The German Baltic coast has us already in the first days after our Start in the Geltinger Bay liked. We were excited to explore the Boddenlandschaft National Park as we had heard, read and seen a lot of good things about it on Instagram.
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Boddenlandschaft National Park
Today we drove to the Boddenlandschaft National Park on the island. In Prerow we first looked where we could have a parking space with a mobile home. We can then stand on a large meadow and have not paid much for the day pass. It must be said that there are not many ways to find a parking space with a motorhome. Most of the parking spaces are only for cars and the illegal parking penalties are sensitive.
We want to see the lighthouse and the sea port. It's too far on foot and so we use the only way to get around without doing anything ourselves, the Darßbahn. It is a little train that drives to various stops and stops about 2.5 kilometers in front of the lighthouse. After a very shaky ride, we have arrived at the end of the line.
First we walk 2.6 km to the lighthouse. The path runs through a forest, which is really very pleasant as it is super warm. When we arrived at the Darßer Ort lighthouse, we walked down to the beach and Basti took a few more pictures. Back at the lighthouse we took a break for bread, which we could not enjoy. It was teeming with mosquitos and Basti was unlucky again to be bitten several times. So we ended the break quickly.
At the lighthouse there is a circular route to the Darßer Ort emergency port. Walking through the landscape wasn't nice either, as mosquitoes flew at us from everywhere. You walk on planks, for example in a moor landscape, and there are reeds everywhere. Again, there are good hiding spots for mosquitoes.
It was really great on the beach and Finja had a lot of fun. She ran across the sand and raved. A little bit out was a narrow sandbank that we wanted to go to. So we had to cross the stagnant Baltic Sea in between. Finja doesn't like water, actually. But when I ran before, she made a brave jump after the 2nd attempt and jumped through the water. It looked so funny that we really laughed.
After spending 1 hour there, we walked to the terminus and took the train back to town.
We spent the night on a pitch near Zingst. That wasn't funny either. Mosquitoes over mosquitoes. The next morning we got up extra early to drive on and even then the beasts attacked us. So, the landscape of the lagoon is very beautiful to look at. However, you should perhaps choose a mosquito-free season or spray yourself with a spray, otherwise you won't get much of it.
Hanseatic city of Stralsund
As in all places around here, the problem is that parking with just a motorhome is not often there. But we found one and made our way to the old town. The old town of Stralsund is also very beautiful again. It has also been a World Heritage Site since 2002. Old buildings, old facades and a large church, St. Mary's. It is the oldest church in Stralsund and was first mentioned at the beginning of the 14th century. In front of the church is a large tree that was planted there in 1843. So already very old. Stralsund is still partially surrounded by an old wall.
The way leads us through the city center to the harbor. The Gorch Fock I, a large sailing ship that is now a museum, lies in the port of Stralsund. There is still the Gorch Fock II, which has its home port in Kiel. She serves the German Navy as a training ship, where officer candidates are trained on trips abroad.
From the harbor you can see the large car bridge that leads to Rügen over the Strelasund. Rügen can be seen very well on the opposite side. There is a maritime museum at the port. Since we had not booked in advance and are also traveling with dogs, we did not look at the impressive museum. Also, because we would certainly have had to queue for at least 1 hour, the line in front of it was so big.
From the port of Stralsund we walked back to the old town and ate something in a pizzeria there. As we were on the way to the car, the sky slowly closed. As soon as we were ready to leave, there was a violent thunderstorm and heavy rain. We had to stop in between because we didn't see anything.
Usedom
On the way to Usedom we spent 1 night on a pitch in Greifswald directly at the marina. It was lying so well that you could see the sailing ships from the bus. The museum harbor was also right here. Since my poor husband was so bitten and his foot was swollen with 3 mosquito bites, I went shopping in town the next day. I also had to do the next two purchases and continue driving because Sebastian couldn't walk properly.
We then drove on to the island of Usedom and found a parking space at the drive-in cinema. We spent three nights here because we wanted to relax for a day and not do anything. On the other two days we did a little something on the bus and worked on the homepage. One afternoon we went to the dog beach with Finja. The dunes are so great and the beach is made up of white fine sand. As soon as Finja got to the dune, she just ran and played. Just beautiful.
Sand sculpture exhibition Usedom
After getting up early this morning, we drove to the German-Polish border and looked at the sand sculpture exhibition. This year the theme is myths and sagas from all over the world.
The sculptures are very impressive when you consider that they are made entirely of sand and water. When building a sand sculpture, the grain size of the sand is important so that the figure does not fall apart. The builders get this special sand from the gravel pit near Pudagla on Usedom. It is particularly sharp-edged and pointy-grained and has parts of quartz and clay. Once such a figure is ready, it can survive years in a protected space.
In the exhibition there are many well-known figures from the Greek, Chinese, German and Germanic sagas. Also from other countries. They are recreated down to the smallest detail. It's unbelievable what the builders have created here. The topic changes annually. You can find out what is currently being exhibited and in which of the three locations on the official website of the Sand sculpture exhibition look up.
After visiting the exhibition, we walked another 200 meters and were at the German-Polish border.
