Dresden

Wednesday, 30 September

We now feel very familiar with our local station in Bleibtreu Strasse. Trains come frequently and take us to the Hauptbahnhof, with which we also feel familiar. Today we breakfasted there before boarding our train to Dresden. Everyone in our compartment slept most of the way, about a two hour trip.

Dresden is just as wonderful as we had been told. We started by doing the two hour bus tour of the city - great for looking but not so good for photos. When we hopped off the bus we wandered though the old town with its palaces, churches and pretty squares. Had soup for lunch in Neuplatz- New Square. Lorraine had cream of carrot and I had spring minestrone, so we both felt we'd had a good lot of vegetables to make up for a bit of a lack in that direction lately.

On the tour we were very taken with the story of the Tummel Frauen, the women who, after the war, cleared the rubble of Dresden in preparation for the rebuilding of the city. We found our way back to the sculpture commemorating them so that we could take a photo. Restoration work is still going on and what they have achieved is really remarkable. We both feel our knowledge of the bombing of Dresden needs improvement.

We have been enjoying seeing Ampelman at pedestrian crossings in the old East Germany. There are many Ampelman souvenirs in the shops but so far we have resisted.

We made it back to the station in plenty of time for our return journey to Berlin. Amazingly for Germany, the train was running late. I was keen to try Flammkuchen so we stopped at a lovely cafe that advertised them on our way home from the station. They are like very thin pizzas, tasty but a bit of a challenge to eat.

We've had a lovely day and would gladly return to Dresden for a longer stay.

 

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Berlin

Tuesday, 29 September

We breakfasted, compliments of Judy, in a dear little cafe that we found yesterday, then returned to the hotel to collect her bag and escort her to the station. We used the hop-on hop-off tickets we bought yesterday so it was definitely the scenic route to the "Hauptbahnhof".

It is actually very easy to work out where and when to catch your train here even though the station is enormous. Judy's train pulled in exactly as per the timetable and departed right on time. We were very sad to say goodbye to her as she has been a barrel of laughs from day one.

We took the Strassenbahn from the station to the cathedral, more or less as the river boats depart near there. Spent a pleasant hour on the River Spree seeing the city from a different perspective. Once again we saw a fantastic mix of old and modern architecture. There were only a few moments when we felt cold enough to be back on the Fleesensee.

By the time we left the river to walk up to where the hop-on bus stops, the afternoon was getting on. We waited about three quarters of an hour for a bus to come. They are supposed to be every ten minutes. When we finally got under way it took us back to the Hauptbahnhof and then just stopped. Apparently they knock off at six o'clock no matter where they are. There were some very angry passengers, including us.

The nice man at the information kiosk in the station explained that we need the city train to get home and even sold us tickets for today and for tomorrow when we go to Dresden. So we caught the train to Savignyplatz and walked from there, stopping for a meal on the way. It will be an early start tomorrow for our day trip to Dresden.

 

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Untergöhren to Berlin

Monday, 28 September

A fond farewell to "Schwerin" and the lovely people at Locaboat base was followed by a delightful taxi ride back to Waren. The driver couldn't believe that Australians had come to "little Mecklenberg". She pointed out places of interest along the way and answered lots of questions.

No problems with our train to Berlin and taxi to the Hotel California (!) in Kurfürstendamm.

Couldn't check in that early so we left our luggage and headed for the hop-on-hop-off bus, which took us on a two and a half hour tour of the city. And what a beautiful city it is, with beautiful buildings both old and new. We caught a glimpse of all the major attractions, many of which we will revisit later on. Took some less than successful photos from the window of the bus.

If you are a fan of "Antiques Roadshow" you will be interested to know that we found the Steiff Bears shop a couple of doors from our hotel. Everything in there has the Steiff button in its left ear, even when it's printed on a tshirt.

A last dinner with Judy who will be catching the train back to Prague tomorrow and then flying home. We are going to miss her and all her Facebook friends.

 

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Plau to Untergöhren

Sunday, 27 September

We made a smooth exit from our pen in Plau this morning, one advantage of having backed in. In no time at all we were crossing the Plauersee with Judy at the helm, Lorraine with the binoculars and me following the iPad chart. It was a tiny entrance into the next waterway but we found it easily and continued on to Malchow.

This was where the fun and games began. We just missed the bridge. Couldn't quite catch up with the last boat to go through and watched with dismay as it closed just in front of us. This meant an hour until it opened again and, just as when we came through the other way, there was nowhere to tie up and wait. All the parking spots were for ferries so we had to cruise in circles for an hour. While we were doing this other boats started to arrive and as the hour got closer they were jockeying for position and trying to form a queue. When the bridge finally opened there must have been about eight boats coming through from the other side so we had to wait for them without running into any of the other boats in our "queue". Finally it was our turn and we made our way through the tiny gap along with another eleven boats, some of which were definitely queue jumpers. How no one hit anyone is a mystery.

