Warnemunde

 

Once again it seems to have rained overnight. This morning is cloudy and a bit cool but dry. We started entering Warnemunde harbour around 7am. The MSC Poesia, 3300 passenger cruise ship was already at dock. Another busy harbour, but much more for pleasure craft. And Warnemunde which is a suburb of Rostock is right there as you get off the ship. 

Most of the others were on shore excursions, so I had a relaxed breakfast then headed for Rostock. The train station is less than a 10 minute walk. You can buy a single ticket for 2.80 EUR from the machine on the platform, and the trains go about every 15 minutes. The ride itself takes about 20 minutes. On the same ticket you can change to a tram at the main station and in a couple of minutes you're in the Neuer Markt or main square. Rostock was rebuilt in the old style after being mainly destroyed in WW2. There is a long pedestrian street running from Neuer Markt to Kropeliner Tor, a six storey gate. Most of the old city walls are gone, but a few of the gates remain. There are some interesting fountains at either end of the street, especially the "Fountain of Joy" apparently it's locally know as the porn fountain.

Another interesting thing to see is the astronomical clock in St Marienkirche dating from the 1400s. Amazingly the church survived the bombings. At noon the apostles circle the little deck on top. There aren't many people in Rostock as it's Sunday and the stores are closed. So a good day to walk around and see the historical buildings.

I came back to the ship for a late lunch, then Karen and I headed out for the Warnemunde promenade. Where Rostock is quiet on a Sunday, Warnemunde is crowded! This is the last week before the kids go back to school so lots of people heading for the seaside. The beach here is long and wide, and the promenade is lined with hotels large and small, shops and restaurants. We climbed the lighthouse, 165 stairs for a great view. So much going on here on a Sunday! And so many different types of boats including the hybrid ferries which I had never seen before.

Although it was the sun came out briefly, and it was in the low 20s C most of the day, it started to look like rains so we headed back to the ship. I needed to get some work done, then get ready for dinner. It started to rain about 5pm, but by 7pm the sun had come out again. It was Jessie's birthday, so we met for dinner in the Dining Room. I had a German dinner of cabbage/sausage soup and schweinebraten or roast pork. There was a lovely coconut birthday cake for dessert. After dinner I went to the lounge to listen to the songs of Carol King, a nice finish to the day.