June 14, 2024

Hamburg

I got into Hamburg a little after 10 pm (they are 1 hour later than Spain, Ireland & UK) and took a cab to my good friend Tom Powl's . He greets me at the door wearing his Lederhosen! Not so shocking if you know Tom! I forgot to take a picture, but happen to have this one of him, donning this outfit on another visit. 
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Today we caught up and took a nice long walk through his neighborhood of Eimsbuttel, one of the 7 boroughs that makes up Hamburg. He is in a great location within a block of the subway and railway lines and this new impressive 2 story bike storage is right outside the subway stop. There are tons of shops, restaurants and cafes and a lot of people out enjoying the nice weather. Most of the housing in this area is apartments & condo's that have little to no, outside space. There are tons of parks, a zoo and a whole area of private garden spaces, called Schrebergartens that have long wait list to buy or rent from the city. They create this huge green area for all with lots of bike and walking trails, right in the city. The gardens are all divided by hedges and have Indvidual little entry gates, and many have elaborate gardens and cottage building that they can hang out in and enjoy nature. There was also a lot of German proud flags flying today, as tonight was the first EU Football match between Germany & Scotland (they won!!) Tom and I toasting Germany!

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 4, 2026
We had a beautiful sunny day to explore Wellington ! Was a very nice change from the stormy, big swells weather we have had the last two days! Wellington is the Capital city of New Zealand and the CBD is nice and big with lots of shops and museums. We didn't make it to the LOTR studios due to the time crunch but we took the cable car up to the top, for a scenic overlook of the port and then leisurley walk down through the Botantical Gardens, parks and historical cemetary.

ROTORUA CITY HIGHLIGHTS - NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua became a bonus city for us. Our Port stay in Tauranga got cut down to one day, due to NZ biosecurity regulations and since we really wanted to do Hobbiton, we decided to get off the ship and stay in hotels and get back on the ship, in a few days. Due to a variety of factors, the Ship ended up doing a quick pick up of us in Tauranga, three days later. The Kiwi's we encountered along the way, who helped with all our last minute details, were amazingly kind, hospitable and generous. Below is our tired, chilly group huddled at the security shed, outside the Port in the wee hours (1:30 am) Monday morning, awaiting our final hurdle of getting back on our Home. Home sweet home! What an adventure!

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua, New Zealand is known for it's geothermal activity ( geysers, mud pools, hot springs) and rich Maori culture . I saw lots of that last time I was here in 2016, so this time I wanted to see their Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest. John and Colleen joined me in exploring. Their redwoods are smaller than the ones in Muir Woods California, but still impressive. Both are planted forest dating back to around 1908.