Hanover

From Minden we traveled to Hanover, around 65 kilometers to the east. We can travel with relatively reasonable fuel consumption (about 2.5 liters per hour) at around 12 kilometers per hour, so a trip of this length takes about 6 hours given there are no locks or bridges so no need to stop. We reserved a place at the only marina in town. Fortunately there is bus and tram service within less than a ten minute walk, and the center of town is only 4 kilometers. The next day we set off for the tourist information bureau on our folding bikes.

In the old town centre are Marktkirche (the Church of St. Georgii andt Jacobi, and the Old Town Hall. Also you find the Leibniz House, the Nolte House, and the Beguine Tower. The Kreuz-Church-Quarter area has many narrow streets. The Ballhof Theater was once a sports hall. The Market Hall and the Leine Palace are nearby. The ruined Aegidien Church which is now a monument to the victims of war and violence with a sculpture of a person kneeling. The Marstall Gate leads to the Leine River. This is much of it plus more was on the tourist info walking/biking tour of the city, a 4km route marked by a red line. It took us by the old Rathhaus (City Hall), a gorgeous building. The rear side faces the man made lake with an island on it where people picnicked in the warm sun while we ate on the steps served by another friendly waitress. The mushroom soup was fabulous.

Photos by Peg:

Hanover is home to eleven universities and several libraries.  August Kestner Museum holds a collection of Etruscan and Egyptian art. It is not of the caliber of the Egyptian museum in Torino nor the British Museum, nor the Etruscan museum in Rome, not by any stretch. The building was erected around the older one damaged in the war. Some good items nonetheless. The Sprengel Museum focuses on German Expressionism and French Modernism. It has a fine collection, including some from well known artists as well as some that should be better known.

We ended the night with the thin strip of moon shining over the harbor, its lights reflected in the shimmering water. A barge slipped silently past into the darkness as the nearly submerged sun gave its final farewell of the day.