Week 6 – August 24th – 30th – Leaving the Baltic coast and heading to France.
Day 33 – Monday – and an unusual Monday at that. It was a moving day. We were leaving lovely Rügen and heading back to the mainland. A stellplatz in Stralsund was our goal. We hoped there’d be room and indeed there was. But they kept pouring in right up until the evening.
We’d come back via the old bridge, racing a train on the way. The road took us via the Rügendamm causeway, which was the first permanent, drivable crossing of the Stralsund, which also carries the Stralsund-Sassnitz railway line and a footpath and cycle path. It was completed in 1937. There is a lift bridge (the new bridge is tall enough not to need to lift) called the Ziegelgraben Bridge,
We got some great views of the new bridge soaring above us, and the stellplatz (An Der Rügenbrücke) was more or less in its shadow. Very conveniently located on the edge of town, which we’d be exploring later, after Paul finished work. It’s a great spot, with showers, washing machine and dryer and even a bread service.
Once Paul had finished for the day, we hopped onto our bikes and set off into town. Stralsund, in common with many Baltic coastal towns, is a “Hanseatic” town. I did Socio-Economic history at A level ( which covered from the middle ages through to the industrial revolution) and I had a vague recollection of mention of the “Hanseatic League”.
Centring on Lubeck on the Baltic coast, the League was a medieval consortium of towns. It was very powerful in its time and took care of trade and defense and by 1400 it stretched from the Netherlands to Russia and as far inland as Cologne. As you might imagine – together they were a massive trading power. You can read more about the League here.
It was a lovely, safe cycle into town and we grabbed a couple of photos of the stunning St Mary’s church, once the world’s tallest building (between 1548 and 1647). It really is a Brick Gothic wonder. And St Mary’s is just one of the 3 massive edifices that dominate the skyline here. The other two are St Nicholas and St James (or Jakobi). We did not get to see them – or the town hall, which looks pretty special. Maybe another time?
We headed for the harbour (always drawn to water and boats). There was a beautiful 3-masted barque in the harbour. She was called the “Gorch Fock 1” and was formerly the German navy’s training ship. Built in Hamburg in 1933 – which took just 100 days! – she is now a museum and wedding venue. She is yar. I find it odd that they were still building such ships as late as 1933 – a steel-hulled sailing ship. Our own Warrior, in Portsmouth Harbour – was built in 1860.
We had dinner at the Fischermann – housed in an ex-warehouse. I had herring, whereas Sumps made the more prosaic choice of fish and chips. Both delicious. And I really enjoyed my accompanying Fritz Cola. They seem very much less wedded to the big cola brands here – I’ve sampled quite a few. All of them better than Panda Cola!
I need to say a word here about cobbles. Very popular indeed in “historic” areas, here. Murder on a bike and rattly as all get out in a motorhome! We have grown to dread them. Most of our route that evening was cobbled. Curse them!
When we arrived back at the van, Paul got the laptop out and did another couple of hours work to make up for today and – as you will see – tomorrow.
Day 34 – Tuesday – another moving day! – this time to a spot on the Ribnitzsee – another stellplatz (Gänsewiese) – they are cheaper than campsites, which have more facilities for which we have very little use – other than washing machines. We love them – utilitarian and often surprisingly well-equipped.
We had to grab some diesel quickly – before the midday price hike – and then made the short drive to Ribnitz-Damgarten, where we quickly found a spot and made it ours. Paul went straight back to the grindstone and I made some lunch, like the good wifey I am.
As soon as work was over for the day, we set off on our bikes for a quick tour of the town. Sadly the only photo we got was of a band playing at the Harbour. We’d heard them from where we were parked, doing their sound checks and warm up. They played quite an eclectic set including the Scottish classic “Wild Mountain Thyme” and also “Molly Malone”. Whilst they were warming up we’d heard the Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” and Creedence’s “Bad Moon Rising”. An eclectic mix to be sure.
Later research showed the band to have been Bad Penny – described as a “Celtic folk-rock band. They weren’t bad. The event marked the end of the summer music events here in Ribnitz and was supposed to have been rounded off with a firework display. As we heard none, we concluded that it had probably been canceled due to the prevailing dry weather. Very sensible.
Day 35/36 – Wednesday and Thursday – We had planned to stay another night there but found that, despite being advertised as having chemical toilet disposal, there was not one to be found. As the loo was edging towards mission critical, it forced us to move on – and pray that the next place we encountered would have one.
It was a 20 minute drive to the next Stellplatz – Reisemobilland Mönchhagen – conveniently located just off the highway, next to a bakery (oh dear) and a handy Netto. And you’ll be relieved to hear that it did have the required disposal place. Phew!
Unfortunately, other than the features outlined above, there was nothing else to commend the spot. Which was unfortunate as we needed to stay 2 nights. I guess you have to take the rough with the smooth? And there was a fantastic sunset last night – sadly it’s such an unprepossessing spot it was not worth taking a photo!
Not without a little sadness, I finally booked our return crossing this week. We have noticed the nights drawing in (we are an hour ahead of the UK here) and there is a distinct nip in the air at night. That done, we started to think about how we would spend our last few weeks over here. We decided to dump Denmark until another trip and head back to France as soon as we could.
