No way to Norway?

Do you know that feeling? Sometimes, you just HAVE to get out? Well, that's how I felt in the Summer of 2010. I hadn't had a decent Vacation in what felt like ages! As you know, all work and no play makes thomil a dull boy, and so I looked for a way to get the hell out of Dodge City, or rather Frankfurt. After some looking and armwrestling, I decided on a mini cruise to Oslo, the Norwegian Capital. After all had been booked, I ONLY had to endure eight more weeks of work. By the end of the last week, I was just about bouncing of the walls with anticipation!

When the day came, my alarm clock rang at about Five AM. During my Vacation! Somebody shoot me the next time a funny Idea like that crosses my mind!!

Anyway, after making myself presentable, I made my way to the train station, in order to get to Frankfurt Airport. Frankfurt may be the financial heart of Germany, but it certainly isn't in the ideal spot for a deepwater port, being about 700 kilometers from the nearest coast. So, the first part of the journey consisted of flying from Frankfurt to Hamburg, and then continuing on to Kiel, the port where my ship would leave, on a shuttle bus.

I arrived at the airport when the sun still hadn't come up. Well, the gloomy mood outside may have been augmented by the atrocious weather. All through the previous days, Frankfurt had seen one rainstorm after the other, and it certainly hadn't changed during my trip from my home to the airport.

Frankfurt Airport looking as sleepy as I felt...

That does not look pleasant.

After breakfast, I made my way through security and settled down in a small airside cafe. The weather definitely wasn't making any noise about improving, and I had found out at check-in that the incoming flight from Hamburg was being delayed. I only had a one hour connection at Hamburg, so I was a bit tense, but did my best to drown my anxiety in generous amounts of hot chocolate (Definitely NO COFFEE for me when I'm flying!). Looking up from my smartphone and Facebook, I found that a rather unusual bird had pulled up to the gate outside the window.

After having a good look at the feathery fellow outside, I came to the conclusion that he was just as thrilled about the weather as I was! Still, I made my way to the gate, just to find that not only my flight was still delayed, the flight to Berlin at the neighbouring gate was being held back. For what reason? A Missing load sheet? A Missing Captain, or worst of all, a dysfunctional coffee maker? The world wonders!

Now where is that coffee???

Shortly afterwards, my plane finally came racing over the tarmac. I mean literally racing! The pilot was trying to make up for lost time even while taxiing! I instinctively took a step back from the window as the Airbus turned into the gate, just in case the guys up front forgot about the brakes. They didn't!

Thar she blows!!

Almost there...

Docked! Now get the hell outta there!!!

After a really quick turnaround, it was time for us to board. I was one of the first in the aircraft, and quickly settled into my seat. It certainly was a welcome change of pace to have assigned seats for a change, unlike Ryanair or other European Low Cost Airlines.

Legspace is better than it looks!



No sooner had the last passenger boarded than push back started. we quickly taxied to the runway and lined up. The catapult shuttle was attached to the bow gear, the ground crew scurried away, and we were shot into the wild blue yonder. At least that's what the take off felt like!

We bounced our way through the turbulent skies for about an hour before coming in for a surprisingly soft landing at Hamburg Airport. Our Aircraft was parked on a remote position, meaning that we would have to disembark via airstairs and take a bus back to the terminal. One of my favourites!

Some places are forever linked to childhood memories. The village where you were born, your first school, etc. For me, Hamburg Airport was such a place. I had kindled my lifelong love for flying and everything related to it. It certainly had changed since my last arrival there in 1993! One thing that hadn't changed was the seemingly endless time it took for my luggage to arrive. Let me tell ya, that is one childhood memory that shouldn't have come back!

By the time I had reconquered my suitcase, I had just enough time to spare to get something to drink an withdraw some money from the ATM. By the time I had finished, the bus had pulled up outside. I settled into my seat and soon enough, we started making my way through Northern Germany. The bus schedule was timed to perfectly complement the departure time of the ship, so we arrived in the nick of time.