Then began the last leg of our trip, down a sort of estuary, into and across the Fleesensee. There were motor boats, yachts, speedboats and jet skis going in all directions but we cruised through and back to base like pros. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon so we sat up on deck for lunch, did a load of washing and had coffee and cake (surprise, surprise) in the hotel nearby. A final dinner in the harbour restaurant and back to the boat for our last night on the water.

 

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Plau to Schwerin

Saturday, 26 September

The journey today was somewhat longer than anticipated due to the lock at Bobzin being "kaput". It was reminiscent of the famous incident of the log in the lock on our first trip. This time the lock was empty but the mechanism was doing nothing. They have been working on this lock for more than a week. When we came through last Saturday is was only open at 10.30 or 16.30 but we were assured that it would be fixed by Tuesday. Last night in Lübz we heard that it had been playing up the day before.

We sat there for three hours waiting for the lock technician to come, and by then there was a queue of boats in both directions. When we finally entered the lock we were with three other boats. It was a squeeze and pretty uncomfortable trying to hold the boat in position away from the others. The lock was more than 7 metres deep so it took a long time to fill. I'm glad we weren't stuck inside it!

For the rest of the day we were in a convoy of four boats, all squeezing into locks together. At the last lock there was only room for three but it was quite a shallow one so they wouldn't have waited for long. We got into Plau about 5.30 and had another less than graceful parking experience, with a few comments coming from onlookers. Our kind friend from the boat in front came round to tell us that we only had a few minutes before the harbourmaster finished for the day, so we hot-footed it around to pay our parking fees and get tokens for the water and electricity.

Then a walk into the town and along the canal to find some dinner before walking back to the boat by the light of a gorgeous full moon. Tomorrow will be our last travelling day as we return to Untergöhren in preparation for handing the boat back on Monday morning.

 

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Garwitz to Lübz

Friday, 25 September

We woke up this morning to bright sunshine and bread rolls delivered to the table on our deck. What a great start. By the time we were ready to leave it had clouded over so we were back into coats, hats etc. We had a short wait at the lock just beyond our marina and then we were on our way again.

Fortunately the sky cleared a little later and we had the best sunshine so far on this trip. We pulled in to"Am Brunnen", a wayside stopping place, one of very few, for lunch. Ate our bread rolls in the sunshine at tables beside the boat, then ventured up to the cafe for an ice cream sundae. We all felt that life could not be better.

On our way again, we decided to press on to Lübz and the horrible marina. There was a big space at the end so we got in all right and were able to return to the quaint pub where we had dinner on Saturday night. We really enjoyed talking to our lovely waitress. She told us we were the first Australians she had served. Everywhere we go on this voyage, people have been amazed that we are from Australia and there have been many jokes about coming all that way in our boat.

 

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Schwerin to Garwitz

Thursday, 24 September

This morning we reluctantly bid farewell to Schwerin and set off on our return journey. Part of our reluctance was because the lake was shrouded in fog. In fact, it caused us to delay our departure until we could see the island we had to go around. It was quite eerie setting off into the mist but visibility was good enough that we could see the buoys marking the sandbar and channel. We also had the trusty ap showing us exactly where we were and how to stay on course.

We were all rugged up in our new hats and gloves, and very glad of them too as it was bitterly cold out on the water and even after we moved into the canal.

We had to stop at Plate to wait for the bridge to open so went for a walk in the village and had an early lunch tied up at the waiting place. Four kilometres on was Banzkow, where we negotiated the lock. The same lady takes care of both the bridge and the lock so she felt like an old friend after meeting her in both places and both directions. She had very kindly given us the times for the bridge so we could plan our arrival - more or less.

After Banzkow it was the long straight stretch of canal, where we saw ducks sitting on the same log they had been sitting on the other day. Apart from a couple of swans we couldn't see any water birds in the big trout farms and we certainly didn't see the otters we had been told to look out for.

It was an untidy entrance into our pen back at Garwitz, but we made it and tied up OK. We had a very nice meal at the little pub in the village and came home before it was too dark to see the stairs down from the road to the marina. This evening's activity is reading and a quiet cuppa but we'll be in bed early, as usual. What a wild lot we are!

 

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Schwerin

Wednesday, 23 September

No rain today and even a little bit of sun! It makes walking so much pleasanter. And walk we did - through the extended castle gardens, over to the other side of the lake and back into the town.

