September 24 – 28, 2026

Hamburg is Germany’s second largest city; it is a very busy place! Though majorly destroyed in World War II, it has renewed and rebuilt, mainly without its former historic beauty. What is today’s Hamburg is a fine modern city. Here and there, beautiful historic buildings are visible.

Our first site off the tram from our hotel was a view of the remains of St. Nicholas Lutheran Church with its 483 foot tower reaching heavenward. It is still one of the tallest church towers in the world, although all that remains of the huge church are remnants of walls and blackened sculptures.

Our afternoon goal was to tour Miniature Wonderland, Hamburg’s major attraction down the street from the Memorial Church. It is filled with sets/scenes from around the world, each handcrafted with precision. We are talking about stadiums filled with 50,000 spectators, each so small (1/87th actual size) and yet so precise–each and everything hand made. Ocean vessels sailing the seas; Alpine mountains and villages with trains, cars, and trucks all moving. The airport caught everyone’s attention as planes took off and landed, and police cars and baggage handlers moved along the runway. Glaciers calved; the lights of Las Vegas blinked. One could spot TVs glowing through apartment windows and billboards displaying changing ads. Throughout the displays, daylight changed to night as city and country lights glowed, and then daylight returned. The several hours of amazement just didn’t provide enough time. Had we had more time, our friend Tommy would have returned for another visit as his various life experiences were on living display.

Our Sunday was a glorious day! We attended noon devotions with an organ recital at the beautiful St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, a stately baroque masterpiece. Since the service was in German, we only understood the invocation, Lord’s Prayer, and benediction. The organ music was both peaceful and meditative, then majestically powerful. The church’s interior is gleaming white with balconies and gold baroque accents, five pipe organs, and a 66-foot stunning marble altar, the centerpiece of which is a glass mosaic of the risen Christ. White sculptured angels peeked out at each corner of the interior, almost missed due to the beauty all around.

Later in the afternoon we attended a music concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Laeiszhalle (Hamburg’s old concert hall). That event was a wow many times over! The young violinist, featured at center stage, had his whole body in motion as he played. We agreed he is indeed a rising virtuoso. Standing ovations and bravos echoed throughout his performance. In the evening we all enjoyed a harbor cruise on the port of Hamburg experiencing the charm of the historic Speicherstadt, the old red-brick warehouse district built on a wooden foundation in the canals. The Elbphilharmonie, the new glass concert hall with its top mimicking the waves of the sea towered above us. We cruised right up alongside a massive cargo ship as cranes were loading it with thousands of cargo containers. It was a long, yet memorable day.

Our days in Hamburg were interspersed with day trips to Lubeck and Luneberg. Both cities well represent the red brick architecture that exemplifies North Germany. Both were important to the Hanseatic League, a coalition of free cities that banded together to trade around the world. This brought wealth to the cities.

Lubeck’s Holstentor is the iconic twin-towered 1478 brick town gate and the first site we approached upon our arrival to the city by train. We walked to the Lutheran Marienkirche, the largest brick church in the world considered the “mother” of Gothic brick churches as it became a model for more than 70 churches throughout the Baltic region. Inside is an astronomical clock and the lengthy “Dance of Death” fresco depicting a stream of people of both high and low stations in life greeted by a death figure signifying death awaits us all.

Lubeck’s many-spired Rathaus (town hall) is in one of Germany’s finest Gothic civic centers. We could not miss Niedereggers, the famous marzipan shop, and its museum telling the story of the renowned almond paste.

Luneberg was a delight! We arrived on market day as a children’s festival was being celebrated. Girls dressed in ceremonial garb meandered through the crowds, and a band paraded as we strolled the streets admiring the beautiful brick architecture and the abundant garden products available for purchase.

The St. Johannis Lutheran Church dominated the entrance to the city square. The Wasserviertel –the old water canal district with crooked half-timbered buildings and its Alter Kran (Old Crane) –captivated our attention. This wooden tread wheel crane standing over sixty feet high is the only one remaining in the world. It loaded salt onto boats and made Luneberg rich.

Did we eat! One memorable meal was at the Schiffergessellschaft, Lubeck’s historic restaurant that is now government-protected. Its rich interior is adorned with wood carvings and stained glass with wooden ships hanging from the intricately painted ceilings.

Our visit in Hamburg, Lubeck, and Luneberg was beautiful, busy, and filled with Baroque grandeur.