Now, before I go on about the trip itself, let me take some time to get you up to speed on the ship. The MV Color Magic is not your typical cruise ship. She is basically a ferry, but equipped well enough to give some of the more established cruise ships a run for their money. Both she and her sister ship, MV Color Fantasy, shuttle back and forth between Kiel and Oslo, transporting both cars, busses and lorries between Germany and Norway. As luxurious as they look, these two vessels are an integral part of the transport web that spans all of Europe. I've got some basic technical information below.

• Builder's Shipyard: Aker Yards, Turku, Finland
• Laid down: August 8th, 2006
• Launched: December 15th, 2006 
• In Service: September 1th, 2007 

• Displacement: 75100 Tonnen
• Length: 223 Meter
• Beam: 35 Meter
• Draught: 6,8 Meter

• Passenger Capacity: 2975
• Cabins: 1016
• Parking Spaces for 550 cars
• Truck capacity: 1270 Lane meters

Now, those statistics are all well and good, but they are just, well, statistics until you have seen one of these things in real life. And believe me, that thing is BIG! When the bus pulled into Kiel, and I got my first look at it, I mistook it for a hotel! Seriously, it really is THAT big!

Following a speedy check in, I boarded the ship. It certainly is something else! As large as any other ferry that plows through the Baltic, and twice as luxurious! It certainly felt good to get my feet onto the deck of a ship again, after having been landlocked siche 2006! I quickly made my way to my cabin on Deck 5 to drop of my luggage before scurrying back up to Deck 13. After all, the only way to watch a ship slip out of port is from the topmost open deck, or so I thought!

Talk about a long gangway!

A Type 214 Submarine at it's builder's yard. It's destined for export.

That thing is not as innocent as it looks!!

Someone always has to stay behind.

Color Magic slipped its moorings in the Kiel port at precisely 2PM, right on schedule. It announced it's departure with an earsplitting blast from the ship's typhon! Jesus, that thing is LOUD!! I'm not gonna be on Deck 13 when that thing goes off in Oslo, I'll guarantee that!!!!

Anyway, back to the script. I remained on deck for most of the leisurely trip through the Kieler Förde, the fjordlike Inlet along which the city is located. It is also one of Germany's premier shipbuilding centers, and its principal naval base on the Baltic coast, which will explain a lot of the grey hulls that you'll see in the following photos.

Okay, this aint Pearl Harbor or Portsmouth, but it is impressive in its own right. Seen here are an unknown Type 124 (Brandenburg Class) and the accomodation ship Altmark berthed at HDW shipyard in Kiel

Another Type 214 submarine alongside at the outfitting quay

So that's our mystery frigate. Hull number F218 is assigned to the Mecklenburg Vorpommern, one of four guided missile frigates of the Brandenburg Class. By the looks of it, she's undergoing a massive refit.

One more impression of the HDW area. 

Looking back at downtown Kiel

Airborne contact, closing slowly!

As the lush green of Kiels more well-off districts with it's research institues fell back behind, Color Magic accelerated, albeit slowly. Ahead, more grey hulls came into view, as well as a white sailing ship, whose dark secrets were still secret on that day. Only later, after the death of a cadet during a training cruise, would the problems aboard her become public knowledge.

All I ask for is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by. The German Sail Training Vessel Gorch Fock at her berth in Kiel.

Mine, mine, all mine - Minesweepers of several classes in Kiel

Two Bremen class (Type F122) frigates berthed at "Tirpitzhafen" in Kiel.  The eight  ships of this class, referred to as "North Sea Garages" by their crews, form the mainstay of the German surface combatant force. They are part of the 4th Frigate Squadron and normally based out of Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast.

The "Frankfurt am Main" (Hull Number A1412), one of two "Berlin" Class  underway replenishment ships.  These are currently the largest units in the fleet, at least until the defense department can push through its aquisition of a number of helicopter carriers.