Our morning cuppa was in a lakeside cafe on the other side of the castle. I think we have seen it from all sides now. We enjoyed talking to the proprietor and finding out his opinion about the influx of refugees.... "Not happy Jan!"

We bumped into Shani and the Monbulk kids as we came back past the castle, so stopped to say a quick hello.

There was a market in the town square with fruit & veg, meats and wursts, cheeses, plants, eggs and fish. Had a bratwurst in bread for lunch and then headed to Pfaffenteich, another little lake a few blocks from the square. It had a big fountain and some nice cafes. We were ready to sit for a while so stopped for coffee and cake.

Lorraine has been riding the bike all day and Judy and I were on foot. We explored some lovely shops and all bought cheap, and hopefully warmer, gloves and hats in preparation for our return trip. We think we have pretty much covered Schwerin, have had a good break from driving the boat and are relaxed and ready for the next adventure.

 

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Schwerin

"Lulled to sleep" was not quite how it turned out last night, more like rocking and rolling with water loudly slapping the sides of the boat. Being moored on the edge of a lake is quite different from the calm of a canal. Hopefully tonight will be a little quieter, or perhaps we will be too tired to notice.
We had a luxurious sleep-in this morning as we didn't have to head off in the boat. Schwerin is our rest from driving the boat. After breakfast we walked around the lake to the castle. The gardens were amazing, with a variety of magnificent old trees. There was a grotto by the lake with a mysterious door leading who knows where. There were also a number of formal gardens and fountains. We toured the public rooms of the castle and were amazed by the parquetry floors, ceiling decorations and pretty little round rooms with views over the lake. The throne room was incredibly elaborate in what I think is a Rococo style. I also loved the staircase which wound in circles up to a very pretty dome. The decoration was quite reminiscent of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria.

After our morning in the castle we wandered up into the old town for a well-earned cuppa and cake. Across the square is the Dom, the Lutheran cathedral. It is painted white inside and quite simply decorated in comparison to Catholic cathedrals. There were some wonderful old brasses and a display about the period of the Cold War, but all in German which was too difficult for me.
We left the cathedral and returned to the square to meet Shani Van Der Young, who is here with a group of students from Monbulk SC. Enjoyed a lovely lunch with her in the Cafe Prag and then brought her back to the marina to see our lovely "Schwerin".

We've had a lot of drizzle today, but not too cold. The sky is looking very threatening again so we have decided to stay in tonight wit some soup and bread for dinner. That's all we need after our afternoon of cakey indulgence.

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Garwitz to Schwerin

Monday, 21 September

A good journey today, still very cold but no rain until we arrived in Schwerin. We covered 30 km, with only one lock and one lifting bridge. The bridge is only opened at certain times during the day so we were able to sit and eat lunch while we waited for it. For lunch we had bread rolls which we ordered yesterday and which were delivered right to our door this morning.

It was an interesting drive with one very long, perfectly straight stretch which passed by old trout farms. These are now home to many water birds, including birds that rest there on their migratory routes. We also crossed the Schweriner See, with Judy at the wheel, Lorraine watching out for marker buoys with the binoculars and me navigating with our wonderful iPad chart.

On arrival at the boat harbour we were pleased to find an easy parking spot, a huge relief as I had been worrying about more narrow pens with expensive boats and panicky Germans. It was good to stretch our legs on a stroll into town. It was drizzling but not cold, as it had been out on the lake. The old town is full of picturesque buildings and I think we will enjoy exploring it over the next couple of days. The castle is visible from various points and is top of our list for tomorrow. We also hope to catch up with Shani Van Der Young, who is here with a group from Monbulk SC.

Enjoyed sampling the local pork in aspic specialty at the Seglerheim Restaurant which is about 30 metres from our boat. Tonight we will be lulled to sleep by the lapping of water against the sides of the boat, a sound we don't hear in our canal berths.

 

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Lübz to Garwitz

Sunday, 20 September

We all slept soundly after such a big day yesterday and will do so again tonight. We are covering long distances at a slow pace as the speed limit on this canal is 6kph.

It was a cold and often wet day for us as the frequent drizzle turned to real rain and we were forced to leave our outside driving position for the comfort of the dry cabin. There are very few places to stop on this trip as parking is not permitted along the canal and towns are few and far between. Because of the bad weather we decided to press on to our destination, Garwitz, without stopping for lunch. Lorraine made about three or four morning teas to keep us going and to warm us up. We did have a few sunny patches. The weather here is a bit like Melbourne, with four seasons in one day.

