Bertram's logbook

Five to moor

700394

The journey is the reward, they say. This is usually true for cruises. But sometimes the destination (or the very last stretch to get there) is simply the destination. What am I getting at? To the most beautiful harbor entrances in the world! Here are my five favorites:

1. New York
Even though the Queen Mary 2 - and all the other cruise liners - are no longer allowed to dock on the Hudson River, ten minutes' walk from Times Square, the fascination of sailing into New York has not changed. Especially not if you are traveling on the classic transatlantic route and have not seen land for five days. First you pass under the Verranzano-Narrows Bridge with centimetre precision, then past the Statue of Liberty and finally, with the skyline of downtown Manhattan in view, turn right and head for the jetty. Patriotic Americans on board like to sing their national anthem loudly at this moment. I prefer to listen to Alica Keys over AirPods: "These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you - now you're in New York, New York ..."

2. Stockholm
The entrance to Stockholm through the archipelago is at its most beautiful in the very early morning, when it is just getting light outside the cabin window and the first fiery red Pippi Longstocking houses flash out of the foggy gray. The most spectacular part of the passage takes about two hours. It is best enjoyed at the very front of the ship - with a large cup of coffee and a no less small cinnamon bun in your hand. You need the former because of the cool Baltic Sea breeze. The second for that authentic Scandinavian feeling.

3. Sydney
Another city that adorns its harbor entrance with a huge bridge. Yet so much theatrical staging would not be necessary. The simultaneous sight of the opera house, beaches and skyscrapers is already performance enough - and is one of those "once in a lifetime" moments that still feel unique the second time around!

4. Malta
For me, the most beautiful harbor entrance in the entire Mediterranean. For kilometers you glide through the Grand Harbour of Valetta - past mighty city walls that, depending on the position and intensity of the sun, either gleam bright white or bathe everything in a warm golden light. A spectacular sight - and a great piece of world history that passes by in slow motion. From the Phoenicians to the Arabs - they have all been here, albeit not always as astonished crusaders who were well-disposed towards the island and the city ...

5. Hamburg
Why wander far away when the ports of your dreams are so close? Hamburg and the Elbe, where things can sometimes get pretty crowded, are certainly one of them. Pastureland as far as the horizon, "Willkomm-Höft", where the appropriate national anthem is played for every passing ship, captain's cottages in the picture-book village of Blankenese and finally Hamburg's Michel and the city's new landmark, the Elbphilharmonie, within reach: you can hardly experience more cruise cinema in two hours from the deck chair.

Are you missing Venice in my list? Me too! But the latest shipwreck at the beginning of June has made it clear that the canals of the lagoon city are simply not made for giant cruise ships and that it is irresponsible to continue to dock here and knowingly endanger human lives and the fabric of buildings. That is why I will no longer take part in any cruise on a large ship that calls at Venice. After all, there are plenty of other beautiful ports in the world ...

(c) Cunard Cruises

Five to moor

Jörg Bertram

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