What’s that doing here?

Todays ride, although only 30km was a hilly one, taking in the Konigsstuhl Visitor Centre in Jasmund National Park and the town of Sassnitz. Most of the route was through quiet, shady UNESCO listed ancient Beech forest.

We’d underestimated the popularity of the Visitor Centre, coach loads of tourists and children were disembarking as we arrived. The viewing platform over Kingsstuhl chalk cliff was busy but we managed a few photos.

In addition to a cafe, the visitor centre houses an educational film cinema and an exhibition. We had a cuppa while Jacky and Ken went to be educated. It wasn’t a deliberate ploy on our part, just poor timing to access both which were strictly controlled. It became hotter and busier so we abandoned our friends and continued down to Sassnitz.

We cheated a little, deviating from a longer forest based cycle route, choosing a tarmac road instead. Despite being the main road into town, it was quiet and any traffic gave us a wide berth or waited patiently until it was safe to pass. We can only dream of such courtesy at home.

Sassnitz has the longest harbour jetty in Europe, reached by a tortuous cycle down a steep, winding cobbled road. The bikes have taken some punishment over cobbles this holiday, as have we! Our fact of the day – the harbour was the main point of entry for Soviet troops travelling to East Germany during the Cold War. Kim finally sampled a Fischbrotchen for lunch, essentially a fish finger sandwich’s posh cousin. There isn’t a photo, John was too busy fending off a persistent seagull. We cycled along the harbour to look at the U-boot museum which is a decommissioned UK submarine (HMS Otus) flying a Union Jack flag. It doesn’t seem right that it’s not a German sub and does anyone know the difference between a submarine and a U-boat?

Black clouds gathered overhead and we chose the challenge of the hilly ride back rather than wait a couple of hours for a bus with a cycle trailer. Luckily, black clouds soon gave way to blue sky. We had a brief refreshment stop in the forest before securing our bikes at the hotel for a walk around Lohme. We visited a little shop selling amber or Bernstein as it is called in Germany – literally stone that burns. There followed a steep walk down to the harbour side cafe for coffee and cake. A nice leisurely end to the afternoon.