ubiquitous strong workhorses of the port, the harbour tugboats and the 6,000 horsepower ocean tugboats performed their much appreciated "schlepperballet" the tug boat ballet, a veritable heavyweight boat dance with 180 degree turns on the water accompanied by a crescendo of deep baritone klaxons over the sparkling waves. The airspace above the Elbe river was also alive, with planes and helicopters buzzing around in the afternoon sun. The fighter jets of the Hamburg squadron executing pure aeronautics, loops and swirls with seemingly effortless ease.And a supreme vintage passenger aircraft: the piston propeller triple engine Lufthansa Junkers 52 (model 1944) "Tante Ju"or "Auntie Ju" flew graciously and slowly back and forth across the Elbe river. After the sun went down, bathing the whole scene in pale orange glow it was time to go below deck of the s/s Rickmer Rickmers, where the Captain's dinner consisting of North Sea crustaceans, German fresh asparagus, veal, new summer potatoes and hind beer terrine for dessert and Schneider Weissburgunder white wine. Black-and-white clad waiters hurried with large trays with along long tables in a manner reminiscent of the glory days of luxury sea voyages..... The grand finale of the evening then unfolded in the sky. This was the "feuerwerk" show sponsored by the Hamburg's own Jever beer company. The display brought out aaahs and the oooohs from the crowds on the riverbank as the rain of glowing red, blue, green and purple fireworks with thunder lit up the air and shone on every ship at anchor on the Elbe. Seconds after the fireworks ended all the ships blared their horns in unison. The sound and the sights will live on in mind for many summers.


TRAVEL INFORMATION: Useful websites: Hamburg is an open, vibrant metropolis on the water that offers something for every taste. The port of Hamburg is located by the river Elbe – just like Klong Toey, the port of Bangkok is situated by the Chao Phraya river. http://www.marketing.hamburg.de/ http://www.hamburg-tourismus.de/ Getting There: Turkish Airlines operates seven days a week from Bangkok to Istanbul with two daily onward connections to Hamburg.For more information call tel: 02 231 0311 or visit http://www.thy.com/ Where to stay:Lindner Hotel Am Michel, Neanderstr. 2020549 Hamburg, GermanyTel +49 40 307067000, http://www.lindner.de/ A stylish new well equipped four star property. Member of the Lindner Hotels & Resorts. Built in typical Hanseatic style with a red-brick façade. Located in the historic centre of the city, only 200 metres from St Michael's church and walking distance from the Elbe river and the jetties.

Hotel Atlantic Kempinski HamburgAn der Alster 72-79 20099 Tel: +49 40 28880Hotel http://www.kempinski.atlantic.de/ The Kempinski Hotel Atlantic has been Hamburg's leading hotel since it first opened it's doors in 1909 as a grand hotel for ocean liners passengers. Guests include Emperor Haile Selassie, Edith Piaf and Sir Mick Jagger.

Where to Eat:Fischereihafen RestaurantGroße Elbstraße 143, Altona, Tel: +49 40 381816, http://www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de/Inconspicuously situated between two warehouses and close to the fish market. Both traditional and exotic fish and seafood dishes are available, as is a fine choice of wines. The window seats offer great views of the River ElbeWhere to shop:Stilwerk Hamburg Große Elbstrasse 68 , Tel: +49 40 306210, http://www.stilwerk.de/ Germany's first department store for design. The mecca for trendsetters in all matters of lifestyle.

Hanseviertel, Europapassage, Jungfernstieg, Mönckeberg and Spitalerstrasse are five high end shopping areas that magically attract all those who want to take back home with them more than just nice memories in digital form.