A weekend at a Kurklinik

As this was to be Linda’s last weekend at the Kurklinik, we had agreed that I would come up for the weekend, now before you say that I could do with a Kur, may I just say I am perfectly fit, well if you discount all of my ailments, aches and pains.

So I set off at lunchtime on Friday and had a smashing clear run up and done the trip in about 4 hours which was quite good considering that for half of the journey I had decided to travel on none motorways.

The weather was fantastic for the journey and was still smashing when I arrived. I took my case up to the room and then Linda took me around for a tour of the grounds. The clinic is part of a group called The Damp Group and they have rehabilitation clinics situated all over the North of Germany.

The Lehmrade clinic specialises in the rehabilitation of people that have just been through cancer operations and the atmosphere is very relaxed. It is situated in what was once a Gutshof (Manor), most of the buildings have long since been demolished, but there are a few still standing and in use that gives an idea of what it once was like. It is set in a park landscape and it has the relaxation and well-being of the patients first and foremost as its goal.

I was able to photograph all manner of bird life in the grounds and the surrounding countryside, the area is famous as a resting place for cranes and storks on their journey south to their breeding grounds in the south of France and Spain, some are also sedentary and breed in the area. I saw a few flying overhead but alas was not fortunate enough to see them on the ground doing their courtship dance.

But I was able to catch many of the other birds billing and cooing, the air in the whole area was alive with the cacophony of bird noise.

We had our Abendbrot  and then had a  walk through the area, I did a bit of surfing, watched a bit of TV, listened to kur guests dacing to the rythm of Deutscher Schlager from the 70s and had an early night (the patients have an early start and breakfast is from 07:30).
Breakfast was very substantial (German style) and then Linda went off to do her power walking, I went out (none power walking) into the surrounding area to get myself a bit orienteered with vicinity. First stop was across the road to see what the noise was all about, it was a pond full of frogs many in a marital embrace.

I then walked through the country lanes doing a bit of bird spotting, this was not at all hard as every hedge, tree and bush has some member of the bird family calling out for company.

I returned to find Linda finished with her physical exertions for the day and so as we had decided to go out for the day said we wouldn’t be in for lunch or evening meal .

So of we jolly well went to Schwerin, I had been to Schwerin once before, it was when the DDR was still in existence, but the wall was no longer a dividing factor, I could remember very little other than we went to the castle which was in a desolate condition, but then that was a normal state of affairs for most of the Bauern und Arbeiterstadt.  What difference, it is one of the places that one can see where the solidarity money, paid by all to build up the former communist state, has gone.

We parked at the water front not far from the opera house and theatre, this is just across the road from the Island castle, this is now almost completely renovated to its former glory, a most impressive building and no longer a dowdy, run down ruin.

Once the home of the Dukes and Grand Dukes, now the seat of local Government "The Landtag"

As we crossed the bridge to the island, I looked down and saw a pair of Great Crested Grebes doing their courtship dance; I was also able to catch a one just coming up with a fish in its beak.

In all I have never seen so many pairs of Great Crested Grebes strutting their thing, there must have been at least 50 pairs.

The island castle has now been turned into the state parliament and access wasn’t possible, but the exterior was quite splendid and also the view across the Schweriner lake was fantastic. The bronze plastics and marble statues have been replaced on their plinths around the sunken winter garden.

Taking the bull by the horns!

we took a stroll through the schloss-park with its bird life 

 

 and then into the Altstadt (now also completely renovated).

We even managed to find a couple of fantastic cheese and wurst shops, one actually selling Blue Stilton, not normal in most places in Germany. There was also a smashing historical weinstube, alas I was driving.

We wandered back to the car and decided to head up to the coast  for Lunch, we had settled on Wismar, I had been there 18 months previous for a weekend with my Kegeltruppe (skittle group). We parked up and it was funny but in the distance of 45km the temperature had dropped from 20°C down to 8°C and a chilling wind, grey and overcast. We popped into an Easter Market taking place in the new market hall, it was nice and there was a lot of artisan art on sale some of it very well made.

Brauhaus am Lohberg

We then headed for something to eat and as we were on the Baltic then it was to be fish, of course. We settled on a place that I had visited when I was last in Wismar called Brauhaus am Lohberg, bier was first brewed here in 1452 and even when this part of the Baltic was under Swedish rule it was as a vittling house. At one time Wismar boasted 180 places brewing their own beer as well as 148 hop gardens. Most of the microbreweries are long gone and with them the hop gardens, but since 1995 beer is once again being brewed at the Lohberg. They also serve traditional Mecklenburg food and more to the point traditional Baltic fish dishes.
I was driving so could this time not sample the brau-meisters wares, but I can vouch for it from the last time, well worth a taste, or three!

Linda ordered the fish salad platter and I ordered the Baltic fried herrings, apple and onions, with fried potatoes and a side salad.

Well Linda’s plate of food was really ginormous, three different sorts of fish filets and a wonderful salad.

Mine wasn’t any less spectacular, consisting of three crispy fried fresh herring, a pile of fried potatoes and a nice fresh and pickled salad. Quite wonderful and neither of us could not finish the meals.

We finished our meals and decided to walk along through the old harbour frontage (Wismar had been one of the old Hansiatic trading cities) much of it has either been or is being renovated to its former glory. The fish market takes place on the small inshore fishing boats complete with their smoke ovens.

The house over the river, it is holiday appartments

The old water gate, now home of the "Maritime Club"

One of the boats selling smoked fish

We then returned to the car, it was my original plan to travel along the coast to Travemunde but the weather was so miserable and the sunshine inland so inviting that we headed South before reaching the mouth of the Trave and back into Sunshine. We had originally said we wouldn’t be back for evening meal, but as we arrived just as it was being served, we decided to participate.

That evening we went bowling, the girls that I chaperoned where very well behaved and we all had a very nice time.

Tomorrow we planned to go out for the day , but that is for tomorrow