Today we decided to drive to Neubrandenburg, about 100 kms south.  Number one attraction is the completely intact medieval wall, and the four city gates.  Another plus was that we could take the A20 autobahn and finally get onto dual carriageway!  We quickly learned autobahn etiquette – stay to the right unless you are overtaking.  Once you’ve passed the car in front, get back over immediately.  If you stay left you will get mown down by some hoon in a VW doing 200 kmh.  It’s all quite polite really and seems to work well. If you are not a speed freak (ie content to cruise at “only” 120 kph towing your caravan) you just stay in the right lane, and no-one hassles you.  In the left lane, you can go as fast as you like.  I’m not sure what it is like on weekdays with more trucks; and I’m not convinced Australian drivers are patient enough.

We arrived in Neubrandenburg in one piece, and even found somewhere to park quite easily.  A short walk away was the Ringstrasse, the road which encircles the old town and follows the wall.  The town was founded in 1248, and the wall dates from the 14^th and 15^th centuries.  It is 7 metres high and the perimeter is 2.3 km.  It seems life went on relatively uneventfully for centuries, apart from the usual battles with Sweden.  However during WW2, a large POW camp was located close to the city, and a few days before the end of the war, the Red Army burned down 80% of the old town.  Since then most of the significant buildings have been restored.

The wall is the world’s best preserved of its type.  You can follow it all the way around on foot (although unlike the wall at Ypres, you can’t walk on top).  Each of the four city gates was built at a different time (the “New” gate is a mere 500 years old) and differs in style; all are dramatic.  An unusual feature is the 25 timbered Wiek houses (guardhouses) built into the wall at regular intervals; today these have been converted into apartments, shops, cafes and small museums

Outside the wall you can clearly see the moat, which now forms part of the lovely shady parkland surrounding the old town.  On the northern side we came across some beautiful flower beds.  Within the town itself there are some houses of historical interest (although not nearly as many as in Stralsund), along with the usual modern shops, and some remnants of the distinctively unattractive Soviet era block building style (gradually being demolished).  The spire of St Mary’s Church can be seen from everywhere (church spires are excellent navigational aids).  We passed a few very pleasant hours strolling around the walls and through the town.

On the drive home, Ian finally got some clear road to test out the BMW.  It cruised up to 175 kph without batting an eyelid, by which point I had curled into the foetal position with a death grip on the door handle.  Even Ian had to concede that was fast enough to feel scary.

Tomorrow – the cruise!  Blog updates will be sporadic as we are too poor to pay for internet at ship’s prices, so we have to rely on easily accessible free wifi in port.  We will do our best to keep posting.

Stop Press: Ian has gone for a run!