June 22, 2024
In medieval times, a dam turned the Alster River into a water reservoir to power all the mills operating on it's banks. This shaped the face of central Hamburg, as it is now, made up of two lakes called the AuBenalster (outer) and Binnenalster (inner). The river is feed from a spring outside of Hamburg and flows into the Elbe river just south of city center. We took a two hour cruise on the lakes and the many canals that the Alster runs through.
Chongqing China is #1 with 10,000 bridges.
Hamburg is #2 with 2,496 - more than the combined bridges from Venice, London and Amsterdam.
Berlin is #3 with 1700 bridges.
Hamburg wins! with more canals than Venice and Amsterdam combined.
Above is Hamburg's most exclusive Hotel Atlantic Hamburg - the globe that sits on top of its marque has been transformed into a soccer ball in honor of the UEFA 2024.
Rondeelteich is the most exclusive neighborhood in Hamburg and the only way you can get one of these mansions is to marry in or inherit it. There were lots of kayaks, dragon boats, canoes and paddle boarders throughout the lake - almost all are wind or paddle operated. The only motorized vehicle's were our ferries and a few small boats for supervising the sail boat lessons.