Ausflug 38

July 1st, Haffkrug Germany

We spent a day in Hamburg, looking at the iconic towers of the "Michel" (American: Church of Saint Michael), "Rathaus" (American: city hall), and visiting the grave of Monika's parents. I never had the opportunity to meet Monika's father, but from all accounts he was was an intelligent, pleasant gentleman, and Monika's mother always treated me like a Prince. (literally--I still remember when her Mom baked one of my favorite deserts, Monika mumbled to me under her breath, "Don't expect to be treated like this when we get back home!"). At the end of our short visit, Monika's sister Heinke and her husband Gustl drove us to the small town of Haffkrug on the Baltic coast.

Haffkrug is situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea about 20 kilometers North of Luebeck, Germany. Haffkrug is primarily a beach resort town that lies within easy reach not only of Luebeck, but also of Hamburg, which is about a one hour drive on the Autobahn. In the U.S., the beach town that comes closest to the laid-back, low-key atmosphere of Haffkrug is Bethany Beach on the Atlantic Coast. New construction is limited to 3 stories high (or 4 stories if one is included in the roof!), so you do not have the "high-rise syndrome" of larger beach communities and the beach remains the primary focus. Even some of the really old, original beachside cottages still exist here and there.

Although it can get crowded on weekends, ultimately the number of people is limited by the number of available places to park a car, which is also severely limited. As a result, the beaches do not seem to be really overcrowded even on a sunny Sunday. The folks who make the effort did, however, really enjoy the beach and the available aquatic activities including sailing sailboards and catamarans right off the beach as well as kayaks and, of course, swimming.

The water is, however, not warm by American standards. Temperatures were reported as 16 or 17 degrees Celsius, so although a lot of people were in swimming on a sunny day, most folks did not stay in all that long. When not swimming, people could enjoy sitting in their rented "Strandkorb", or participate in traditional beach sports like beach volleyball and making sand castles. A "Strandkorb" is a old German type of high-backed, winged beach chair made from very sturdy wicker. How traditional a "Strandkorb" is, shows this picture of Monika's sisters at the beach in 1938. If you point a Strandkorb away from the wind, those big winged backs can be used to protect two or three people from the prevailing winds whilst they sunbathe or enjoy a meal.

We stayed at a newly-renovated condominium that belongs to Monika's nephew Detlef and his wife, Susanne, who were kind enough to let us rent it just before it was put on the rental market. Although the front of their condominium complex was just across the street from the beach, our balcony faced to the rear which was apparently a nature preserve of some kind. That was a very relaxing view, and we enjoyed watching the wildlife out back during our week there. In particular, we were entertained by several deer, we saw at least two does, two fawns, and possibly a yearling.

But we encountered other wildlife during our week in Haffkrug, including many birds. We saw a pheasant, ducks, a goose protecting his family (and geese can be VERY protective), ducks, and I think a falcon or osprey of some kind as well as the ever-present seagulls.

So we made Haffkrug our base for using our electric bicycles to explore the beach area to the North and South as well as the extensive area of Germany just northwest of Haffkrug called the "Holsteinische Schweiz" (American: Hollstein's Switzerland). That is a land of of little lakes, tiny historic villages, and beautifully rustic German countryside that turned out to be very pretty indeed.