I got up late today – that’s allowed on Sundays – and went downstairs for breakfast. I learned that tonight I’m the only guest in the hotel! So breakfast on Monday can be whenever I want. (I told the owners 8am would be fine).
At about midday I headed out of the hotel and made by way to the Hauptbahnhof. I nearly always do some sort of day trip when I do these weekends away: My day trip for today was to the nearby city of Rostock – the biggest city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, located at the mouth of the Warnow river.
On arrival in Rostock I went in to the city centr and wandered around the city’s Christmas Market (Rostocker Weihnachtsmarkt – the biggest Christmas Market in Northern Germany. By the time I got to the market it was lunchtime; I found one of the little food stands, in one of the wooden huts which had an indoor space and a nice fire lit inside (I know what you’re thinking: wood, fire – No, the hut was not on fire). This made the ideal spot for lunch! I continued exploring the many stalls at the market after lunch.
It was after 3 when I eventually decided to move on and make my way down to the coast. Rostock is located on Germany’s Baltic coast, and the coastal district of Warnemünde – just 20 minutes on the S-Bahn (Suburban Train) – was a good location for a walk. Of course, it was getting dark by the time I got there…but I still enjoyed a walk along the beach. I even managed to dip a foot and a hand in to the sea – just so I could say I had done so (bear in mind – this is the Baltic in December we’re talking about: I used my scarf to dry both foot and hand, and to warm up afterwards).
It was late when I got back to Schwerin: I had missed the live music on the stage at the Christmas Market. With a lot of places closed on Sundays, there were surprisingly few places to go for my dinner. Schwerin was like a ghost town! (To be honest I’d have been better off staying in Warnemünde for longer and eating there). Eventually, I settled on one of only 2 places which seemed to be open (I’d ruled out the Italian I was in last night, the Chinese, Domino’s and Subway): I went to the Altstadt Brauhaus. With all the sterotypical German dishes on the menu, it was a little more expensive than I’d have liked. I enjoyed a typically German Schnitzel in a typically German establishment.
Tomorrow I make my way back home: I’ll aim to leave the hotel not long after breakfast and I will try and get to Hamburg for lunch time. Lunch in Hamburg, maybe a walk around. My flight’s at 18:20, so I’ll aim to get to the Airport at about 16:20.
I’m due in to Gatwick at 19:00 – so by the time I’ve got my luggage and made it back to the car, it could well be getting on for 23:00 by the time I get home (that’s allowing for an hour to get through the Airport, 2-3 hours in the car, probably stopping at some point along the way. It also assumes the flight is on time).
I’m off to bed.
Gute Nacht.
FH.