Once past the naval base and the locks of the Kiel Canal, the ship rapidly gained speed. As I watched the german coastline receed in the background, I feel strangely relieved. I'm finally getting out of the country. Most of the time until dinner at 1745 was spent getting to know the ship. Let me just say this: I still periodically got lost when Color Magic pulled into Kiel two days later. It is a breathtaking ship!

My new favourite spot, the observation lounge on deck 15.
It certainly beats having your ears blown away on deck 13.

Looking aft on the Port side of Deck 6, the boat deck.

And looking forwward on Deck 13.

The main "promenade stretching over Deck 6, 7, and 8. Most of the ship's 6 shops, 8 bars and 8 restaurants are concentrated in this area.

Going down... One of the two elevators that stretch over ten decks.

The entire ship was immaculate, you'd be hard pressed to find even the tiniest speck of dust. The fittings were high class without being over the top as you'll find on a number of cruise ships, especially in the US market. Still, this ship wouldn't look out of place in the mediterranean cruise market. The only major disappointments were the shops on the main promenades, as they had an uncanny resemblance to those markets you find near the eastern borders of Germany, with all kinds of products mixed together. The main distinction was that, of course, Color Magic's shops were stocked with genuine merchandise. Just about the only bearable shop was the perfume/jewelry store on Deck 5.

The cabins were not quite as luxurious as the rest, at least the inboard cabin on Deck 5, which I had booked. Still, the cabin was far larger than on other baltic ferries I had experienced, and equipped with luxuries like a fridge or a TV connected to the ship's navigation systems and bow camera. A good way of determining what clothes to wear. Even the loud air conditioning wasn't a problem.

Dinner was served cafeteria style in the ship's main dining room. I had booked breakfast and dinner together with my cruise, and picked up my vouchers together with my room key during check-in. I made my way down to the dining room and was able to bypass the pretty sizeable queue at the reception desk, where everyone still tried to get a table for dinner.

I was escorted to my table. Despite the enormous size of the dining room, it never felt crowded or loud, on the contrary. The room was finished in the style of the old ocean liners, with carpeted floors and fitting decorations, all the way down to the piano player. The food was quite good though, only the queues were a bit to long.

I was just contemplating on which dessert to choose when I noticed a large structure appearing out of the clouds in the distance. I immediately recognized the contraption, and dessert was out of question. I raced up to Deck 13, camera at the ready, and arrived in the proverbial nick of time.

Like a bridge over troubled water... - No doubt that these waters can become very troubled when the weather is right.

Close enough to carry out an inspection

That's pretty damn close....

...but not close enough. Phew!

Dissapearing back into the murk over the Baltic.

Color Magic had reached the Storebaelt Bridge, part of the fixed link between Denmark's Islands and the mainland, which culminates in the Oeresund Link near Copenhagen. This is one of those buildings which are normally shown on NatGeo or the Discovery Channel. For a few moments, it looked as if our funnel was about to scrape the bottom of the roadway, but at the last minute, it turned out to be an optical illusion...and i was able to come out from the doorway that I had retreated to. I quickly disappeared inside though, as the weather, which had been lackluster all day, made a turn for the worse. It was back up to my second living room, the observation lounge up in the "disk section" of Deck 15, with a quick detour to my cabin. By accident, I passed by sickbay on my way, which was doing brisk business. Just imagine getting on a ship like this, only to develop a medical problem. That's gotta be a downer!

Back in the lounge, it turns out that I made the right decision. Rain squalls were whipped across the sea, and those force 6 winds, gusting to 7 that the forecast talked about suddenly seem quite realistic. A slight shudder could be felt in the entire observation lounge, intensifying when a gust hit the ship. Sitting there, listening to a piano player and sipping coffee, it felt almost unreal to watch the other ships in the belt fight against the swells. Our ship didn't even move, you just heard a bang when a particularly large wave hit the bow. Damn, I could get used to this!
Traffic was heavy, with a number of grey hulls intermixed with the ferries, coastal freighters and fishing boats. One ship really caught my eye as she made a full turn right in front of our bow. As she got closer, she turned her port side to us and finally revealed her identity. It was a fleet oiler of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the civilian underway replenishment organisation of the Royal Navy, the RFA Fort Rosalie (A385), ex Fort Grange. She was a veteran, having served both in Operation Corporate, the campaign to reclaim the Falklands, as well as during the Royal Navy operations in the Adriatic during the Bosnian conflict.


