Today, the four of us - me, Jean, Christine and Renate - headed out of Hamburg, the beginning of our big journey through Germany and Poland together. We headed first north-west, and after an hour or so entered marshy, fairly flat countryside. Soon, we came to Glückstadt, where we crossed the Elbe at a point where it was quite wide. It's only a little further downstream that the Elbe empties into the North Sea.
The 16 euro voyage across the Elbe took maybe 40 minutes, during which the ferry slowed because of a narrow channel between the sand banks, caused by a low tide.
The water was very shallow in the Elbe in parts.
During the voyage, there was not much to do on the ferry, just enjoy the scenery and the sunshine.
We stopped for lunch at charming Stade, a city founded many centuries ago on the Schwinge River. One building was constructed in the 17th century, while a street we walked along appeared to have existed since 1329. Some of our ancestors from far back also settled here in Stade.
The statue may represent a lady selling fish in the fish market adjacent to the river. Here she holds a fish in hand and has a full basket of fish nearby. A local cat comes to inspect...
Here, Renate admires Jean's ability to sleep absolutely anywhere - even in the middle of the town!
After leaving Stade, we stopped for afternoon tea in a small town and arrived at our destination for today - Detmold, with Christine's and Renate's parents. We'll spend the next few days here.
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