Maria!!

We have once again left Germany for sunnier skies.  But before I get to that, I can report that we had some special visitors in Dresden during our last weeks there.  First, Matthias' cousin and dear friend Katja drove down from Hannover to spend the weekend with us.  We had a blast catching up, dining out and stopping by various beer/wine gardens along the Elbe.  Was sooo great to see her!

Wackerbarth Vineyard on the Elbe

Selfie at Wackerbarth

Dinner in Dresden

We also got to see my mom again when she came to visit in September.  She stayed in an AirBnB apartment down the street from our place (which wasn't big enough for the three of us) and that turned out great.  We spent about a week together in Dresden where we took in the major sights of the old town, took a steamboat cruise down the Elbe, visited some regional attractions and met Matthias' parents for lunch in Leipzig.  My mom was also interested in attending Friday night service at the Dresden synagogue - so we included that in our plans.  We set out on Friday evening so as to arrive at the synagogue just as the service was starting. I was worried about being late but my mom - clearly more in tune with punctuality expectations for Friday services - didn't give a hoot.  As for the service, I was looking forward to seeing if I could follow along with the German portion and the prayer book translation.  Unfortunately, the booklet we picked up was in Hebrew and Russian.  (The Jewish community in Germany - or at least in Dresden - is largely Russian.)  I tried to grab another one, but the only ones left were Hebrew/Russian (because we were LATE!).  But fortunately a nice lady in the row behind us recognized our confusion and handed us a Hebrew/German booklet.  That helped, although we still found ourselves lost a few times.  Anyway, it was an interesting experience - and of course we enjoyed a nice dinner afterward on our way home.  

At the Zwinger museum in Dresden

"High Drinking" on a rooftop downtown

Overlooking the Elbe in Bad Schandau

Steamship on the Elbe

Pre-lunch walking tour in Leipzig

Lunch in Leipzig with Matthias' parents

After a week in Dresden, mom and I headed southwest by train toward Aschaffenburg (near Frankfurt), where my mom's father's family came from.  On the way, we made a midday stop in Erfurt, a city in the province of Thuringen, with a beautiful old town that includes some well-preserved Jewish landmarks.  After a quick lunch featuring the famous Thuringer Rostbratwurst, we headed to the old town and the Old Synagogue, which dates back to the 11th century.  It was destroyed in the 13th century during a  program but was re-discovered 500 years later during a 1998 renovation when workers found a significant trove of buried treasure and Jewish artifacts.  It's all on display now in an impressive museum.  We had three hours in Erfurt, but we actually could have used more time to go through the museums and the town, which were both lovely.    

Old Synagogue in Erfurt

Old town in Erfurt

Playing RummyCub back on the train
to Aschaffenburg after the Erfurt excursion

Our time in Aschaffenburg was amazing, thanks to our new friend Oded.  I had planned to spend three nights there so we could have two full days to visit the Jewish Museum and the cemetery and then wander about on our own.  I also contacted my mom's cousin Werner to see if he knew of anyone we should get in touch with while we were there (Werner left Aschaffenburg as a young child with my grandparents and Uncle Lou in 1940, and had been back a few times - including once with my mom and uncle.) He recommended that I contact Oded, so I sent him an email saying we'd love to meet up and invite him for coffee or dinner.  Instead, Oded planned a full two days (surprise) itinerary for us!  First, he picked us up from the train station, brought us to our hotel and then we joined him and his wife for dinner at a traditional Bavarian wirtshaus.  The next morning, we met Anya, the museum curator, for a beautiful breakfast at Schönbusch Park and then took a walk through the site of the former synagogue (and current memorial park) and to the Jewish Museum, which Anya opened for us.  In addition to learning about Jewish life in Aschaffenburg, we got to see some of our family's artifacts on display at the museum.  After that, we drove over to the small town of Goldbach, where my great-grandmother's family came from.  After lunch at a local festival in Unterafferbach (an even smaller village), we visited some sites and monuments related to our family history and then headed up to the old Jewish cemetery, where we visited family graves dating back to the 1700s. Then we made another stop at the newer Jewish cemetery in Aschaffenburg to visit my great-grandfather's and other family members' graves.   The next day, we visited the Aschaffenburg city archives, where we met Stephanie and Maria, who showed us various documents related to our family, including newspaper articles, photos and personal letters.  Then, after lunch (coffee and cake!) at a local cafe, the whirlwind tour culminated at City Hall where we had a meeting with the Mayor!  After all that, we had a bit of time to walk around town, do a little shopping, walk by the castle and stop for a beer at a local brewery.  After dinner at a local restaurant located just across the street what used to be my grandfather's jewelry shop (now Claire's Accessories), we walked back to our hotel, thoroughly wowed and exhausted!  The next day, we caught the train to Frankfurt and my mom flew home and I took the train back to Dresden.   For more on the Aschaffenburg experience, see the photo album (Click Here), and also the online database Oded created which has info on the region's Jewish families including family tree (Stammbaum) info - ours is here.