What the hell is that guy doing???

Hey buddy, don't you know the rules of the road??

Typical. Give someone a military look and they act as if the rule the waves!

Apart from the Fort Rosalie, I counted at least one danish frigate, a Nils Juel class, and another german F122 frigate pass of our port bow, their forecastles regularly disappearing underneath clouds of spray. A few minutes later, the reason for RFA Fort Rosalie's weird maneuvres became apparent as a Sea Lynx clattered by, heading back to her.


Well well, what are you doing there, all alone on the waterway?

Later on that evening, things began to take an unusual turn. I knew from the information screens all over the ship that we had been doing around 19 knots ever since leaving Kiel. I was on my way back to my cabin when I noticed that we had begun to slow down and were doing just about 13 knots. About an hour later, when I was on my way to the boat deck to catch a breath of fresh air, we were down to 7 knots. Dusk had fallen and just about the only way to spot other ships was by their running lights. A number of ships were off our starboard side, including one whose running lights seemed, well, odd. It all became clearer whe the lights started moving and a droning sound rose above the noise of the wind. A Helicopter! That made it clear what was going on! Color Magic had slowed down and maneuvered herself for a helicopter recovery! I quickly switched my camera to video mode and recorded the recovery and take-off.

The helicopter, a Danish Air Force EH-101 Merlin, remained onboard for little over 15 minutes, it's engines running at all times. Apparently, they picked up someone who had fallen ill or injured him/herself. That explained the activity in sickbay earlier. I really felt bad for the poor soul who had to be airlifted off the ship.

I tried to get closer to the chopper to get some better pictures, but there was no getting past the midships section of Deck 13. The entire aft portion of Decks 12 and 13 had been cordoned off.

HELICOPTER OPERATION - NO ADMITTANCE

After almost being blown overboard by the downwash of the EH-101 taking off again, I decided to call it a day and head back to my cabin. I had had quite enough excitement and new experiences for one day.

My alarm clock went off waaaay to early the next day, at least that's what it felt like. A quick check of the bow camera revealed that the sun had already risen. In the distance, a thin strip of land was just barely visible under a bank of dark clouds. We were approaching the entrance to Oslo Fjord. After making myself presentable and grabbing a nice, filling breakfast, I made my way topside once more.

As the weather.., well, had room for improvement, I decided to make my way back up to the lounge. A part was cordoned off to provide breakfast space for passengers of the higher cabin classes, but still there was enough room for onlookers like me.

The atmosphere outside was more Holy Loch than Olso Fjord. Low lying clouds were driven across the lead grey waters, rain showers obscured the shore. The whole scene screemed Nicolas Monsarrat,  Edward L. Beach or Tom Clancy. I almost expected the black hulk of a submarine to appear out of the murk, drifting silently past, only to disappear aft, ready to venture into its world of darkness, ambiguity and secrecy.



Something fishy is going on here...

Are you sure this isn't a lake?

Don't pay the ferryman!

Hmm, a small island in the fjord, a radio mast, suspiciously normal buildings... am I getting paranoid???

Just lounging around...

I wonder how much islands like this have seen.

 The farther we progressed into the fjord, the closer shore seemed to come. The tightest squeeze occured at the Dröbak narrows, a stretch of Oslo Fjord where the cliffs seemed close enough to touch. It was here, at the narrows, where one of the biggest and most surprising successes of the Norwegian Forces fighting the German invasion took place. Combined gunfire and torpedos from Oscarsborg Fortress, which still guards the narrows, sank the Blücher, a German heavy cruiser, and at the time the newest and most modern unit of the Kriegsmarine. It's hulk, and the sailors entombed in it, still lie below the dark waters of the fjord.



