Thomas and Karin led the way from the camping west to a little ferry across the harbour mouth (to Warnemunde) and then on south to Rostock proper. This little southerly leg is actually about 15-20 km, of very undistinguished city scape. Still, we these expert guides we didn't have to think about the routing, which was really great.
Just before hitting the city centre, we stopped at a post office. Here Dodie could mail home 2 kg of maps and paper junque that I had collected and made her carry! With the bag now empty, I am all set to go again!
One of my first things was a pamplet about the city's former gates and fortifications, picked up as we stopped at one of those gates - the Kropelin Gate, which dates from the 13th century. This is one of 12 gates and walls still visible around this once fortified city. From the Kropelin, a pedestrian street lined with beautiful buildings, filled with retail shops, restaurants, and bakeries, led to the rathaus square. It's the usual pattern, but the one we love to explore.
In the rathaus square were a number of food vendors. From a fruit stall, for 2 euros we got a large fruit salad, with peaches, grapes, watermelon, apple, melon, and red currants. This was really super, and we ate it later in a quiet and shady cemetary.
For right away, there was a man with Pomeranian smoked sausage, complete with smoke pouring out of his stall apparatus. It came on a bun (high quality, naturally), with German mustard. Really super!
This gefahr is puzzling. It was on a barrier that looked electrified, over a train track with electric overhead power. Is the plan to electrocute me if I try to jump? Or are they saying if I do jump I will die not from impact but from the electric lines below?
Dodie and thomas were ahead, dicussing the complete political party arrangement of Canada and Germany. I waitd to butt in, and said "We should stop, my derailleur is broken". As it happens, a bolt had fallen out of the rear rack, leaving the strut to drag on the cassette. Fortunately we carried the right replacement bolt, here being installed by Thomas.
Thomas and Karin then dropped us almost directly on the Berlin-Copenhagen radweg. There was a real kiss and cry, as we will really miss these new found friends. To find such wonderful people just sitting in a cyclists' shelter was really lucky. We hope to stay in contact for a long time.2
From Rostock on the radweg, the little towns just clicked by. The signage was perfect, as we introduced ourselves to the German section sign logo. The Bikeline map showed a camping in Butzow, but the Leparello did not. As we entered the town, the camping did not pop up where expected. However a nice church and building scene did appear, and I pulled out the camera, as usual while still cycling. Looking through the camera, I sailed past little a "wasserwanderer" camping sign. But Dodie caught it! It turned out to be a canoe club - our favourite, because thhey tend to have lots of available facilities at reasonable cost. So it was here, for 12 euros including immaculate showers, and covered tables.
So here we are, happy as clams, and well on our way to Berlin!
The signage is great. Look carefully for the Berlin-Copenhagen radweg logo
This shows many wasserwanderrastplatz's. This reinforces Karyn's guess that this is an area likely frequented by Dodie's dad, a paddler, in the 1930's.
