Why even leave the state?

Sometimes the good things are so close.

I have lived in Schleswig-Holstein all my life. It is not a big state, compared to other geographical regions. It does not have much cultural sights to offer. However, it does have a few glittering beacons, and one of it is its second largest city, the hanseatic city of Lübeck. Founded in the 12th century and risen to enormous wealth and significance, the city trading with herring and salt became the Queen of the Hanseatic League when the hanseatic city of Hamburg was still only a little nest. The city of the seven towers, the prototype of Brick Gothic architecture, has survived the centuries in a wonderful way, which is why it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And guess what – I had never been there until last week! Shame on me.

My girlfriend and I wanted to do something special for our anniversary and decided on a two-night trip to Lübeck. Not far away, not expensive, but highly rewarding. And isn’t it a beautiful city. The UNESCO funding makes it a nicely kept place with well-preserved buildings, great museums, loads of information for tourists and means for effectively exploring it.
And so we did, for three full days we enjoyed the medieval flair of the former world capital. I can say that we have seen almost everything. So yes, it was a very rewarding trip.

I can only recommend a trip here to anyone. It is less than an hour from Hamburg, either by the freeway linking the cities or the nonstop train; it has its own airport (connections to London, Milan, Stockholm, Kiev and more), one of the most significant ports in Germany with links into the Baltics and Russia, plenty of hotels and many tourist-friendly places. Everything can be reached by foot, too. For a history buff like me, this was just a great trip.