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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