After breakfast in Aschaffenburg with
Oded and Anja

Mom at her grandfather's grave
 in Aschaffenburg

Finding our relatives at the old
 cemetery outside of Aschaffenburg

In the Aschaffenburg Jewish Museum- the photo is of
my grandfather's/great-grandfather's jewelry shop 

Looking at pictures of my family at the city archives.  Great-uncle Ludwig
(my grandfather's brother) was member of the local soccer team and WWI hero. 

Eating at an old restaurant down the street from my grandfather's
shop - we imagined he probably ate/drank here often.

Back in Dresden, Matthias and I had a few weeks left before our sublet was up at the end of October. Since it was starting to turn colder, we decided not to do another grand cycle tour, but to do day-rides around the Dresden area, which is really beautiful and has an extensive cycle route network. And then we came up with a plan to escape the German winter, deciding to return to Crete and take our chances with Matthias' newly repaired bike.  Of course, I was just as excited about our journey down to Greece as I was about the destination, and the trip didn't disappoint  We took a train from Dresden down to Munich where we got a cheap but very nice hotel near the train station - and not far from a great Beer Hall with yummy Bavarian treats!  We stayed overnight and took a train the next morning over the beautiful Alps to Bologna, where we got a (somewhat less wonderful but still good) room and found a terrific place nearby for a wonderful Italian dinner.  Then we got the local train to Ancona where we caught the ferry to Patras, Greece.  A few days bike riding later we were on the ferry to Crete and shortly thereafter back to our winter home in Pitsidia.  This will be our headquarters until Spring (with a trip to the US in between).  We have settled in and are enjoying good weather, yummy food, beautiful hikes through breathtaking scenery and checking in with old acquaintances.   Our favorite pastime is still wandering through the weekly markets (there are two local ones) and then sitting down for a drink, a snack and some serious people-watching.  It's never long before I hear at least one man shout out "Maria!" presumably calling out to his wife, daughter, waitress or other woman with that ubiquitous name. I always imagine upon hearing that, half the female population of the market stops and turns to see if he's calling to her.

Collage of scenes from some of our last rides around Dresden

Bavarian Beer Hall in Munich!

Stepping off the train in the Alps at the Brenner Pass - and SNOW!

On the ferry leaving Ancona, Italy

Bikes packed up in Patras and ready to ride toward Athens

The Corinth canal

Back in Pitsidia!

from our balcony

Shalom

So, I went to Israel. My mom and her sister-in-law (my aunt) Laurene did a 10 day tour of the country and we made plans to meet afterward for a week in Tel Aviv, with Andrew joining us for the last five days.  In short, it was great.  We had an AirBnB apartment smack in the middle of Tel Aviv, right next to the Carmel market, and spent our time enjoying the city sights and tastes.  

