Binnenalster

We have had such a wonderful day. The sun has been shining most of the day, albeit with some clouds, so we walked round the Binnenalster (small lake in Hamburg) before taking a boat trip round the Aussenalster (outer - and much bigger - lake). The Binnenalster has a large fountain, which, in the sunshine, from time to time had a rainbow - which was too good not to blip! The lake also has Mute Swans, Mallard Ducks, Herring Gulls, Seagulls and Mandarin Ducks. 

After our trip (and a rather indulgent large ice-cream with cherries, strawberries and raspberries), we visited the Rathaus, but decided not to stay for the English tour (all the others we've done have been in German). I'm beginning to be able to follow bits of the German tours... We then went to the church of St Peter. We didn't know what to expect, but loved the church. The stained glass is very modern - very thoughtful, and there are some wonderful touches. I very nearly blipped the memorial cross with tea lights and the reflective woman sat beside it. The fact I'd blipped an indoor blip yesterday tipped the balance.... Apparently when Napoleon turned up in Hamburg, he moved the locals out to Altona, and then used the church of St Peter as a stable! There is even a picture of it. We finished our day climbing 123 metres up the tower - even higher than St Michael's yesterday (106metres). The view from the top was spectacular - and it was swaying in the wind! 

In all, we have walked another 13km today. Although we may have counteracted the benefit with ice-cream....