Another cloudy beginning to a great day of hanging out together and today’s target was Heiligendamm, the site of the G8 Summit. Germany has spent literally millions of Euro’s to make this quaint vacation town insulated from Bush protesters. The German populous call the President “Bushy”, which may sound sweet but definitely has a pejorative intonation. This didn't seem to bother the seagulls from their perch.
Bush will spend his G8 Summit time in this hotel.
If he is lucky there may be time to cruise the beautiful beaches of this former communist party official seaside holiday resort.
Even in the cool morning fog it is easy to understand how this area was and is prized as a summer vacation haven for the well healed of the former Eastern Block.
We were anticipating police check points and tight security with the major economic summit less than a week away, but we cruised easily through town and enjoyed the scenery.
On the quick ride home (thanks to the autobahn, Fran's driving skills, and swift Audi) we decided to go to the beach for a swim with our giant “life guard dog” Gandolf.
Somehow we fit five adults and one very large puppy in the hatch-back of Fran’s Audi.
On the drive to the sea we experienced a combination of the old and new, former east Germany. Windmills used in the past for grinding wheat to flour stood near wind generators capturing the natural sea breezes and turning them into energy.
We decided to go to a beach outside of Rostock to help avoid the long holiday weekend traffic. Looking to the right, up the coast, are beautiful grassy dunes and beaches.
If you squint and peer to the left, the old tall ships are visible in the city port of Rostock.
The combined tepid air and downright crisp water temperature required some serious psychological boosting to overcoming the shrinking chill. We managed to get submerged and then the Germans took over and went for an actual swim in the sea while their guest slithered off to find a towel. No worries though, if any mishap were to occur, Gandolf the swimmer would instinctually come to your aid.
On the ride home, the sky was kind enough to open up enough to provide some classic pastoral scenes.
After returning to Fran’s hometown of Tessin,
... we walked by fields of gold,
... and we climbed to a hilltop observation tower for broader and hopefully clearer views.
The town of Tessin is the perfect combination of village life and an ideal commute distance to the city of Rostock.
The blooming poppy flowers were the added bonus of the day, providing a picturesque scene difficult to adequately capture.
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