Bad Zwischenahn
Bad Zwischenahn was mainly a “pin in the map” mid way between the Puttsgarden Ferry port and Hook of Holland. A convenient place to stop over for the night having navigated the north Germany traffic jams and motorway roadworks as well as a fairly unpleasant trip on the Hamburg ring road. Bad Zwischenahn was by contrast an oasis of calm. A German spa town complete with municipal spa bath. Mellany and I lowered the average age of the population by several years! The town boasted a fine campsite and a traffic free cycle route into the stadt centrum where various physiotherapy clinics were at your disposal should they be needed. The lakeside setting for the town was nevertheless rather lovely and we enjoyed our cycle into town to find a cashpoint ( as the campsite predictably only accepted cash).
Somewhat lowering the tone of the campsite as our detritus is strewn across our perfectly manicured pitch - including the kayak drying off after yesterday’s thunderstorm.
Mellany bought a mug to add to our collection and remind her of her Bad Zwischenahn experience.
My First Danish Pastry
In Denmark that is. Many of you know I love cakes so I was delighted with this delicious offering from the campsite bakery. Some of you will recognise the melamine camping plate (from my childhood camping trips) which must be 50 years old.
A Trip to the Seaside at Travemunde
We used our 9 euro travel cards on the train from Lubeck to Travemunde, a 20 minute journey. My thrill at sitting on the top deck of the double decker train was diminished by the window being so dirty I couldn’t see out.
Never mind, Travemunde had a beautiful beach and the weather was warm and sunny. The beach was covered in strange contraptions, a cross between a beach hut and a deck chair, for hire. We took the ferry to the beach on the other side of the river mouth, and back again. Then it was time for my first swim of the holiday and my first swim in the Baltic. It was refreshing! Danny also swam. There were “moonfish” jellyfish but we didn’t get stung. A nap in the sun then a large ice cream sundae before heading back to Lubeck.
More on Lubeck
Hollyhocks growing out of the pavement
Another lovely day in Lubeck, walking around the old town. We went to the St Annen museum and saw many wonderful carved altarpieces and rooms set up as they would have been in previous centuries. We explored some of the Gange, tiny houses built in courtyards behind larger houses. The hospital of the holy spirit had small cubicles in an enormous church hall where old people lived, the strangest old people’s home I’ve ever seen. Now it’s a museum I’m pleased to tell you.
The good and bad of public transport in Lubeck
The good was we bought a ticket for 9 euros each which gives us unlimited travel on local buses and trains in the Lubeck area for the month of July. That’s the same price as it costs me to get into central London for one day! The bad was we just missed our bus back from Lubeck old town to the campsite, then waited for half an hour only to discover the bus stop was closed so we had to walk to the next bus stop. But we did arrive eventually and can use our ticket tomorrow for bus and train to Travemunde on the coast.
This isn’t us by the way!
Marzipan Heaven
If you love marzipan (which I do) then stumbling across the famous Lubeck Niederegger Marzipan Shop/Musem/Cafe is something of a find. The window display include a sculpted marzipan bust of Mr Johann George Nideregger himself, who founded the company in 1806. It’s interesting to speculate how frequently this bust needs to be recreated before becoming a bit rancid and whether the Niederegger marzipan sculptors eat their previous creations before embarking upon new ones. Perhaps they just chop him up and dip him chocolate! The shop itself had an amazing display of marzipan goodies some of which we have already sampled.
Lubeck Lions and Yellow Houses
The Holsten Gate Lubeck. We drove to Lubeck and are camping near the centre. We walked round part of the old town, which is beautiful. I was impressed by the number of yellow houses, maybe they are in honour of the marzipan Lubeck is renowned for.
Evening Stroll
The rain clouds have lifted and our wet clothes are now trying on the bike rack which doubles as a clothes dryer. We decided to take a stroll along the banks of the river Hamme adjacent to our campsite. The landscape is still as flat as that of The Netherlands which we left earlier today.
Click on the picture to see more
Worpswede
We drove into Germany today and camped near Worpswede, an artist colony associated with Rainer Maria Rilke. A visit to Aldi to stock up on supplies was followed by a drive along tiny roads and across unmanned level crossings looking for our campsite at Hammehafen, a beautiful location, by the river Hamme. We cycled into Worpswede to see the varied artists’ houses. Unfortunately, despite the BBC weather app forecasting no rain, the heavens opened and our trousers were soaked. I realised I’d forgotten to pack my waterproof trousers! Danny’s system of keeping a few items of clothing in a bag in the van and the rest buried in the wardrobe was thrown into disarray and he had to rummage in the wardrobe cupboard for dry jeans. We treated ourselves to a meal at the campsite bistro and are now dry and well fed.
Hammehafen campsite Worpswede
Houses in Worpswede before the downpour