Baltic Sea

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This visit to Germany, we decided to spend some time at the Baltic Sea as Ralf had traveled there in the past but this was the first time for me. We stayed in the Usedom area which I learned is actually an island, with a string of adorable little seaside villages, many of them connected by wooded trails for biking or walking and boardwalks along the sea in the villages scattered with little fish smokehouses and shops. The leaves had just started changing colors so this was a beautiful time to visit and I thoroughly enjoyed the crisp sea air in contrast to the unbearable heat and humidity in Florida all summer.

My first glimpse of Baltic Sea life was Zinnowitz, where I quickly became familiar with a common sight of covered basket seats at the cafes and on the beach. They can be positioned so that you can enjoy the sun while blocking the cool sea breeze. They are so effective that we even saw people sunbathing in them despite the exceptionally cool temperatures. Ralf, also explained that when spending a day at the beach here, many people bring portable fences to block the wind and after they create a burrow in the sand, they surround it with the fence. After exploring a few of the villages, we checked into the ForstHaus hotel. It was styled like an old hunting lodge and nestled in the woods with access to lots of hiking trails which we took advantage of for evening walks and morning runs. After just a few interactions with people in the villages and hotel, I could immediately see a difference in the hospitality of this region. I asked Ralf about it and he confirmed that the people in this northern part of Germany are known not to be as friendly as we've experienced in other regions. They were very straightforward, sometimes even short with you, Not exceedingly helpful, and no smiles! Funny how something like that really stands out. Even many of the other guests and visitors were very "cool" compared to what we've seen in other areas where everyone commonly greets one another with a friendly "Hallo" and a smile. In fairness, we did end up having an excellent waiter the last night (coincidentally, he was from Austria!) and a great masseuse. Despite the perceived difference in the attitudes of the people in this region, we thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful surroundings, lovely accommodations, and excellent food.

We stayed here for 3 nights and got a great chance to explore many of the little villages. A favorite memory is that one day we rented bikes and went from village to village via the bike trail through the woods along the coastline, ending up in a remote camping area when Ralf's parents used to take him camping when he was young and later where he took his own family to camp in tents at the Baltic Sea sometimes for three weeks at a time. His dad was thrilled to receive the pictures we emailed him as he hasn't been back here in years and. like Ralf, has many fond memories of spending family vacations there year after year. Another thing I enjoyed about our time in this area was the fish...go figure...first because I am picky about "fishy fish" and also because what else would seaside villages be known for?! I had several varieties of fish that were excellent. I really like the smoked fish. As I already mentioned, the covered sea basket seats were an awesome to enjoy the outdoors minus the crisp sea breeze and the air here just smelled so good!

Our last day here when we'd made it to the far east side of Usedom in Germany, we decided to cross over to the Poland portion of Usedom as it was only a few more kilometers. It instantly reminded me of the border towns in Mexico, with the main street lined with markets selling cheap souvenirs and other assorted junk, bartering for a price about half what they are originally asking. After we walked through these markets for 20 minutes or so, we moved the car closer to the sea. When Ralf first told me that he wanted to be very careful about where we parked the car because cars, particularly luxury cars like Mercedes are sometimes stolen in Poland, I thought he was kidding. Later some people we met in Berlin told us that this practice is actually not as common anymore but a little unsettling nonetheless. Fortunately, the car was safe in a lot with an attendant and we enjoyed walking the beach here and the much anticipated Polish pierogies. Sadly, the tastiness of the pierogies wasn't up to par with many of the delicious things we've eaten on this trip but it's fun to try a food I've always enjoyed in the place where it originated.

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