Dec 26, Luebeck, Germany -- Woke up to the coldest morning yet. It had been in rhe upper 40s for the high my first two days. I had to wear my winter gloves for the first time when I went outside. Hoping that more things were open since nothing was open the last two days. On the walk into the old town, I stopped at the town gate on the west side of the city – the Holsten Gate. This one is from 1478 – that’s old! Pretty damn cool. Look at pictures!
I first wandered over to the Christmas market (in the courtyard of the Rathaus, or town hall) and it was just starting to get going at 1045am. People were just starting to fire up their grills and their glauwein warmers and set up their candy shops.
I did some people watching then went over to the nearest church -- St Mary's. It's right next to the market. It was open! And the church was pretty impressive. High ceilings, decent sized organ. The south tower has an interesting story -- two bells fell to the ground back in 1942 when the city was bombed and the church caught on fire (stupid backdrafts!). They are still there, exactly where they fell. It looks like this super thick metal was soft as butter bc they split so easily when they fell from the ceiling.
So I walked around the city center a little more and nothing seemed to be open. I went up to the northern end of town where there is another old town gate, the Burg Gate that has been there since 1444. Look at pictures!
I then walked down to the Lübeck Dom and it was closed, I think the sign said until 2pm but my German isn’t very good. What the? Another church next door looked like it was built in 1980 inside so I skipped it. Now what am I going to do? It’s noon and nothing to see. Another day of everything closed and I leave tomorrow. Or not. I found in my guide book that I should check out St Ann's museum which is down by the Dom.
And it was sweet! It's an old convent, I think, but it now houses a ton of old wooden altar pieces that used to be in use around Lübeck. Some going back all the way to the the 1400s! And they are huge, some are probably over 6’ tall and maybe 15’ wide. Ornately designed, and all about the big guy upstairs. This is the kind of thing I like seeing on my travels -- 600+ year old religious artifacts or paintings.
I walked out of here feeling pretty good, things were gonna be open! Then a downer -- it had started to rain. But it’s not like an Atlanta rain. It’s an annoying sprinkle that hurts if it hits your face but it doesn’t really get your jeans wet. And didn't stop until sometime after I went to bed. Luckily I own waterproof shoes and waterproof jacket so it was all good.
So in the rain I walked back to some of the churches that were closed earlier. And score! Lubeck Dom was now open. There is a carving of Jesus on the cross that is like two plus stories high and 20 yards across and it may have been carved out of one giant piece of wood. For being the city’s cathedral, I liked St Mary’s better. I give you a B, Dom. Here’s the giant carving of JC (a little dark):
The rest of the day was spent wandering the town, visiting the Christmas market. For lunch I had a bratwurst in the market. Same lunch as day before. Here's a pic of St Mary's and St Peter's church behind me while I am in my homeless man's hat.
Having water features in your town is so nice. Here are a couple of pics of some cool buildings right down on soe of the canals of the river.
Before I went home for a break between sunset at 4 and dinner I had to stop for some glauwein. It's hot wine and I don't like wine. But everyone there drinks it with their friends. They just hang out around tables and drink it. I have bypassed it for the last three years but not this time. So I ordered one and then stood around for some people watching and glauwein drinking. It was gross but it's a reason for the season.
After taking the last sip of a now almost cold glass of wein, I walked home in the rain. I recharged for a while, dried off, then headed out again for some Xmas market walking, food , and hopefully a beer.
For dinner I had a slice of pizza in the Christmas market and headed to a place I found on the internet that makes their own beer. Brauberger. And it was tasty. Sat at the bar by myself and had 1.5 beers. Cloudy and tasty. The beer is made 30' from my seat. And served out of tiny barrels. Yum! Check it out. Beer is made in that copper tank in the pic and served out of the barrels right behind my glass. Here's a pic from my seat:
After the beers, I walked back home (20+ minute walk), got packed up for tomorrow and hit the sack.
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