Hamburg Harbor Tour
By Arnd
Today we went on a Hamburg harbor tour, though we didn't know it at first. We actually stumbled into the Port Anniversary completely by accident.
Bus in the Water
We had pre-booked a ride on the Hafencity Riverbus. This amphibious vehicle, built specially for the Hamburg harbor, can only enter the water at a specific spot in the eastern part of the port, which naturally limited the attractiveness of the sights somewhat. However, the commentary was so entertaining and witty that time flew by, and you should think of this form of harbor tour more as entertainment. And you can easily combine it with a barge tour through the harbor before or after.
We didn't really experience much of the festival on land, but it was definitely a very child-friendly way to enjoy the positive sides of the Port Anniversary!
All the shots that day were taken with my little Leica D-Lux7. A small compact camera with a Four Thirds sensor and 20-70mm zoom lens, which the best wife in the world gave me as a gift. The autofocus isn't on the level of the Sony Alphas, but the lens draws cleanly in its class. During post-processing I was once again amazed myself at what level of detail and dynamic range comes out of the small sensor.
Never Without a Camera!
No matter what: If you're going on a Hamburg harbor tour, bring a camera. There are so incredibly many subjects that you can never photograph from this perspective otherwise. Tend toward wide-angle rather than telephoto — you're usually shooting upward from below at a much larger object...
Our Hamburg harbor tour was with Rainer Abicht, the barges were moored at the Landungsbrücken at Gate 2. We paid just under 20 euros per person. I thought that was very fair.
My conclusion: If you happen to be there during the Port Anniversary like we were, try to go on a Hamburg harbor tour. It's certainly the most relaxed way to experience the spectacle, and it opens up completely different visual perspectives than getting lost in the dense crowds on land...