Looks like a placid lake in the mountains...

...if it wasn't for the oil tanks!

This looks decidedly unpleasant! Approaching the Dröbak Narrows

I wouldn't mind living there...

Presenting Oscarsborg Fortress. Once an integral part of the defence of Oslo, it was turned into a museum in 2003.

This little island was the deadly surprise that Oscarsborg held. A torpedo battery had been built underneath Karholmen in the 1920s. The fatal torpedoes that sunk Blücher were fired from here. The  battery was in operation until well into the 1990s, and it's very existence was a closely guarded secret, basically a norwegian Area 51!

Any closer to shore and our ship is gonna need some wheels!

After passing the Narrows, the fjord widened and opened up to reveal... more rainshowers! Hooray :-/ Well, it could have been worse. It wasn't snowing! However, the silhouette of Oslo soon began to appear from the rain. I was finally back!



The weather wasn't as bad as it looked, or was it?

Approaching the Port of Oslo

Cleared to dock... almost at the Color Line Terminal in Oslo

Supposedly, Ryanair is preparing to start a subsidiary to enter the Baltic Ferry Market. I guess this is going to be their Oslo Terminal ;-)

Bye bye Color Magic, see ya later!

I had prebooked a tour of Oslo the night before, just before our encounter with the SAR chopper. Four hours on the ground were too short to go exploring on your own in what was essentially a foreign city. The buses waited outside the ferry terminal, and within twenty minutes of docking, we were on our way. Unfortunately, it seemed as if a rainshower had booked the same tour. Taking photos was basically a lottery.

The new State Opera. Talk about a stylish building! Apparently, it is designed to resemble a glacier stretching into the end of a fjord.

This contraption is supposed to represent an iceberg breaking off from the glacier....

Looking towards Oslo Central Station, where my last trip to Oslo ended with an empty wallet and a stolen cell phone!

The Ferry "Pearl of Scandinavia" Several months after my visit to Oslo, she would suffer an engine room fire on the way to Copenhagen

You can't beat the classics!

Color Magic, viewed from Bygdoy.

Bow of the polar exploration ship "Fram." She was used on numerous polar expedition in both the Arctic and Antarctic Seas.

The bridge. I wouldn't want to stand there in typical arctic winter weather.

The hull of Fram was specifically built to be trapped in the ice. She spent a number of winters in the arctic ice floes, drifting with the currents. She also carried Roald Armundsen to Antarctica for his famous expedition to the south pole.

After our sojourn to Bygdoy, which seemingly has more museums than private homes, the next stop was Holmenkollen with its famous ski jump (Not, not the one mounted on the Invincible Class Carriers!!!). At the time of my visit, the entire Holmenkollen was in the process of finishing up a major reconstruction effort prior to the 2010/2011 Nordic Skiing World Cup, so the drive up there was a bit adventurous, to say at the least. The view was nothing to brag about either, thanks to a low cloud base. Whenever the clouds cleared though, the view was spectacular!

I have to say I like the new design!

De-Icing that is going to be a b*tch ;-)

Don't feed the trolls!!!

That architect definitely earned his money!!!

Can you imagine how spectacular that view must be when the weather is better?

Impressions from Vigelandpark / Frognorpark.The sculptures in this park were created during the first half of the 20th century by norwegian artist Oskar Vigeland. While the style of the schulptures is not really my taste, the overall layout of the park is impressive. The bad weather and rain showers certainly worked against creating a great impression in the park.

After that, it was back to the ship. We had about one hour until Color Magic cast off, and arrived with fifteen minutes to spare. Talk about a close call. Though neither I nor any other person on that tour knew it at the time, one of the areas we drove through would be devastated one year later by a bomb set by that monster Breivik.

Time to get back on board...

