Warnemünde - Rostock, Germany

Thanks to the advice of previous cruiseline travelers and some local German tax colleagues, we were persuaded to explore the Warnemünde - Rostock seaside area instead of taking the expensive day trip into Berlin. And we're glad we did.

For 15 Euros we purchased a family pass for the train that was sufficient for our group of 6 adults (us + grandparents + auntie + uncle) and the kiddies. 20 minutes later we arrived in Rostock.



Kropeliner Strasse in Rostock: full of nice shops, places to eat, and an outdoor market area.

We toured the Marienkirche, a Medieval Church whose precious furnishings include its astronomical clock with its procession of Apostles (1472) and a bronze baptismal font (1290).

 

We thought this altar was very reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean with its nonchalant skeleton posed in the centre:

Nice two-story organ and a mini concert everyday at noon:

One of the things we really loved about our previous visit to Germany was the food. And for just 1-Euro each we got these tasty giant sausages wrapped inside a baguette.  Yummy. 

Onto more sight-seeing... the 14th-century Rostock University:

Town Centre:

Medieval Kropeliner Tor

Grandpa stayed in Rostock to get new eye glasses (his fell overboard near Copenhagen) and our little family headed back to explore the beach at Warnemünde.

We climbed the light house and then played at the beach.

(Emily's 'sand angel')

The girls made friends with a little girl called Jenna.  Jenna only spoke German.  Our girls, of course, only speak English.  Yet they managed to play together for over an hour.  Jenna had a lot to say and we wish we could have understood what she was telling us.  We understood the word 'kindergarten' - it came up quite a bit.  Jenna must be at kindergarten this year...

The weather was beautiful - sunny, but still a bit too cool for all the locals to be topless, so that was nice.  We were told it was the best time of year to be in Warnemünde as it was warm enough to be enjoyable, but not as crowded as it can get during the summer months.

Before returning to our ship, we toured the sand sculptures at the port: