Hamburg on Water

It was cold and threatening rain in Hamburg this morning so I went into the city center, getting out of the train at Jungfernstieg to a typical Hamburg view. The main shopping street looks out over the smaller of two lakes, the inner Alster which is divided from the outer Alster by a road/rail line. (You can see the road/rail bridge mid-right in the photo below.)

Inner Alster with fountain and tourist boats

There are a lot of waterways leading from the Alster to the River Elbe and they are all built up. There are more bridges in Hamburg  than Venice.

On a sunny day...

On a sunny day Hamburg is really lovely. The trees on the Alster Lake have just begun to turn colour.

The sun glistens on the waterway in front of the town hall

and cafe patrons have a mellow feel.

Hamburg yesterday

This is Hamburg, taken from the train that crosses the bridge between the inner Alster lake (in the photo) and the outer Alster. A cityscape dominated by water and church spires.

Hamburg: Water City

Hamburg, like Venice, is built on water. The Town Hall sits on one of the tributaries that run from the Alster Lake to the Elbe River.
Boat tours take tourist on trips around the Alster lake in the middle of the city. (Note the plastic bag on the bike seat - it was a wet day.)
I read somewhere that there are more bridges in Hamburg than Venice
and I can believe it.