We were up early to catch the 9.15 flight to Madrid. After a variety of public transport we eventually reached our hotel just after 2pm. Fortunately we were able to check in and say we swapped ourRead more
May 22, 2022, 12:18am · ☁️ 25 °C Altitude: 2,198 ft
May 20, 2022, 11:07am · ☁️ 24 °C Altitude: 2,126 ft
May 19, 2022, 8:50am · ☁️ 14 °C Altitude: 69 ft
EnglandHillingdonHarmondsworthHeathrow Terminal 5 Station51°28’24” N 0°29’12” W
We were up early to catch the 9.15 flight to Madrid. After a variety of public transport we eventually reached our hotel just after 2pm. Fortunately we were able to check in and say we swapped our jeans for shorts and went for a wander.
We visited the plaza mayor, a large square near the centre of Madrid and then wandered through the back streets stopping off for a beer here or there. First impressions is that Madrid is pretty low rise and has some lovely looking buildings.Read more
Apr 23, 2022, 12:13pm · ⛅ 14 °C Altitude: 30 ft
We checked out of our hotel to move to the final stay at the Crowne Plaza. It was a 15 minute walk and we arrived just after 11 and, fortunately, we were able to check in early.
The plan today was simply to walk around the Alster, the larger of the two lakes. The weather was lovely and we spent most of the afternoon meandering around the lake with a couple of pit stops for refreshments of course.
We returned to the hotel before showering and heading out for our final evening in Hamburg.Read more
Apr 22, 2022, 7:20pm · ☁️ 14 °C Altitude: 82 ft
We arrived in Hamburg and dropped our bags at the hotel as it was too early to check in.
We walked back to The train station to pick up one of the open top bus tours which helped us get our bearings of the city. We spent a couple of hours travelling around and seeing the major sites before returning back to the train station.
Having oriented ourselves we had a drink and a pizza and then headed back to the hotel to check in. We had a relaxed rest of the day with a few drinks.Read more
Apr 22, 2022, 2:34pm · ⛅ 15 °C Altitude: 33 ft
HamburgNeustadtSubway station Landungsbrücken53°32’42” N 9°58’18” E
After breakfast we caught the underground to the new city area and went to the model village museum. It was vast with 2 floors of models... Really well done with lots of attention to detail.
Later we had a beer by the river Elba before having a Hamburg hamburger for tea!Read more
Apr 21, 2022, 10:30am · ⛅ 10 °C Altitude: 105 ft
Schleswig-HolsteinLübeckSt. Mary's Church53°52’6” N 10°41’6” E
After breakfast we had a little bit of time before we needed to check out so we popped across the road to look inside the Marienkirche.
The church was very large but was largely destroyed during the war and has since been rebuilt. However, as a reminder to the destruction of war they have left two bells that fell from the tower where they landed.
Having visited the church we checked out and walked to the station for the hour-long train ride to Hamburg.Read more
Apr 20, 2022, 6:02pm · ☁️ 12 °C Altitude: 69 ft
We were up and had breakfast and out of the hotel by 10:00 to catch the train from Schwerin to Lubeck... About a 90 minute journey.
We arrived in the back just before midday and walked the 15 minutes from the station to our hotel. First impressions of the town are of a beautifully preserved old city with loads of very old buildings and three or four significant landmarks.
We couldn't check in yet so we dropped our bags at the hotel and went for a little walk to see the rathaus and have a beer overlooking the square. From there we went at one of the old towers for a fantastic view of the city. This is another one of those places I've never heard of despite it being a city over 200,000 people and it turns out that much of the city was actually destroyed during the second world war.
We went back to the hotel and checked in properly before heading back out for another wonder around the streets taking in the canals stopping for some lunch and seeing the main sites. I finally stop before we return to our hotel for a shower was an old Seaman's bar which helped that very much like being in a old wooden ship and had models of galleons and other naval artefacts hanging from the ceiling.
After a shower we went to the Rathauskeller for food and had a lovely meal sitting in an old booth in the cellar. We were both weary by now so we headed back to the hotel for some cards and a night cap.Read more
Apr 19, 2022 · ☀️ 11 °C Altitude: 131 ft
Mecklenburg-VorpommernSchwerin, LandeshauptstadtSchelfwerderWerderkanal53°38’29” N 11°25’12” E
We had breakfast at 9:00 and then were soon after out to explore what the town had to offer. We've had another lovely day of weather with clear blue skies. Although early on it was pretty chilly and a bit windier than yesterday.
We walked the 20 minutes into the main town and through to the other side where the Schloss stands, on an Island in the lake. The Schloss is a building that looks a bit like a fairytale castle with glistening towers and was first built in the 15th century, although it has clearly had a fair bit of modernising since then. It's also the building which houses the Mecklenburg regional parliament.
We paid the entrance fee and spent about an hour wandered through the rooms which have already been renovated. Some were very opulent whilst others much less so.
Having seen the inside we then walked around the beautifully kept gardens before heading further out to the parkland area behind which offers some dramatic views back to the castle.
We returned to the castle and had a drink in the little restaurant before walking back into the town and then returning to the hotel.Read more
Apr 19, 2022, 1:30pm · ☀️ 12 °C Altitude: 131 ft
Mecklenburg-VorpommernSchwerin, LandeshauptstadtSchelfwerderWerderkanal53°38’29” N 11°25’12” E
When we returned to the hotel we enquired about renting some bikes and settled on some electric bikes to help us if it got hilly.
We set off and went south back through the town and passed the Schloss before following the lake around to a little suburb about 6 km away where we stopped for a bratwurst and beer. We continued on skirting the lake through some countryside around the other side of the lake and then back across a causeway before finally heading back south to the hotel. Whole journey was about was about 23 miles.
Feeling justified with our efforts. We return the bikes and sat in these little wicker basket, things in the sun with a beer and then some wine. As the sun started setting, we popped back to the room for a shower before having another lovely meal at the hotel.
Schwerin is a really pretty little place and I've thoroughly enjoyed our time here.Read more