It was a bit dismaying to wake up this morning and find it still raining. With an entire day of touring ahead of us, we all secretly wished for a bit of sun. Temperatures were around 58° so not too cold. Breakfast was open at 7:00 and we had to be on the coach at 9:00. The breakfast wasn't nearly as good as at the Wyndham in Berlin. We got there about 8 and there was virtually nothing left. Lesson learned - go earlier.
Martin, our guide, met us in the hotel and explained the day's itinerary. And then we were off. On the coach he explained a bit of the geology of the area and how all the lakes were really puddles of water from the glacier melt.
Our first stop this morning was the little village of Bosau. In this village whose name means "under beech trees" is the smallest Dom in Europe. The church was built from 1150-1156 and is now Lutheran. Most of the population in the north of Germany are Lutheran and in the south, Catholic. Outside the church are memorials to the fallen dead from WW I and WWII.
The inside of the church was dominated by the Triumphal Cross and a series of paintings depicting biblical scenes.
The choir decided to offer praise with a song. Incredibly beautiful.
We were all very thankful that the rain had stopped and the day seemed to be a bit brighter.
After a brief drive our next stop for the day was Eutin. The village dates back to the 7th and 8th centuries when it was inhabited by the Slovak tribes. In the 12 century Henry the Lion takes over the city and lends it as a fiefdom to Earl Adolf II von Schauenburg. The city's history centers around the Residenzy and the political machinations of Lübeck. After 1800 Eutin became the summer home of for the ducal court. Central to the city is the Schloß which was begun in 1270. It appears to have been built in a patchwork manner with extensions and modifications. In the 1600s it was occupied by the Danish military until 1773 when it was returned as a result of the Danish barter agreement. After WWII it was used as a refugee center. Today it serves as an exhibition hall and concert venue.
A brief walk brought us into the town center where were able to see St. Michaels church that was built around 1200. The steeple's tower is nearly 220 feet high. As is most of my luck, no chance to enter since the entrance was under construction.
We had about 35 minutes to walk around the square and some of the adjacent streets. It was a quaint little village. Grabbed eine Eis for lunch and met back at the fountain to head back to the coach.
A few were late getting back to the bus so the coach had to make a mad dash to the 5-Seen-Fahrt boat cruise dock at Fegetasche. The cruise takes us on 5 of the lakes in the Schleswig-Holstein region. Lasting about 50 minutes we cruised on Großer Plöner See, Behler See, Langensee, Dieksee, and Kellersee, enjoying the beauty of nature and the quiet lakes - no motorized jet skis or motorboats.
With a number of islands, it was almost reminiscent of the 1000 Islands region.
Even some horses.
We disembarked the boat at Bad Malente-Gremsmühle and then traveled by coach to the medieval city of Plön. There we walked to the Plön Castle grounds. The castle was built in 1636 and was also a summer residence for the Danish kings. In the time of Wilhelm II he built another structure for the family's living quarters. It was also the home of the Prussian Navy cadet school and Wilhelm added on the the living quarters so that his son could benefit from that education without going to school with the "common" men.
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| The residence with the Princes' wings added for their school |
It was a pretty steep descent down to the market square. Certainly glad it wasn't raining.
At the square we had a chance to visit St. Nickolai's Church. It dates back to the 12th century, but has a much more modern feel inside due to the changes in the church in recent years. The stain glass was very contemporary compared to what had been there. Nothing was damaged in the war, just the congregation's desire to change. Again, the choir had a song for the occasion.
It was just a short distance to the square and another Rathaus.This building is original and dates back to the 15th century. An interesting banner flew across the entrance.
Just about 20 minutes back to the hotel and time to fight with WiFi. It wasn't fixed today, as promised. So I haven't had any chance to check ball scores, etc. I did see in a paper that the Pirates beat the Rockies 10-3, so I hope that was true.
Dinner tonight a typical Schleswig-Holstein buffet - tomato soup, sauer Fleish, smoked salmon, dried and pickled herring, hot potato salad, sauerkraut. meatballs, and schnitzel. Berries and creme for dessert.
We were supposed to leave at 9:30, but now we are leaving at 9:00. I think we are compensating for tardiness on the trail. I must say that in all my years of traveling with students, they never detained a departure like some of these folks.
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