I am writing this whilst sitting on a large lounging sofa, on the deck above the pool. We are listening to a very jaunty Bavarian brass band. Pretzels and beer abound. I have spotted a couple of dirndls and some lederhosen. People must pack them specially. I struggle to squeeze a nice dress in amongst the hiking, orienteering and general travel stuff. The pool deck is festooned with German and Bavarian flags. We are a long way from Bavaria, but what the hey. Go with the flow!
Ten years ago, we boarded our very first cruise in Warnemunde. Ian left me waiting with the suitcases while he drove to Rostock to return our rental car, then take the train back to board the ship with me. He saw a tiny bit of Warnemunde as he walked from the station. I saw none of it at all, because it rained in the afternoon and we were too busy oohing and aahing at the ship. A decade later we have come full circle and are back in Warnemunde.
Warnemunde is a holiday town on the German Baltic coast. It is less than half an hour by train from Rostock. We were here for 13 hours – plenty of time to complete the double header – Rostock in the morning, Warnemunde in the afternoon.
Rostock is not particularly touristy, but it is a pleasant enough city and has enough of interest to occupy a few hours. Starting from the western side at Kroperliner Tor, you can follow the old city walls along the edge of a leafy park. A few minutes walk north brings you to University Square, with its ornate buildings and very quirky fountain. The statues in the fountain are, um, quite acrobatic.
Heading down the shopping street, you come to Neumarkt, and its rose pink Rathaus. The views would be vastly improved if they got rid of the ubiquitous food trucks. Turning right, you come to Steintor, one of the city gates, guarded in fierce fashion by a pair of gryphons.
That would have been the end of our exploration of Rostock, except that we wanted to visit a decent sized supermarket. The hike to Kaufland doubled our distance, and our feet were vastly relieved when we collapsed onto the train back to Warnemunde.
Fortified by a late lunch, we tackled part 2 of the double header, in the late afternoon. Warnemunde, in contrast to Rostock, is very touristy. The main street, adjacent to the canal, is lined with many shops, bars and restaurants, and was bustling. We pressed on to the beach, walking as far as we could to a small lookout platform. The Baltic breeze was whipping off the water in a very chilly fashion so we didn’t linger. No one was swimming.
On our way back we took a different street, with a number of more traditional houses. Some of the windows were decorated with lace; others with model sailing boats.
The band is really in the swing now, with flugelhorns at full volume. It’s almost time for dinner.
Total distance covered: 19.8 km. Elapsed time: 9 hours. My step count is off the charts.