Those that have known us for a while, will recall that we used to go to France every summer and we have not been back since Covid made us rush home, with our caravan from Spain. We need a French fix! And I can make myself understood far better in France. My German is now better than it ever was, but we rely heavily of translation apps! We have a plan!
Day 38 – Friday – Once we have a plan, we tend to make it happen. We decided that, as it was a Bank Holiday weekend, giving us four full days, we’d do what we dubbed “The Great Repositioning Weekend.”
Our first stop was near Hamburg, on a spit of land in the River Elbe. As we were travelling long distances, we mostly hit the motorways. I was intrigued to see overhead cables on the inside lane – presumably they are use for a tram or trolley bus, but we didn’t see one.
We also saw a coach tour at one of the service stations. Everyone one got off the bus clutching a small bottle of something fizzy like champagne and then the driver and his assistant got out a table and a hotplate and starting cooking for them. Never seen that before! Talk about spoilt!
We arrived at our spot, which we’d booked ahead – or so we thought. When I opened the email clearly labelled “Booking Confirmation”, to see if there were any special entry requirements or a pitch number, it became evident that you had to pay for your pitch within 2 hours of getting the confirmation to secure it. Oops! Luckily, it was quite a big site (https://elbepark-bunthaus.de/) and they could still fit us in. That was a relief and has taught me a lesson – aways open your confirmation email on receipt or you might come unstuck.
It was a great spot and quite rural, considering we were on the edge of Hamburg – and we even had a little lighthouse and a restaurant. Sadly, the pitch we were allocated was right by the grey waste emptying spot and thus a little “honky”.
“Grey waste”, for the uninitiated, is the water that has accumulated in your waste water tank – from washing up, showering etc. You may be shocked to hear that, on canals, grey waste goes into the canal.
We had dinner at the restaurant – “Der Stackmeister“, which was very dog friendly. Interestingly, they had something on the menu called Labskaus. This reminded me of the Liverpudlian dish called Lobscouse or just Scouse, but there the similarity ended. Lobscouse (from which they get the name “Scousers”) is today, a kind of stew. But there is a fascinating link to the Baltic ports (and thus sailors) and I went down a wormhole researching it.
Labskaus, though, is much like a corned beef hash, usually served topped with a fried egg and a side of pickled beetroot and herring. Yep. You read that right. Paul opted for that and it was very tasty (we always taste each other’s food). While I had a cordon bleu schnitzel – stuffed with cheese. Also very tasty.
The lighthouse – a cute green wooden one called “Leuchtfeuer Bunthaus” – was built in 1914 and marks the point where the mighty Elbe splits into the North and South Elbes. Sadly it does not light up any more, but we rather liked it.
Day 39- Saturday – We were off pretty early next morning. When we are travelling longer distances, we tend to have breakfast on the hoof, stopping for coffee and either a pastry or a bratwurst or suchlike as we travel. Breakfast is always a surpise.
We were aiming for somewhere south of Bremen and had found a new-looking Stellplatz on Eltern (WOMO-Stellplatz Eltern), on the outskirts of a small town called Haselünne. We were one of only three vans and it was very quiet – apart from the noise created by the little steam train the Hasetal Express – that came by every now and then. As with many minor German crossings – they are pretty sketchy affairs and this crossing was smack bang in the middle of a new housing estate, so I guess it had to make a fair bit of noise. It wouldn’t be permitted in the UK, I’m sure! Luckily, it only runs during the day!
Day 40 – Sunday – we had Maastricht (back in the Netherlands!) in our sights as a destination today. A site sandwiched between the River Meuse and the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal – Camperplaats Papillon. As we arrived we spotted a massive lock and a lift bridge on the canal. It felt like home!
We checked in (all automated) and got settled. Quite a popular site so we were glad we had arrived fairly early and had time for a snooze! We had already promised ourselves a bike ride into the city centre a little later. We had parked under a tree – Paul said apples. I disagree – I know what it is – but do you? Hint – it’s just ripe for pickling.
Evening came and we set off. On such rides, we tend to do a circumnavigation of the town, clocking likely restaurants as we go, and then return to the eatery we fancy. It had been market day and the traditional Poffertje stall was just closing. It smelt delicious and they always remind me of walking round Amsterdam on a wintery day. Delicious little sweet treats. BUT! we had dinner planned so had to resist.
The ride took us past the Town Hall, which has a famous carillon. It made such a beautiful sound. And oh! The cobbles! We are so over cobbles!
We had cycled through the Sphinx Quarter – an area of old industrial buildings that have been repurposed and revitalised. There were a couple of nice-looking restaurants in the “T’Basin” – which used to link the Zuid-Willemsvaart and the Liège-Maastricht canals. Dock 5 had a spot for us and so we ate there. Delicious, interesting food served tapas style. It took rather longer than we thought so we had to use our bike lights for probably the first time since new. Mine worked, Paul’s didn’t. Luckily I ride at the rear with Bill otherwise Ted gets annoyed. True! It was pitch black when we returned. Probably no more than 4 miles all in, but a very nice evening out.
And there we must leave you. Teetering on the edge of Belgium and beyond – to France. And next week we will almost certainly be in my beloved France. Can’t wait.
| Period | Miles | Cumulative |
| Week 6 | 514 | 2107 |