Tel Aviv from Old Jaffa

My mom had wanted to do a family trip to Israel for quite some time. I, of course, am always up for a new adventure but Israel had never really been at the top of my list. Looking back, I'm not sure why, but I'll venture that I was concerned that a trip is supposed to mean something, or maybe that it actually would. By most people's definition I am Jewish, and although I have no belief at all (my lack of spirituality runs deep), I do acknowledge my Jewish roots and appreciate, to some extent, the culture (mostly the food).  So, was this a religious experience? Not sure if this qualifies, but I did experience a few epiphanies:

1. OH MY GOD - the food is delicious!!

2. HOLY CRAP - It's hotter than hell here!!

3. JESUS CHRIST - Everything's so goddamn expensive!!

Okay, blasphemy aside - it was a terrific experience and a wonderful time. Tel Aviv is a rockin town! Restaurants and bars on just about every corner; young people buzzing around on bicycles, e-bikes and motor scooters; an eclectic art and architecture scene; and the Mediterranean sea hitting the sand on an expansive (and crowded) beach right downtown. Despite the oppressive heat and humidity (even locals said it was a bit warmer than usual), we did a lot of walking through the various neighborhoods.  The Carmel food market, and the Tuesday/Friday craft market on our street were highlights, as was Old Jaffa and the port. I dragged my mom and Laurene on public transportation to get us to the Diaspora Museum. The bus was a bit rough (the driver pulled away before my mom was seated, knocking her on her butt – she's okay) but the museum was really interesting, providing details of Jewish migration around the world, along with an exhibit on present-day African Jews and their continuing struggle with racism, as well as a section celebrating Bob Dylan. I also dragged them out a few times for Hummus (delish!) although after 10+ days in the country, they were ready for anything but. Two other memorable experiences included my visit to Independence Hall (on my mom's suggestion/insistence) where I learned a great deal about the development of the country, and a walking tour that provided an interesting overview of the city's Bauhaus/International-Style architecture.

Our (air conditioned) apartment had a roof terrace,
but it was so hot that it was only halfway bearable to sit up there until about 9AM. 

On the air-conditioned bus!

Cocktails in the early evening.  Somehow we don't look as if we're melting

Of course, my favorite part of the trip were the meals, and although that's probably almost always the case, the food was particularly delicious and it was nice to sit (either in air-con or in the shade with a fan/breeze) with family and recount the day. We devoured yummy hummus at Shlomo and Doron cafe near the Carmel Market, and at Hummus HaCarmel right in the market. The obligatory visit to the famous Dr. Shakshuka in Jaffa, where we tried different variations of Israel's “national dish”, didn't disappoint. We also ate at some wonderful restaurants, where they almost always served varieties of small plates of delicious salads and dips – including lots of eggplant variations – to start or accompany the meal. Other highlights included grilled local fish (denise/sea bream), grilled vegetables, fresh crunchy salads and tons more. I even ate a fantastic calamari dish.  It was super-delish but somewhat of a fail because we were at a restaurant (Night Kitchen) that served small plates designed to be shared, and no one else at the table ate squid (not kosher and not something my mom would eat anyway). So I had to depend on others' generosity for bites of the other great dishes (fish shwarma, grilled fish and gnocchi) – fortunately, everyone was generous, but I still felt bad. That was one of the evening meals we shared with Yaffa, a longtime family friend of Lou and Laurene's who lives in Tel Aviv. She also invited us to her place one night for a wonderful meal, featuring a mix of sweet and savory dishes (chicken, salads, etc) right up my alley, and fun conversation.

Enjoying the national dish - shakshuka -  at Dr. Shakshuka

Dr. Shakshuka

Andrew and Yaffa in discussion over dinner at Night Kitchen

With Andrew as our guide, we took a day trip to Jerusalem and visited the market and the old city. We ate fresh borekas for breakfast and bought some delicious chocolate rugelach (a few to eat and more to take) and then strolled through town to the historic sights. We walked through the Christian quarter to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and then on to the Western Wall (where my wish for world peace seems to have backfired) and then Davidson Center Archaeological Park, where we got some historical perspective and good views of the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Andrew was a great guide, providing a lot of background/history as well as his take on Israeli/world politics. This, and other topics of the day made for great late-night conversation with Andrew over a few Goldstar beers at various fun locations. We didn't quite solve the world's problems, but did have good fun trying!

