That was a very short night. Just couldn't turn the game off last night as the Pirates pulled another one out 4-3. So glad Marte's poor base running did not cost them the game.
We left Berlin at 8:30 this morning ON TIME. Today's journey will take us to Warder am See with two brief stops along the way.
Our route took us through much flat farm land punctuated with windmills and solar farms
It took just a little over 2 1/2 hours to get to Schwerin, a bit more than we had anticipated. After a mad and quick dash to the toilets, we were back on the coach and ready to begin the city coach tour.
Schwerin is known as the city of lakes and woods and it is evident why. You are never to far to see a lake. The city was first inhabited by Slavic tribes, but in 1160, the Conqueror Henry the Lion took the land and founded the city. In 1358 the land became the Duchy Meklenburg and at the same time Schwerin became the residency. At the time of the 30 Years War the Mecklenburg duke was expelled. The landmark of the town is the Schloß and it fell into disrepair. In 1837 Grand Duke Paul Friedrich moved the court back to Schwerin. It became a city in 1972. The capital of Mecklenburg had by this time moved to Rostock, but after the reunification, thanks to the efforts of Bertha Klingberg, Schwerin was once again the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Surrounding the lakes are beautiful villas that belong to many of the members of the parliament.
Behind the castle garden is the grinder's mill with a fully functional water wheel.
Thhe Schloß is an impressive structure that dominates the landscape. It was designed the architect Demmler. From 1843-1857 the new castle was designed and built in the style of the French castle Chambord on the Loire.
Taken from the spot across the lake at the site of the 2009 Schwerin flower show, the castle still appears to be under some reconstruction.
At the conclusion of the tour, we disembarked the coach and walked to the Altstadt, old town. Time for some lunch and a stroll around the square. We stopped at The Souperie where Earle had an Indisches curry soup and I opted for a chicken soup with peas, cilantro in a tomato base. Both were yummy.
The square was typical of the European with a Rathaus on one side and a chuch nearby. At the one side of the square was the Schwerin Dom.
The present cathedral is the third one on the same site. The first building was erected in 1171, the second consecrated in 1248. The present cathedral was started in 1250 and completed about 150 years later. The triumph cross dates to the 15th century.
The most striking feature of the nave of the church was the Triumphal Cross that was made in 1410. The work symbolises both crucifixion and resurrection. It is interesting to see how the original Catholic churches transformed into Protestant ones but still retain some of the Catholic symbols. The Schwerin Dom became Protestant in 1552.
A quick walk around the square and we headed back to the coach to travel to Wismar. As per usual, there were the laggers and we got a late start. Combine that with a wrong turn by the coach driver and we were late, once again, to meet our local guide.
Wismar was one of the cities that was part of the Hanseatic League along with Rostock and Lübeck. Consequently there was a lot of money in the city and the homes and properties mirrored that. The tour was intended to be a coach tour, but the coach was too big to fit in the narrow streets and so we got to the square and disembarked sporting rain gear. Let the whining commence!
There was a myriad of architectural styles visible depending on what country owned the land - Danish, German, or Prussian.
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| Wasser Kunst or pumping station |
We were able to see St. Mary Kirche. At first it looked like it had been heavily damaged by bombs in the war. It was true that the Allies were trying to bomb the train station in Wismar, but instead hit the trolley station. The damage to this church, however, was done by the Communists who tried to dynamite it. They tried unsuccessfully 4 times and just left the marks in the façade rather than bring the church down. The raindrops make it hard to see.
The tour was cut short and we resumed our journey to Warder am See and the hotel for the night.
Upon arrival we had about an hour before dinner to get organized. NO INTERNET in our rooms. This does not bode well with me and I do make my feelings known. We asked to have our room changed to one in the main building where there was Internet, but that was impossible.
Dinner was an unimpressive buffet, but the beer was good. Back to the room to work on the Teutonia blog with hopes that I can upload it in the am.
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