There's Bygdoy. The Building on the right is the Fram Museum.

Barely a few kilometers outside of downtown Oslo....

Looking at Holmenkollen. That curved thing near the centeris the lower part of the ski jump

Going outside for a smoke is likely to be a slightly unpleasant experience here.

Slowly, Color Magic drew away from Oslo, and began the long passage through the fjord back to the open seas. Shortly after departure, I left the deck to find something to eat, and decided on the "Italian" restaurant on the promenade on Deck 6. Bad Move. The pizza itself was okay, but nothing to write home about, and I honestly do not want to know what they did with those beef strips prior to putting them on the pizza. Well, next time, I'll know better. I finished just in time to watch our ship pass Oscarsborg Fortress again. I still couldn't stop thinking what lay below these placid waters.

The guns of Brixton, err Oscarsborg.

Leaving the narrows behind.

If these shores could talk...

The open sea draws closer.

Once past the Dröbak Narrows, our ship picked up speed. It seemed like she was itching to leave the narrow waters of the jord behind. I also noticed something else. The weather was clearing! Great!! Now!!! After spending four hours in Oslo dodging rain showers, the sun decided to come out. Dear weather gods, just wait until I get my hands on you!!!!!!!

That doesn't look too bad...

I'll just leave this uncaptioned...

Speedboat passing us on the final miles of the Oslo fjord.

And the Moss-Horten ferry again. Feels like seeing an old aquaintance by now.

Then, suddenly, the coastline started to recede. We had reached the open sea, which was easily seen by the rougher sea states. Not that you felt anything of the increased wave action aboard Color Magic, she cut through the waves "like a shark through a surfer." (I love that analogy!!! ;-) )

That silhouette off our bow looks familiar.

Stena Saga, I don't believe it. My parents gave me a model of her when I was a kid, twenty years ago. It was one of my absolute favourites. I can't believe she is still afloat, I'd have guessed she ended her life in some breaker's yard in India or something.

A last look at the norwegian coast.

The wild blue yonder calls. This view alone would have been worth the whole trip! That little island just at the center is Faerder Fyr lighthouse, officially the end of Oslo fjord.

I spent the hours until dinner on deck, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the atmosphere. There is something calming, almost cleansing about being on the open seas. Well, at least as long as you're on a decent vessel! After another great dinner, I made my way back up to the observation lounge. The weather had gone south again, the wind had picked up again, and rain showers whipped across the sea.

That doesn't look too bad...

Belay that last statement!!!

Ships anchored off the swedish coast. Please note how close to shore we still are.

Without any Medevac flights to keep me awake, I soon made my way to the cabin. Tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.
Once again, the alarm clock went off far too early. A quick check on the tv showed that we were just passing through the Langelandsbelt. The weather was once again pretty unpleasant, with strong winds and rain showers. Not many people frequented the breakfast buffet, a fact that I immediately took advantage of. I had a long day in Hamburg ahead of me, after all.
After Breakfast, I made my way back up to the lounge. At first I wondered if I had missed a memo or something. Had war broken out in Germany? The closer we got to Kiel, the more grey hulls we saw.

Will you be mine, or will you be mined? German Navy Minesweeper heading out on a training (?) mission

Wait a minute, since when do civilian ships require an escort to enter Kiel harbor?

A closer look at our companion....

....definitely not the biggest. I wonder how they feel about havin a twenty thousand ton ferry bringing up their rear?

Finally, our mystery ship reveals its identity. It is the Helmsand (Y862), officially a test and evaluation vessel.

 Our little shepherd turns out to be quite an interesting ship. As I stated in the caption, the Helmsand is a floating testbed. Several Internet sources state that these ships are tasked with recording electromagnetic, radar, and sonar information. I'll believe that in a heartbeat, considering the masts and antennas in that ship. Basically, these vessels seem like the NATO counterpart to the ubiquituous KGB "trawlers" of the cold war. I bet these guys weren't too happy about a ship full of tourists passing alongside!