We travelled 39km and had three locks today and Judy did some excellent manoeuvring in and out of them. She is becoming a master of the slow, gentle approach. Lorraine's forte is jumping on and off to set the lock mechanism in motion. And I am improving at backing us into our mooring, a highly stressful thing to do when there are thousands of dollars worth of boats all around you and minimal space. Fortunately the marina at Garwitz was not full so we had room and time to get ourselves organised. We also had some good help from the marina man who was delighted to have some Australian guests. His cousin from Perth had been here a week ago.

We finished lunch at about 5 and decided to skip dinner. Had a walk around this small village and came back for a glass of wine, another crossword and bed. A second doona has made all the difference to sleeping comfort. We have also run the heating a bit at night. Unfortunately it doesn't work in my room.

 

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Untergohren to Lübz

Saturday, 19 September

What a huge day! We set out across Fleesensee about 8.30 and didn't get parked for the evening until well after 5.00. The morning light was much kinder than the evening sun glare last night so we could actually see where we going and distinguish the red and green marker buoys that we had to stay between. After the fourth one we turned left across the lake and soon found the exit on the other side. The map ap is fantastic as we can see the position of the boat and the way it is pointing, so know where we have to aim for in the lakes. We even get our latitude and longitude.

Today we did four locks, two lakes, two opening bridges and 44 kilometres. It was a big challenge and we feel pleased, though exhausted, to have made it. The last half hour was the worst as we entered a very full marina and had to back into a spot. The one that was indicated to us was very small and the people in the boats either side were having conniptions - with some justification. In the end we gave up on that one and found a better one. Still had to back in and try not to take out any neighbouring boats. We did it, just, and practically fell in a heap afterwards.

Had an enjoyable dinner in town. We are in Lübz. Never want to return to this marina as I will have the memory of the stress of parking forever. It must get easier, mustn't it?.

A cup of tea and some chocolate, and we were ready for bed at 10.00. Day 1 of boating is over.

 

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Untergohren

Friday, 18 September

After a very pleasant breakfast we left our luggage at reception and walked into the centre of Waren. What a beautiful town! Lots of pretty shops with lovely autumn window displays, and so quiet after crowded Prague.

We found a bank for some euros did a bit of window shopping and sat in the town square enjoying the fountain and the people, dogs and birds visiting it. It was cool but sunny. For morning tea we returned to a bakery we had spied earlier and sampled the cherry streusel cake. We picked up a few supplies at the supermarket and returned to the hotel where the kind man on reception rang a taxi to take us to Untergohren.

It was about a 22 km journey and we enjoyed talking, as best we could, to the taxi driver and looking at the farmland with its freshly ploughed paddocks and fields of stubble. When we commented on the size of some sunflowers he assured us that they were small and proceeded to show us a photo of his wide and their 4 metre tall sunflower.

The people at the Locaboat base were very friendly, Nancy in reception and Ollie, who took us over the boat and spent a lot of time giving us a driving lesson, especially on backing the boat into a parking spot. Not at all confident about our success in that area. By the time we were finished it was a bit late to get started so we plugged the electricity back in and went over to the restaurant for dinner. It was very crowded in the restaurant so we had to sit outside on the deck, under a radiator. Not the efficient gas sort our cafes have but a bar radiator that did practically nothing. We froze and waited an hour for our meals, but they were very good when they finally did arrive. I'm glad I brought a torch as we needed it to get through the security gate and back to the boat.

A hot cuppa and into bed. We plan to start early in the morning as we have a deadline at one of the locks which is only opening twice a day at the moment due to repairs.

 

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Prague to Waren

Thursday, 17 September

A big travel day today as we farewelled beautiful Prague and set off by train for Waren in Germany. All went smoothly. We enjoyed the company of Amber, a gorgeous young thing from New York.

We arrived in Waren punctually at 19.00 and were advised by the taxi driver, who already had a customer, that we should walk to the hotel. He proceeded to give us directions in very fast German and I am proud to say that we made it the hotel. Having staggered up a number of steps with our luggage we discovered the place in darkness with no one answering the door. We rang a phone number on the door and were told that reception is in the other building, so lugged our stuff down the stairs and across the road to the hotel proper. There were signs which we would have seen if we were in a car but which weren't obvious to those arriving on foot.

A very kind staff member organised a discounted meal for us, as we just made it in before the restaurant closed. We look like kids compared to most of the guests. Everything is in German so it's quite a challenge. Luckily one member of staff speaks English.

After sitting on trains for most of the day we are quite tired, so an early night before the boating adventures begin tomorrow. We won't have an Internet connection on the boat so probably no posts for the next 10 days, unless we find a wifi spot.

 

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