Greifswald, Straslund and watch towers

After the ferry, ate fish and cycled to Greifswald, which with Straslund are the two larger towns in the area. A lot of places along this coast were pretty well destroyed in WW II, when the Soviet army came through and was resisted by the German army. This applies, as the biggest example, to Gdansk; yet the restoration of Gdansk means you would not knopw it just by looking around; the restorers did a superb job, not just in putting up buidlings destroyed by shelling, but in doing it so they do not look new. I suppose one could say they just “put them in aspic” but not so really; they are lived in places. Anyway, Greifswald was surrendered to the Soviet army by the mayor before any substantial damage, and indeed this is witness to the skill of the restorers; you cannot tell the difference!.

Greifswsald and Straslund were both Hanseatic towns, important trading centres a few hundred years ago, and wealthy. The buildings round the market squares and in the older parts of town reflect this. They have sumptious facades that blend together to give a strong overall impression. 

 

Really, seeing these places is about it, and did not take us too long, but was really worth it. But I should add that the churches are also well worth visiting, when you can get it.  We did go to Greifswald cathedral.  Here is the vaulted ceiling, and a modern picture, "Cain"

But we stayed in Greifswald a bit too long and did not get to Straslund, about 40km away the same day. We had also been warned that the Iron Curtain route was along a cycleway by a main road, the the cycleway was cobbled. Cobbled surfaces are anathema to our bikes, rattling along and full of vibration. So we took to minor roads that had hardly any motor traffic, went through little villages, and were lovely to go along. We got to a tiny camp-site in a wood next to a former railway converted to a cycleway. Near a supermarket for supplies including a bottle of wine. So a pleasant evening and night.

The next day, 7km remaining to Stralsund. For lunch, Backfisch in a Brotchen which was greatly disappointing and left greasy fingers for some time. Some shopping, post office, and on.

The route on was by the coast and we began to see the first evidence of the Iron Curtain. In the days of the GDR (DDR) a few people escaped to the West by swimming from this bit of coast to an island in Denmark not very far away, but far enough. Very courageous and dangerous, from exposure as well as the risk of being picked up by a patrol boat. Near the coast we saw several watch towers,presumably for surveillance of this bit of coast. These coastal installations were as nothing compared to what we saw later in the ride, but they have not been taken down and are there. 

 

This ride took us to a village on the coast, further on, called Zingst. Beyond that, next blog.