Nordseeküste-Nordostseekanal-Lübeck-Wismar-Rostock-Berlin

2011-06 Emden – Wilhemshaven – Bremerhaven – Hamburg - Nord-Ostsee-Kanal – Kiel-Lübeck – Travemünde – Wismar - Rostock – Berlin

Day 1 : Emden – Jever

An eight hours train ride took us up to Emden where we spend the first night . The next day  we headed North until we hit the coast of the North Sea. Opposite to last year the weather was rainy which gave a special atmosphere to the coastal landscape.. As we arrived in Jever we were told that the famous advertising for the non less famous Jever beer, was not made in Friesland and the actor was Swedish. The beer is tasty all the same.

Day 2 : Jever – Wilhelmshaven - Nordenham

From Jever we drove to Wilhelmshaven and cycled all around the “Jadebusen” to join Nordenham just before Bremerhaven.

Day 3 : Nordenham – Hamburg - Wedel

In the early morning we crossed the Weser to Bremerhaven. From here we  intended to go on to Cuxhaven where we planned to take a ferry going to Brunsbüttel. In Brunsbüttel we were supposed to meet our friend Alain. Unfortunately we were told on the phone that the only week in the year the ferry does not operate was the week we had chosen.  In a hurry we phoned Alain that our date was not Brunsbüttel anymore but Hamburg central station, since we had to take the train. We arrived nearly at the same time and immediately went on cycling along the river Elbe to Wedel.

Day 4 : Wedel- Brunsbüttel

During the night Luss suffered from sever stomach ache. We told Luss to have a rest for one or two days in Wendel and then follow us by train. He preferred to head homewards.

Alain, Jacqueline and I continued our trip to Brunsbüttel in spite of very very strong headwinds. In Brunsbüttel we visited the sluices of the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal. We were impressed by the size of the big container ships and how they manoeuvred through the sluices…

Day 5 : Brunsbüttel – Rendsburg

We followed the canal for about 50km. Then we left the canal to cycle a bit through the beautiful landscape of “Schleswig-Holstein“. We spend the night in Rendsburg in a hotel close to the canal. During the night we could hear the ship horns of the big container boats. Watching them through the window of the hotel, gave us the impression of seeing a 12 floor building passing by. 

Day 6 : Rendsburg -  Kiel – Plön

We started in Rendsburg by rain wearing our full raingear, looking dreadfully attractive in it, so that the landlady of our hotel asked us “do you want to frighten away the rain???”

After 30 km  we arrived in Kiel, where the “Kieler Woche” took place. The “Kieler Woche “is an annual sailing regatta that was first organised at the end of the 19th Century. It is considered one of the biggest sailing events in the world. Being old sailors it was a pleasure for the eye to watch the huge 3 masts gliding majestically away towards the horizon…..

KIEL

Day 7 : Plön – Travemünde

Alain left us in Plön. We cycled South until we had a break, a delicious one with lots of calories in the Lübecker “Marzipanhaus”. Along the border of Schleswig-Holstein – Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the former DDR border runs a cycle path which we followed to reach the “Ostsee” in Travemünde
.

LÜBECK

Day 8 : Travemünde – Wismar

We arrived in Wismar totally fed up feeling hot and exhausted. As we hadn’t made up our mind how to go one, we spontaneously decided to spend the night in Wismar. This turned out to be an excellent decision since we discovered Wismar  to be worth the while with its harbour its beautiful timbered houses, the old market place and the oldest hotel in town, “der alte Schwede” where we, as a special treat, spent the night.

KIEL

Day 9 : Wismar – Rostock

From Wismar we followed the Ostsee-coast with some stunning views over the dark blue Ostsee on one side and a sea of beautiful wildflowers on the other side. Since it was the hottest day of the whole trip , I could not resist to have a quick dip into the Ostsee.

Day 10 - 13 : Rostock - Krakow/Linstow  - Neustrelitz - Zehdenick  - Berlin

 Mecklenburger Seenplatte rain rain rain

In Rostock we took our train tickets from Berlin to Luxembourg. The next four days we cycled through the “Mecklenburgische Seenplatte” passing Güstrow, Waren, Neustrelitz, Zehdenick down to Berlin. The landscape was fantastic but unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs during the whole trip. We arrived in Berlin completely soaked and miserable. Before returning home, we spent the next two days with my daughter and our three little grand-children.

GÜSTRWOW

BERLIN