The Saint Nikolai Memorial is a church which was destroyed in air raids during World War II. It has been left as a reminder and has a museum highlighting how the war started. Today it is quite a powerful symbol highlighting the destruction of war. We enjoyed walking through it and letting the moment sink in.
We walked to get a bit of lunch and to catch up with Auntie Sally and Auntie Tess. We were impressed with all of the canals and the public access to the canals. It was very good to see our Aussie friends and have a couple of beers in the sunshine. We got some news and a bit of a reminder of home. We are going to catch up with them again so it was good fun.
We had arrived in Hamburg in time for their big harbour festival. They had all sorts of food stands and games too. The main draw of course was the boats going up and down the river and harbour. We enjoyed sampling some of the goods, somehow ending up in a Lithuanian spot with dancing fox characters and delicious beer.
In the morning we had a quick breaky and headed to the local park. The girls really enjoyed it because it was more natural with all of the structures made of wood. It had heaps of trees and was such a pleasant place to be. They played some really creative games including making up a play on the spot.
Once we dropped off our stuff at the accommodation we headed out to catch up with Auntie Julika. We walked through a long green park which had several playgrounds all the way to the lake. It gave us a good idea of Hamburg which is a very walkable and bikeable city. It was really fun to see Julika and have a great German pub dinner. We then walked back and got to see a rainbow crossing which the girls enjoyed.
We were excited to fly to Hamburg and a little sad to be leaving Paris. We few out of Charles De Gaul but from one of the small terminals and it was really relaxing. Not really busy at all and despite not having a lounge we found seats and managed to relax. It was a short flight anyway so none of us were stressed.
We found a little restaurant on our final night in Paris on this trip. It ended up being the perfect end to our stay as we were all very relaxed and got what we wanted for dinner. Sitting and watching people walk by in the neighbourhood as we sipped our beverages was such a lovely way to watch the sun begin to set. It really was that quintessential Parisian experience which one remembers for a long time.
