Miniture Wonderland, Hamburg

On our last day in Hamburg we decided to visit a truly amazing model village called “Miniature Wonderland”  Unfortunately we had made the unwise decision not to book tickets in advance so were left with a 75 minute wait before being allowed in.  We briefly considered going somewhere else before remembering that on a Monday most attractions in Hamburg are closed.  However chatting to friends and drinking free soft drinks meant the time flew by.  The system for the wait is a cross between the bingo system they have in Argos  and the ticket machines used when you have a blood test, but soon our number was up and we could enter the world of the Miniature.

Although I said world it is better to describe it as worlds plural as there are 9 key kingdoms including Switzerland, Knuffingen Airport, Knuffingen,  Bavaria, Middle Germany, Hamburg, Scandinavia, Austria, Switzerland and America. Other worlds are under construction.

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  At first we looked in stunned awe as model planes taxi down the runway, and take off,  at the trains and model traffic, winding around county lanes and the streets of small villages. My favourite was a model lorry with an advert for LUST on the side trundling around town. 

The attention to detail is amazing with model fire engines racing to house fires and car accidents.  Now I know it's a model but the inhabitants of Wonderland have an awful lot of car accidents.  When you think you have seen everything the lights dim and all the cars and lorries and trains have lights on.  The house lights come on in the windows and the neon lights of the funfair shine out.

Gradually I become aware of thousands on little scenes of everyday life.  The toilets at the festival,

The couple making love on the sofa or the yeti in the woods being my favourites, somewhere is someone photocopying his bottom - look out for this I missed it.

This is an amazing place that is growing all the time.  If I ever return to Hamburg it will be to come here again