Since we began our post-lockdown travels, most of our time has been spent visiting cities. Other than the very relaxing days we spent on the Moselle and the Rhine, we’ve visited a few smaller German towns along with Salzburg, Vienna, Prague and Berlin. Though I have enjoyed every one, I am citied out, y’all! And I’m tired!
Exhaustion, combined with temps in the mid-to-high 80s, makes me a very cranky girl. When we used to travel in our little pop-up trailer, Alfred Hitchpop, when the weather turned unbearable we would just go and check into a hotel. But in Europe, very few places have air conditioning, so there is really no way to beat the heat except to pack up and move to a cooler location. So that’s what we did!
My go-to places that I know will be at least a few degrees cooler are marinas. Nothing beats a cool(ish) breeze coming off the water. A sea or ocean is even better than an inland lake, so that’s where I began my search, in far north Germany by the Baltic Sea.
I had mapped out about five places for us to go to as we looked for the perfect place to just park up and sit. We were prepared to travel far and wide, to the northwest coast of Poland or nearly to the coast of Denmark if need be, in order to be comfortable.
Our first stop was a marina along one of the seven lakes found in the town of Schwerin. Sadly, it was full and we had to move on. We did not want to leave Schwerin because – surprise! – there was a castle there that Steven wanted to shoot. In my tired mind all I could think of was “another stupid castle” and I could not have cared less.
We found motorhome parking literally at the end of the castle gardens. It was expensive as these things go, but worth it because of the proximity to the castle, gardens, water features and a few restaurants. Steven went off to explore and left me at home to rest.
When Steven goes out to do some serious shooting, he usually prefers to go alone, which is fine with me. And when he returns home, he assures me I didn’t miss anything. But when he goes out just to walk around and take a few photos and he wishes I had come along, he returns home and basically starts describing all that he has seen as though it’s the greatest thing he has ever seen in his whole livin’ life.
If I am just being lazy, then I feel guilty. But when I am dog-tired, like I was when we left Berlin, his words fall on deaf ears. No amount of cajoling or hyperbole on his part is going to get me out of my rig. And I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty. Like a cornered kitty, I can be hissy at the mere suggestion of an outing. I am, however, motivated by food, and the promise of a lovely dinner and a bottle of wine enticed me out. Nevermind that we had to walk through the gardens and right beside the castle to get to the restaurant, my focus was on the food and drink. I admit, though, the castle was gorgeous.
The next morning we departed and headed north to Insel Poel, a small island in the Baltic Sea. We snagged a spot for the night, but when our neighbors left the following morning, we moved into the spot right at the water’s edge and remained there until it was time to leave.
The island is known for being bike-friendly and we have enjoyed peddling around. But mostly we’ve stayed home and done absolutely zilch. I find a beautiful view, a cool breeze and a blank to-do list to be the most relaxing and restorative of all.
I’ll leave you with a few photos of our stay here on Poel Island. After two weeks by our little marina, we left for the Netherlands and we’ll once again be out and about visiting sights. But I am ready, having recharged my batteries by the sea. I guess I am a good Pisces after all.
UP NEXT: Amsterdam!
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We visited this castle too – but from the outside! If you are visiting Amsterdam and love apple pie there’s a great cafe to visit, details on our blog, Winkle Cafe In the Jordan area of town, on the corner of a small market – you can see the pies being cooked in the basement. Enjoy! https://moho-dream.co.uk/amsterdam/
Thanks for the recommendation, Carol. I have been enjoying your blog and see that we have either been places you’ve been or we are going there! We found our first Stolperstein in Edam, quite by accident! I just looked down and there it was! Tomorrow we are going to find Anne Frank’s at her family home. Thanks so much for letting us know about this, we are intrigued! Also we’re heading to the food market, so maybe we’ll run across some apple pie!
Russell has been to both Schwerin and Poel and was excited to see the photos! We have a very dear friend who lives in Neukirchen, in a centuries old farmhouse with a lovely thatched roof. Her farm is just a few Km from the Danish border.
Enjoy Amsterdam!
We obviously did not do Schwerin justice, but I was just so ready to sit for a while. Poel was such a great place for that. Perhaps you two will do some traveling once it is safe?
I totally get the “let me hibernate and leave me alone”, after numerous travel days, I simply say we are not moving! Love, love Steven’s pictures!!
I know! Like, who lives constantly on the go? I certainly never did when I lived in a sticks and bricks, and I can’t do it now, either! But Steven will suffer for his art. And it shows, right? Thanks for your kind words.
Breathtaking!
Thanks, it’s hard to take a bad photo on Poel Island! Hope you guys are doing well, and glad to hear your family is safe from the fires!
Haha, you would NOT be happy being in Florida in summer. 85 degrees and 85 percent humidity is absolutely horrible. This was definitely not in our original plan. But here we are.
I completely understand the need to take time out from continual traveling. But it’s so hard to resist the siren call of new places and new experiences! We never did a very good job of reining ourselves in during our seven years of full-time travels…but now we’re brought to a standstill. Maybe it’s a good thing. Still, we’re looking forward to getting back on the road, hopefully by next spring!
Wonderful photos, as always.
You are right, I would hate every second of 85 degrees and 85 percent humidity. We have done better than I thought we would at staying out of the really unbearable heat, but there are days when I really, really miss Scoopy and her delicious air conditioning.
Even with our AC and afternoon rain storms I’m tired of our high 90’s and missing being in the PNW where we had planned to spend the whole summer. Your description of Steven’s different shooting outings and your reaction……cracks me up :-)))) I can’t see a marina campground without thinking of you two! I think Duluth is the last one we stayed at and I am more than ready to spend some time at another one. Actually at this point I’m ready to be on the road just about anywhere. The pics from the castle garden are magical.
Reading several posts at once to get caught up makes for a delightful tour 🙂
Duluth is a wonderful memory! Underwear! Waterfalls! Crappy Mexican food! What’s not to love? 🙂 You should head north to Winchester Bay in Oregon, that’s a great marina! I am looking forward to your travels again, I hope it will be sooner rather than later. We miss you guys! Thanks for catching up! 🙂