Waking up and looking out our room window down at the large intersection below, things seemed a bit odd. It was eerily quiet with no cars, no cyclists and no pedestrians. Was it Sunday we wondered? No, but as we discovered later, it was a public holiday - Ascension Day. Being a Thursday, our guess was that Germany was having an extended long weekend which explains why organizing our hotels going forward was getting more challenging.
With few cars on the road the short ride to the train station was easy and we arrived at the train station earlier than planned. Saving some time, we caught the 9:41 train to Bad Oldesloe. We picked Bad Oldesloe to travel to by train because it would allow us to exit the city of Hamburg easily. It was also near a cycle route that we could pick up and ride to our destination today of Lübeck. It shortened our ride today to less than 30 KM. A bonus though, was seeing the town of Oldesloe. It was a really pretty little town but the streets there were also empty.
Once on our way, we took our time as we needed to adjust to no longer riding a specifically named Radweg (cycle route) with lots of signage. Instead we were on regular cycle designated roads and paths. Our riding was often along a path located beside a road. Only occasionally did we ride right on roads but when we did they were almost car free. We finished the day right in the center of Lubeck and now it was clear where everybody was. There was a live band on the main street and the cafes were all full of customers. We stopped at restaurant along the River Trave`s edge for an afternoon refreshment and to take it all in.
8:15 in the morning and two cyclists with backpacks possibly heading to the train station that is across the street. Not a car in sight.
They are pretty cute beggars but they did get get any of the chocolate cookie that came with our coffees. They sit right by your feet hoping for something to drop!
Steve Miller/GrampiesExactly. It continues to grow taller until it forms a kind of lacy fronds. Next year, the sprouts grow out of the soil and are cut off at ground level until the harvesting season is over. Then they are allowed to grow into the tall fronds and repeat the next year. Reply to this comment 1 day ago
Lübeck is the southwestern most city on the Baltic Sea and has a population of over 200K. Lübeck's historic old town, located on a densely built-up island, is Germany's most extensive UNESCO World Heritage Site. With six church towers surpassing 100 metres Lübeck is the city with the highest number of tall church towers worldwide. It is nicknamed the "City of the Seven Towers". As with many of the German towns that we have visited the historic buildings in Lübeck are quite amazing. Here over 80% of the old town has preserved its medieval appearance.
View of Lubeck as we crossed the Dankwartsbrücke bridge.
The street An der Obertrave was not affected by the destruction of the air raid of 29 March 1942 and therefore shows the historic buildings to this day.
The Holsten Gate is a city gate marking off the western boundary of the old centre of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. It was built in 1464 to provide for security. Today, the two-round towers and arched entrance is regarded as a symbol of the city.
After checking into our hotel located just outside the old town we headed back to explore the center area a bit further. The area is home to the churches, the Rathaus as well as the main shopping street. Of course because it was a holiday all the shops were now closed . But we did have an excellent meal at Im Alten Zolln, the traditional pub on Lübeck's old town island. Scott had the Lübecker Labskaus (beef brisket) and Pat the Seelachsfilet (pollock fillet) . We needed the hotel umbrella when returning to the hotel but the front street gang was still going strong despite the weather.
