Schwerin, Germany

Hello one last time from Europe!

We spent a lovely week in Schwerin, Germany.  This town is the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a state in the former East Germany.  It is less than two hours from Meckelfeld by car.

The #1 attraction is the Schloss (Castle).  It sits in a picturesque area, surrounded by lakes. It also serves as the seat of the state government.

We went on a tour of the inside of the castle - this is the Flower Room.


The grounds and gardens of the castle were quite extensive.  The castle, built and expanded over several centuries has a bit of a hodge-podge look, no one architectural theme dominates.

Like Schoenbrunn near Vienna (see my post in Fall 2021), this castle has an Orangerie as well.  Such a space was used to keep the plants in the cold winter months.



Guarding the castle was Peter Maennchen.  The story is that he was quite short; therefore, many people were unkind to him or made fun of him.  He was apparently not amused.  He is the ghost of the castle and is said to haunt those who did him wrong and help those who were nice to him.


Today, the traffic signals on the streets surrounding the castle memorialize Peter.


What is a city in Germany without a Dom (cathedral)?

Carsten and I climbed the tower (about 200 steps) for the views of the city.


The Dom at sunset.

We rented e-bikes (Riese & Mueller - the Cadillac of e-bikes).  The whole area of Schwerin has bike paths (not all of them wooden) along the many lakes and beyond.  It was a lovely day for a bike ride.



Finally, we took a boat tour on the lakes.  As we approached a bridge the captain warned us not to stand up because of the low clearance.  Next thing we know the "bridge" lowered and the captain's head popped up!

These little houses along the shore remind me of tiny houses.  It would be fun to come back and rent one!


So, that was Schwerin - I can highly recommend it and I am sure that we will return.  It is easy to get to by train from Hamburg!

We saw Carsten's cousin Dominic, his girlfriend Kerstin and his aunt Ute yesterday and have a few more days to hang out with Ulf  & Heike.  It is hot here now - with no air conditioning.  It's like the weather knows that we will be leaving to go back to the heat in Houston - kind of like we are in training! LOL

Take care,

Sheri & Carsten


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