Hamburg
Who’s sick of trade deals? Well I am, so I hoped to spend today exploring the division of Germany from WW2 to 1990. I’ve mentioned that Lübeck sits on the old Iron Curtain which separated west and east Germany. One of the border crossings was at the edge of the city and it’s now a fascinating museum except, like the old border, it’s firmly closed. Open Saturdays and Sundays only. For over 700 years Lübeck, as Queen of the Hanseatic League, was an autonomous city state. Had it maintained that status, it might have found itself in the East or West after the war. But in 1937, the Nazi government ended the special status and forced Lübeck into Schleswig-Holstein and that saved them from a future in the DDR.
Instead of the East German border crossing, I went to the Hanseatic museum for a very detailed account of the whole Hanseatic trading arrangement. We saw how it started, who was doing the trading, what goods were in demand, how the wealthy merchants emerged, how the British run it and how the Italians designed the method of double ledger accounting. Inevitably, there were arguments, bloodshed, boycotts and then eventually it all breaks down with bitter recriminations and tariffs.
The museum was a bit of a mess. It was a subterranean affair designed on the IKEA principle of no exits before the gift shop. There was nothing much to look at; just lots of text on screens. I was given a contactless card to change the display to English and that would have been fine had the museum been empty. But there were Germans, Russians, Danes etc. and it was chaotic until later when nobody could be bothered to read anymore. The takeaway was that Lübeck was the major trading port and de facto capital of the Hanseatic League, a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire and then an independent city state. You can see the legacy all around the modern city.
So there we are. This walk through Scandinavia has been a really fine pilgrimage with a lot of beautiful scenery on land and water and a chance to be reunited with some dear pilgrim friends. Thank you for following and especially for your comments which are so uplifting and for which I’m so grateful.
Lübeck and proclaims its status as a free imperial city
Pilgrimage 
thankyou, happy travelling homeward bound
always homeward bound. Thanks
A lot of history to absorb after a long walk…but you seem to have a solid knowledge of it prior. 🤯
Safe trip home dear Tim…we’ll miss your daily little rays of light, warmth & humour!
Oh where shall he wander next… 🤔🤗
thanks Tassie I’ll miss your daily comments too
Safe travels home. Thank you for the history lessons and stunning photographs. I really enjoyed following your hike.
thanks
More stunning photos of Lubeck, and fascinating historical information; thank you so much Tim for sharing your pilgrimage with us. I too will miss your daily posts! All the best for a safe return home 🏡
thanks. All flights to London were cancelled yesterday so I had an extra night in Hamburg
Oh no! The cancellation features in a small item in this morning’s NZ Herald ..
Thank you! Everyday was so enjoyable and interesting. I too will miss your daily posts.
Lucy
Thanks Lucy, I had a good time
The juxtaposition within the Bismark photo must have taken some effort.
I couldn’t resist it!
Hi Tim
Really enjoyed reading about your daily exploits and the photos as you’ve walked along . Looking forward to the next one once you’ve recovered . Hope you get back to the UK without too much hassle if you’re flying home !
Safe travels.
Cath
Sent from my iPad
Thanks Cath I had a great time. My flight was cancelled and I was dumped in a many starred Radisson Blu hotel for a night of super luxury! I was lucky because I’ll be home by lunchtime but the people I spoke to were waiting for 2 or even 3 nights for a flight home. Hope to see you both down at Sandown when the winter comes
Hi Tim
Hope you’ve arrived back safely . We’re not heading to Heathrow until early September so I hope it’s back to normal by then!
Yes , we may well head to Sandown at some point . Going to Yorkshire in 10 days or so to go to 4 races meetings in 4 days ! Then Norfolk over the Bank holiday to go to Great Yarmouth !
Cath
Sent from my iPad
Hi Tim. Thoroughly enjoyed your trip.
Thanks so much! If I’d known about the ATC issues I’d have walked home!
Well done on another beautifully photographed, historically interesting pilgrimage.
I’m hoping some of this will come up on this weeks Saturday Time Quiz 😜
Dawny xx
I hope you get some more correct answers on Saturday. Cheers and see you soon
End of another fine walking trip and Blog..So an Italian was responsible for inventing Debits and Credits, and oiling the wheels of commerce. Just googled him; Luca Pacioli, a friend of Leonardo da Vinci. 40 years working with double entry paid the bills for me!
Sorry you got caught up in the UK air traffic control problems.
Enjoy the Proms,
Peter
Indeed. It was a big step forward for business integrity although I was surprised that they didn’t include cash payments in the books. Probably to avoid tariffs. See you soon!
Great storytelling 👏 Safe travels home and good luck with the dreaded NATS
Thank you and better safe than not safe with ATC
Tim
I very much enjoyed your blog along with the great photos and historical contexts – especially as this is a route that’s not on my pilgrimage bucket list! I’m looking forward to following your next adventure.
Cheers, Andrew
Hi Andrew, good to hear from you. There’s quite a few St Olav routes heading to Trondheim which are worth investigating. I’m glad you enjoyed following me on this one
Just catching up with the blog Tim, but another wonderful archive of your pilgrimages. Go well.
Thanks I really enjoyed this one
Thank you Tim to share this wonderful pilgrimage with photos, funny comments but very interesting and your smile even with the rain..I’m waiting the future pilgrimage ? Cheers and perhaps see you soon.
Bonjour Huguette, I don’t remember smiling in the rain haha but thank you for your kind comment and I hope we come over to France to walk together