We return home tomorrow and think that no one will want to read about our long drive to Hook of Holland and 7 hour ferry crossing so this is the final post of the holiday.
Today consisted of a 300 mile marathon drive from Stralsund to Osnabruck. No photos and nothing much to say other than we had a brief stop in the historic town of Wismar for fuel. It was a long, dull journey, but a million times better than British motorways in terms of well maintained roads, good manners and cleanliness.
Highlight of our day? A short detour into a German supermarket, you know how much John loves a foreign food shop!
Drama of the day? Our hotel is very busy tonight and there was talk of eating in the garden. For the mozzie magnets in the group, there were gasps of horror. Disaster averted when a table was found inside.
On to our final thoughts. There is a theme, we all really enjoyed our first day cycling from Stralsund to Baabe. The route across the island was quiet, pretty and fairly flat. Champagne on arrival at Hotel Solthus am See was a lovely touch, much appreciated by Jacky, the hotel was stunning in a glorious location.
John loves not having to wear a cycle helmet and to feel the wind in his hair. He enjoys cycling and it’s such a treat to feel safe on good condition dedicated cycle paths and be respected by motorists when on a road.
Ken had known about Prora for years and one of his highlights was finally visiting. Particularly the contrast between old and new and seeing, first hand, evidence of it’s history. His two punctures added some drama to our week and he was the only one of us to test the swimming pool at Solthus-am-See.
Kim is returning home without injury. There is an unexplained bruise but everyone agreed that she didn’t fall off her bike once. The quieter moments on the island were her highlights – drinking tea overlooking the harbour at Lohme and sitting on the beach, eating lunch, at Vitt.
Our final(ish) statistics: We will have driven 1250 miles (2012 km), cycled 153 miles, roughly the same distance as Bedford to York, ascended almost 2000m, travelled on 9 ferries and endured 2.5 punctures. Apart from a chat with a Scottish couple in Putbus, we heard only two other English voices the whole time we’ve been away. A truly refreshing experience.
braysabroad 