Jerusalem outing

Old City in Jerusalem

At the Western Wall

BEER!

The last day in Israel was also quite memorable, but mainly for the comedy of errors. It started off well: after saying farewell to Laurene, I rented a bicycle through city's the bike-share program (Tel-O-Fun!) and made a short circuit tour along the beach promenade and the shady boulevards. That was great, but upon my return to our apartment, I dropped my phone on the tile floor and it broke completely. I did have insurance and it was covered (minus a sizeable deductible, of course) and luckily I was with my mother who could bring it back to the states to trade it in (and then send the new one to me in Germany). But my dependence on technology got the best of me. I wasn't willing to go a day let alone a few weeks without a smartphone, especially with my flight and train tickets all booked online. So, part of the day involved shopping for a new (cheap) smartphone to use as a backup. Another part of the day included a stop at a popular schwarma restaurant, especially for me since I had been in Israel for nine days but didn't have schwarma yet. Unfortunately, I botched the ordering process and ended up with the Turkish variety that was more like döner kebap, which I eat practically every weekend in Germany. Andrew generously shared his Israeli-style chicken schwarma with me and it was all tasty, but I was cranky to start (due to the phone) so I probably wasn't great company. Andrew helped me purchase a phone and then we went back to the apartment so he could pack for his flight. He left shortly thereafter and about 20 minutes after he was gone, I noticed that his phone was lying plugged-in on the kitchen counter. Fortunately, we had booked his taxi to the airport through GETT (the “uber” of Israel, which is really just a convenient way to call regular licensed and lock in a route and price), so I was able to call the taxi driver, speak to Andrew and arrange to meet at the airport – at a sushi cafe I remembered seeing on my way in – and give him his phone. I jumped on a bus/train and got to the airport in 45 minutes but had to run around quite a bit because Andrew wasn't at the sushi place and he didn't have a phone so I could call him. I kept thinking I must have been of interest to the security folks – a crazy lady running around, back and forth, through the airport without any baggage. Hmmmm. We did finally find each other and I made my way back to the apartment (and must admit that safety concerns did cross my mind as I was riding public transit in Tel Aviv at rush hour....) Finally, mom and I ate dinner and turned in early because we had to leave at 4am the next day so we could be at the airport three hours before our flight. Turns out we needed the three hours – not so much because of security (which is what I expected) but because of the long check-in process, especially mine.

Had to try the bike-sharing program

Bike path in the shade - way better than biking along the beach.

My flight back to Europe landed in Prague, where I had about three hours to wander around before my short train ride back to Dresden. Matthias and I had planned to do another bike tour in July, but couldn't because his bike is still getting repaired (more drama I don't feel like getting into here) but we've had a nice time, including celebrating Matthias' birthday. We have been hiking a few times in the nearby national park and last weekend we roused it up at Canaletto, the Dresden City Festival. Next week is Matthias' father's birthday and then his cousin Katja is coming to visit, followed by my mom in September. Then, if Matthias' bike is good to go, we're planning a bike tour in October before we've got to be out of here. Hope it's not going to be too cold!

Picture of Prague scenery - with my cheap phone's crappy camera.

Hiking on Matthias' birthday

Matthias' first birthday beer

Festival in Dresden!

Matthias wins a contest (and a beer) at the festival!
He was able to hold a liter of beer with a straight arm for the longest time.

Postscript:

There was a lot of stuff that I wanted to include in the blog but I found difficult to write about, so I decided to go ahead and post it before the time really got away from me.  But since I started, I thought I'd include some of it here....

