Lounging Around Lubeck

Why Lubeck? Why not?

How much is that doggy in the window?
Woof woof. Woof woof.

We passed through Lubeck a while back on our train trip to Hamburg. It's a small town in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany. When I say small, it's actually a probably a city according to Danish standards, but the inner city, the old city which is surrounded by water is easily walkable, only 1.8 x 1.2km. Lubeck doesn't really have much going for it in terms of excitement, so the 5 of us had to bring our own fun. The old town is UNESCO World Heritage listed, and for good reason. With many buildings in the town from the 12th and 13th centuries, there is a lot of eye candy there for those who enjoy looking at old architecture, especially the famous Holstein Gate with its two towers that give the Leaning Tower of Pisa a run for its money. Otherwise, there is always marzipan....

Lubeck Town Hall

For some reason, Lubeck became a centre for marzipan in the late 18th and 19th centuries. A law was even enacted that ensured all marzipan bearing the Lubeck Marzipan name was of a certain quality (in terms of the ratio of sugar to almond paste). The small inner town, at one point, had over 100 marzipan makers, the number is now down to just a couple, but production is in the many tonnes per day! We went to the famous Niederegger Cafe to check out their slightly disappointing marzipan museum, and to sample some wonderful German cuisine - the type I like! Tortes! All sorts with nuts, creams, marzipan (of course), and chocolate. And so so yummy! This was thoroughly enjoyed in their classic 'early 20th century looking' cafe (which was only built following the destruction of the original one in WWII).

My favourite part of the town though, was St Mary's Church. A huge church that, like much of Lubeck, was bombed by the Allies during the war. It was rebuilt in all it's glory, but the most moving part, was the church bell that fell from one of the towers when the church was burning. In addition to getting slightly deformed from the heat of the inferno, it hit the stone floor from such a height that the stone floor itself became warped. The bell was left in the position it fell, even though the church was rebuilt. It stays as a reminder of the war. Quite an interesting thing to have in a church which is otherwise filled with references to godly things.

The 5 of us stayed in a great little terrace house in the old town. We were welcomed by the owners (also neighbours) in a wonderful un-Danish like style - talkative, warm and friendly. The middle aged couple couldn't do enough tor So make us feel at home and introduce us to the town. However, some aspects of Denmark have definitely seeped into this part of Germany. While you can enjoy a curry-wurst or schnitzel, you will receive it with standard Danish restaurant service. In other words, you will be lucky to have your lunch order taken before afternoon tea and have it served to you prior to dinner. That being said, since we weren't in a rush to go anywhere, it was all quite enjoyable still.

The seemingly ubiquitous 'love bridge' featured in most European
cities.

Would I go back? Sure - for a lazy weekend in summer where I just want to relax amongst beautiful architecture surrounded by water. But if I want any hint of excitement, I'd be going somewhere else.

This has got to be one of the largest liquor stores in the world. With almost 4 levels jam packed with beer, wine and spirits, it is a haven for travelling Danes who load up here just before boarding the ferry back to Denmark.

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