Ueckermunde - Penkun: Lucky again - From Bavaria to the Baltic Sea and Back

June 24, 2011

Ueckermunde - Penkun: Lucky again

Today we got caught in the rain - but it could have been worse. First came the rain, then a veritable deluge and hail while we were indoors having coffee. Good timing. Our second bit of luck was getting lost and taking a route that took us past two churches that we would have otherwise missed.

Bronze statue of a fisherman in the main square in Ueckermünde

We got an early start in the morning, giving us lots of leaway to get lost and cope with rain and hail. Leaving Ueckermünde our route followed a canal leading to the Stettiner Haff, the sound, and then continued south more or less parallel to the Polish border through pleasant countryside.

A drawbridge for cyclists outside of Ueckermünde

We somehow lost the recommended bicycle route but were quite happy with the roads we were on as the traffic was never a problem and we got to see two churches that wouldn't have been on the bicycle route.

Baroque church in Luckow with half timbered facade, built in 1724.

A unique feature of churches near the sea are replicas of ships suspended near the altar. Here the votive ship is a frigate that was donated at the time the church was built and is said to be the oldest votive ship in east Germany.

Another half timbered church, this one in Ahlbeck

We were in Löcknitz for lunch and were amazed at how little a meal costs in this part of Germany. Leaving Löcknitz we were back on the bicycle route which took us to the Löcknitz Lake - yes, it was a pretty lake but the path was terrible. I wish we had lost the bicycle route here, too. Then came rolling hills with dramatic dark clouds as a backdrop. The storm was brewing.

We met a few cyclists today - a Swiss couple approximately our age and a young German cyclist. Over the next few days we continued to run into our Swiss friends on the Oder-Neisse bicycle path and in the evening enjoyed exchanging stories about our adventures of the day. The German cyclist was travelling in the other direction and gave us information on what was ahead. He was very enthusiastic about his accomodation in a bungalow on the lake at Penkun and recommended that we stop there, too.

Our last kilometers of the day were wet ones and we arrived dripping at the little bungalows that had been recommended to us earlier in the day. The price was right - 45€ including breakfast - and the view was lovely. We even got a fantastic sunset over the lake in the price. The bungalows themselves were pretty shabby and the bed was lumpy and narrow, but I slept well so no harm done.

We were wet when we arrived in Penkun and didn't get much of a look at its castle but I did stop for at least a picture.

Today's ride: 79 km (49 miles)
Total: 1,725 km (1,071 miles)

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