Almost home. Passing the lighthouse at the entrance to the port of Kiel.

Back there, right next to the gantry crane, is our dock.

Naval Air Station Kiel Holtenau. Soon this will be a historic photo.

Another "airborne contact," this one a German Navy Sea King...

...apparently on approach to its home base at Kiel Naval Air Station. This will be closed 2012, as the navy conenctrates its air assets at Naval Air Station Nordholz.

Once past the locks of the Kiel Canal, three sharp bursts from the ships horn alerted every vessel in the vicinity about what was about to happen. As all color line ships in Kiel are docked stern first, we had to turn 180 degrees and reverse into our berth.

I admit it is kind of hard to see, but the rounded silhouette in the center of the image is one of the german navys Type 212A "super subs" with AIP propulsion systems that enable it to stay completely submerged for weeks instead of days!

Ah, the competition has already arrived, in the shape of the Stena Line ferry from Göteborg (Gothenburg)

I wonder what kind of cargo the MV Box Trade is designed to carry?

The deboarding procedure reminded me of a school of sharks pouncing on an unsuspecting seal (the marine mammal, not the special ops variety). Everything had to go through one exit. The result was predictable: Mayhem!
Somehow, I managed to survive and get out ;-) As I needed cash to pay for the bus back to Hamburg, I decided to start hunting for an ATM. I found it on the other side of the harbour, at Kiel's central train station. With my wallet breathing a little easier (and my bank account one step closer to a mental breakdown), I made my way back to the ferry terminal to catch the shuttle bus.

These guys really deserve every accolade, every donation, and every bit of respect they can get. The "Berlin" is a Rettungskreuzer (literally rescue cruiser, best analogue would be lifeboat) of the DGzRS, a german volunteer organisation tasked with providing help and assistance to ships and individuals in emergency situations on the high seas.

Looking back at Kiel harbor. The train station and downtown are right behind me, giving you an idea of just how centrally located the ferry terminals are!

From now on, this report will be far less colourful. For some reason, my camera battery hadn't charged properly over night, and died on me shortly after taking that shot. The bus ride back to Hamburg was pretty much the same as in the other direction.

Once back at Hamburg Airport, I quickly dropped of my trolley and laptop bag at the luggage storage, and made my way downtown. Not really a problem, given Hamburgs excellent public transit system. They even managed to build a rapid transit connection to the airport with only a twenty year delay!

I have to say, stepping out of the underground station in downtown Hamburg was like taking a step back in time! A lot was still like I remembered it, and the city still lived up to its reputation as Germanys only truely cosmopolitan metropolis! I spent most of the time just soaking up the atmosphere (I had no other choice, I got lost), and spent a large part of the afternoon in the "Miniatur Wunderland." If you ever get the chance to visit it, do so. It is absolutely worth it! 
Well, the day in Hamburg drew to a close far too quickly. Before long, it was time to get back to the airport, retrieve my luggage from the storage, check in and have a quick dinner. Well, quick was most certainly an exaggeration, although it was very good. But, by the time I was finished, I had to hurry through the security checkpoint, which was no problem at all. By the time I had arrived at my gate, the flight had already started boarding, this time docked to a jetway at the main pier. It was actually the same aircraft I had flown in on. I had no sooner settled into my window seat than two businesspeople sat down next to me. I had a hard time whether they were married to each other (because of the way they treated each other), to someone else (the rings on their fingers didn't match), or their Blackberries. Anyway, they had this "better than you" attitude that I can't stand. Thank god this wasn't a transatlatic flight. 
Takeoff was swift, again like a catapult shot from an aircraft carrier. Our (unremarkable) flight led us from Hamburg via Hannover and Kassel (Which looked like it was still trying to win a GDR lookalike contest) back to Frankfurt. We docked at the same gate where I had left three days earlier. After another seemingly endless waiting period, my luggage finally arrived. By that time, I was pretty much done for, and the train ride home was just a blur. But all in all, it was worth it!