Lubeck, Germany in the Rain

We arrive in Germany! Cloudy skies and 50% chance rain….of course, that means it will rain at some point. Normally August is suppose to be warmer and sunnier, however this year the Germans have experienced cooler temperatures and much more rain.

Some facts about Lubeck:

–       Founded for the first time in 1143, later founded again

–       It is primarily a trade town

–       It has very high unemployment

–       Famous for its Spryes, the points on the architecture of churches, etc

–       Lubeck is where gothic cathedral architecture first originated. Later it got spread to northern Europe and many other areas mimicked it

–       Known for their Brick Gothic look, which was also spread all over Europe

–       Lubeck has no natural stone so things like granite had to be imported from countries like Sweden.

–       Lubeck first began the red wine trade of Germany with France They imported grapes from France and used their brick buildings to ferment and make the wine. Because brick is able to maintain stable temperatures, it created wine better than France’s region.

–       There are many bomb shelter buildings in Luibeck that today are now historical buildings

We entered Lubeck, Germany via boat trip down a small river, into the main city. It was an overcast and rainy day so the quick morning ride, complete with mimosas and Lubeck history, was a pleasant way to get acquainted with the city. After getting a complete canal tour around the small town, we walked through the main areas of town, got some more history, and viewed some churches. I love the cobbled streets and small alley ways of Europe, full of unique architecture (mostly brick here). We found a quaint café in the main center of town and decided to get out of the pouring rain and get some coffee. We soon found out that this particular café was about to celebrate it’s 225 year anniversary next May. I was also able to try the Lubeck red wine. Wow. What a treat. This wine was probably some of the best red wine I’ve ever tasted, no joke. It was a luscious red color, sweet and cherry flavor, full of flavor, with no tannins. It could best be described as a blend, perhaps of Syrah. I loved it, and for about 10 euros I was able to buy a bottle. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, we will see if it remains in my suitcase. Guess our guide who showed us around the city this morning was right; Lubeck’s red wine is better than France’s!

Lubeck is also known for their marzipan, and assorted pastries with it. Marzipan can best be described as an almond butter paste that can be put in cakes, chocolate, and really anything else. Many people enjoy an afternoon coffee with a nice marzipan cake. I did not particularly care for it…but of course we all know I love my froyo.

After strolling around town, going to the Niederegger, marzipan café, seeing the churches, and everything else, we returned back to our ship. Right as we made our way back the rain came again and we were greeted aboard with some German Beer tastings. It was a lovely day in historical Germany. Although it was nothing like I expected, I do think this town was less touristy than normal, and of course, probably contains a wealth of history more than anything else. One day I will make it back to the other main cities of Germany, to get a better whiff of the culture, the people, try a bratworst, and many have a real German beer at a pub. I am shocked at the quality of the red wine I found though. Who would have thought I’d find some of the best red wine I’ve ever tasted in Lubeck Germany?

Ship’s Commentary-

“Monday morning saw us enter the mouth of the Trave River on the northern coast of Germany, with the tower of St Jacob’s church a navigational marker for us as it has been for centuries of mariners. For a modern ship Lübeck seems too far inland, but for most of its history this river-moated harbor was thus protected from raiders. Our morning riverboat cruise around the city took us past a replica cogge, the flat-bottomed ship of the Hanse traders, a mediaeval merchant guild that made Lübeck its headquarters. Lübeck controlled the trade in salt that arrived in the town via a canal from Luneberg. Salt preserved fish from coastal Norway that were exchanged for woolen cloth in Bruges or beeswax and furs in Novgorod. A network of Hanseatic cities, several of which we shall be visiting on this voyage became centers of merchant capitalism in the economic vanguard of the Middle Ages. Our morning walking tour included a visit to St Mary’s church, the tallest brick-built church in Europe, completed by the mid-fourteenth century and imitated in several other Hanseatic towns around the Baltic coast. An afternoon historical walk encountered a Rood carved by Bernt Notke dating from the late fifteenth century and, in the mediaeval art museum housed in the former St Ann’s Convent a magnificent altarpiece by Hans Memling from later in the same century. Both works testify to the patronage, not of noble families, but of merchant guilds, a new phenomenon in European history.

The day was not exclusively devoted to mediaeval history. An afternoon walk was offered to the Botanical Garden, local beers were sampled on the aft deck and many guests had taken the opportunity to buy some of the famous local marzipan. But even the marzipan speaks of Lübeck’s Hanseatic past: almonds and sugar were imported from the eastern Mediterranean to this the ‘Queen of the Hanseatic Cities’ and then turned into confectionery and exported for profit. It will be hard to escape history’s shadow on this voyage…”