Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata:

River Cruising and König der Löwen (Lion King)

Tuesday afternoon we took a bus along the river Elbe to take us a bit downstream where we hopped onto a ferry to cruise back to the harbor (biggest one in Europe). It was one of those really oppressive days, a white gray sky and very high humidity. Thunderstorms have been in the forecast since before we even arrived, but it just does not quite get there. Sitting atop a ferry boat and enjoying the breeze is the perfect thing to do and it is especially nice when it involves seeing a bit of the harbor, the interesting shoreline and plenty of boats.
















We took the ferry back to the main dock from where we were to get the boat to the theater on the other side of the river. We had a picnic and strolled about before joining the crowds of people going to the musical. They have a tent like structure for the theater, which is quite big, probably around 2000 people. The musical has been running there since 2001 and has won over 25 awards.

Now I have to admit that I am not a Disney person, rarely like musicals and I hate crowds. My mother had paid an ungodly sum for the 4 tickets and so I could not even show my skeptical thoughts. Well, I had it all wrong, because it was truly amazing and wonderful. It was a little bit difficult for the children, since it was in German and there was more dialog than anticipated, but I don't think it minimized their experience. The actors/singers were so fantastic, as was the set and the music and the humor of it all. The animals and how they were moved around was just so astonishing and beautiful. Both girls loved the two children who played Simba and Nala. We had a really good time.

To no surprise, as soon as the show was over, everybody seemed to run out of there and of course had to wait for the boat. Instead of standing in line with everybody else, we sat down at one of the Niki de Saint Phalle statues and had the second part of our picnic while watching the city slowly getting enveloped in dusk and more and more lights turning on. Once 5 boats had come and gone, we decided it was time to go home, though it was not dark yet.

I love the harbor in summer evenings, it reminds me of my childhood, when my mother still knew so many people there (she was a specialty chef on a ship before my arrival made that less than feasible) and we sometimes would come to Hamburg on a boat and arrive late at night. Johanna and Sophie were so excited to yet again be on the subway, apparently a good place to horse around and to pass again through St. Pauli.

We sang Hakuna Matata all the way home.