VASCO DA GAMA and other Voyages
19th July 2019
Vasco da Gama (1460 - 1524) was a Portuguese explorer who in 1497 was commissioned by his King to sail from Europe around Africa, arriving at what is now India. The chance of sailing on a ship named after him sounded interesting so when the German cruise line Transocean were offering a 3 night cruise from Kiel in July 2019, I decided to make a booking. Making my own explorations at the same time offered great possibilities.
The ship was originally built at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yards in Italy, for Holland America Line in 1993 as STATENDAM, at 55,877 gross tons, before sailing from 2015 as PACIFIC EDEN for P&O Australia, under the Carnival mantle. On 24th April 2019 she then made her first voyage from Singapore, before joining Cruise & Maritime Voyages as VASCO DA GAMA. CMV's Transocean Kreuzfahrten is using her from May to October 2019 in Europe, after which she will return to Australia and Singapore, with a brief annual visit to Tilbury in the UK each September or October.
Monday 15th July 2019
Getting to Kiel in Germany was my next plan, and I started by flying to Hamburg one summer early evening and staying overnight near the airport. I showed the Ibis hotel address to an Airport taxi driver and he opened the car door and I sat beside him with my rucksack on the floor. Almost immediately he started shouting at me about something. I said I was sorry but I didn't understand what it was; he had accepted me as a passenger and eventually set off for the short journey in the dark. I was glad to arrive at the hotel, paid and tipped him for his metered time and wished him a better evening as he drove away. The hotel receptionist made me very welcome and I mentioned that the taxi driver had shouted at me before driving me here; she said that many of them were not happy people, and apologised for him. The bar was still open so I was able to check in and enjoy a glass of something delicious from German vineyards. I pondered for only a moment about the temper of the taxi driver.
Tuesday 15th July 2019
After breakfast this morning I was directed to a local bus stop to get into Hamburg city; on the bus I bought a combined bus/train/ferry ticket for the day, and got off at the nearby Rapid Transport S line station at Ohlsdorf, for the train to take me to Central Station (Hauptbahnhof).
Once there I put my rucksack into a locker, paid the 2 euros and locked it, and could set off to enjoy some time here. I have learned that there are thousands of lockers at Central Station and it is wise to make a note of the exact location of one's particular locker alcove. They are well hidden around the huge station! I learnt that it is best to note the shop immediately opposite the lockers, and then make a note of the two train platform numbers that run immediately under the lockers, below the stairs leading down to those platforms. There are stairs at both ends of the platforms, all with locker banks nearby at the top, with numbers running into the thousands. Imagine many platforms, all with lockers available somewhere nearby up the stairs at one end or another, and you can understand the potential for stress. There is also a main concourse inside the huge station, with inviting shops and restaurants, and hundreds of people going about their business. A fascinating place to use but not to stay for long.
Outside in the street I felt I was being 'Summoned by Bells', as John Betjeman put it many years ago. I could hear a tremendous sound of bells booming out over this part of the city, as I walked towards the River Elbe. I could see the tower of St. Nicholas Church in the distance - the ruins surviving the 2nd World War, and now serving as a museum and as Hamburg's central memorial for the victims of the Nazi regime.
I remembered that my Father (Harry Williams) photographed it back in the early 1930s as a complete church, when he was working as a Junior Engineer on board Blue Star Line's cruise ship ARANDORA STAR, visiting Hamburg on annual cruises. Here I am, Following in Father's Footsteps again in my life, with more to come this week.
It was time for coffee and I noticed a local branch of Datbackhus nearby (Speersort 10, Eingang 20095) and that half of this shop was also an Archaeological museum of a Bishop's Circle of stones, down in the lower half of this corner shop, where I could also sit at a table amongst the huge stones.
Outside again I caught a Rapid Train Service but had to get off at Baumwall. Oh my, they are doing extremely noisy railway and bridge works and I had to go down to street level again for a replacement bus. It reminded me of Southern Rail's replacement buses back in the UK, so no change there. I finally got to the Captain's Cabin shop at Landungsbrucken, where they sell all kinds of small model ships. They are not Waterline models, but what I know as cheap and cheerful ones, and are ideal for small grandsons to play with when we are organising voyages and trips with ships on the floor at home.
Nearby I could see something interesting in dry dock over the other side of the river, with Cunard's QUEEN VICTORIA berthed further along from where I was standing. CAP SAN DIEGO was in its usual place along the waterfront. Local ferries were sailing past on the river as I made my way back to the Central Station.
I collected my rucksack, bought a ticket for Kiel Central Station, joined the hourly train from Hamburg and enjoyed a comfortable journey north to the port city of Kiel.
Outside I took one of the 3 exits from this big station and headed for the taxis. Again I showed my hotel address to a driver, and he shook his head, waved an arm, and said words to the effect that it was only along there. Hmm, that wasn't what my phone said, which was why I wanted a taxi, but I set off. My phone maps stopped working but a couple of helpful young cyclists stopped and walked with me to locate the small hotel, and saw me safely inside; that was so kind of them. It certainly wasn't 'just along there' but maybe the taxi driver wouldn't have earned enough to make him stop his conversation in the taxi rank or help a foreign tourist.
Once I'd checked in for 3 nights and left my bag in my room, I could walk outside and see several small local bar restaurants to choose for a meal, but first I decided to walk down to the waterside. Along by the pedestrian bridge crossing I was happy to see my ship for tomorrow: I was booked to sail for the day on the good ship FREYA, along the Kiel Canal. They offered day cruises from here in Kiel, with meals booked in advance, and that's what I had arranged.
I admired the little ship and took a few photos in the evening light, before being asked to take a couple of photos by 3 local girls sitting on a bench beside FREYA. They had a very new Polaroid-type camera so we all had a giggly time getting them lined up for a picture. I think they were happy but impatient for the print to come out of the very lightweight plastic camera, but it finally came out and was waved about to dry and then they were happy. I remembered the original Polaroid cameras but didn't ever own one, but this new digital version seems so simple and lightweight.
Then it was back up to the hotel and a meal nearby and planning my day tomorrow.
Ships seen: Freya, Laboe
To be continued...