First of all, we all suffered a great loss while on the trip - our dear, wonderful cousin Susan passed away following a long battle with cancer.  We are saddened beyond belief and were so sorry we couldn't be with the rest of the family at this difficult time.  I did feel fortunate that I was able to be with at least part of my family when we got the news, and we spent lots of time reminiscing about what a wonderful and joyous person she was.  As I've said, I'm not a spiritual person, but I like to think of Susan out there somewhere laughing at one of my father's awful jokes.  She was an amazing woman I will always remember and miss her.

Laurene and Andrew together with Susan and Lou a few years ago.
We lost Susan and Lou last year but they will always be with us!  

And then there's this.  The morning after we visited Jerusalem, two Israeli police officers were shot and killed there by three Arab attackers who were also killed. 

It took me 15 minutes to write the above sentence and I will probably go back and edit it a couple of times. I don't want to take this tragedy lightly – people are dead as part of of a longstanding situation that I can't begin to grapple with – but I did want to jot down some of what I found interesting. First, when we had dinner with Yaffa the next day, she remarked on how we were fortunate that we were in Jerusalem the day before this happened; otherwise everything would have been closed. The tone made me think that people living here are so used to these types of occurrences that they inspire as much annoyance (and of course political discussion) as fear and/or sadness – I guess like mass shootings in the US these days. Yaffa also noted that it seemed something like this often tends to happen when pressure gets too hot on Netanyahu (she is famously liberal 🙂) . In fact, the coverage on ITV, an English-language Israeli news channel I watched the next day gave top coverage to a corruption scandal involving the prime minister; the shooting was the second story, although they spent more time discussing it. What was probably most interesting to me was analysis of how other countries/news agencies covered the attack. It seemed to me they were scrutinizing headlines and reports from around the world (including BBC, Al Jazeera, and others) for bias and/or antisemitic tones. For example, they discussed whether the attackers were identified as terrorists, whether headlines highlighted the killing of the attackers or the officers, and stuff like that. It did not appear (to me) that they found anything alarming, although they did note that Al Jazeera's English-language coverage differed from its Arabic-language coverage. I guess we are all getting super-sensitized to news reports and how things are covered, although the Israelis are most likely quite used to this. There's a lot more I wanted to write about – including how frustrating it is dealing with all the “noise” these days. Seriously, I feel like I've heard it all – from people complaining that the BBC is run by Jews and therefore “part of the Jewish conspirsacy” to a report by the Jerusalem Post complaining that the BBC runs antisemitic headlines that glorify terrorists. To the constant grouping together of three major leaders – Putin, Erdogan and our #45 with some dispute about which one is the worst, but widespread agreement that none of the three (men or their or countries) can be trusted. I am truly saddened and alarmed by all of this, but so as not to end on such a sad note, I'll say once again what an interesting and enlightening experience it was to go to Israel. My good friend Stu reminded me that I should open myself up to the experience and so I did (at least I think I did). I suppose I have more to say about it, but since it took me forever just to get all this down, if I don't post this now I never will. It also reminds me that I miss talking to so many people back home.  So, if anyone's really interested, you'll have to call or email (or do it anyway – I still have my US number and I'm on WhatsApp!!) Shalom!

I got no ro-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oots

Not sure if that song (I got no roots) is popular everywhere or just here, but I can't get it out of my head, especially when I'm riding my bike!

Bike Tour - day one, just outside of Dresden

So, after the dreariness of the last post, I think I owe it to myself to be more cheery.  And I am a bit cheerier so it shouldn't be too hard.  We set off on June 5th, about ten days ago (which will be much more when I finally finish this post) on a trip along the Oder and Neisse rivers (the Oder-Neisse bike route) to the Baltic Coast.  From the start, the river Oder provided me with oodles of nerdy word-fun with my limited German.  The Oder is major river in Germany, and the word "oder" means "or" in English.  It is also commonly used at the end of a sentence to convey the sentiment: "right?" or "what do you think?", or something like that.  For example: That was a really good restaurant, oder? (right?) Or,  Maybe we should stop at the next camp site, oder? (what do you think)?  Anyway, goofy Judy had so much fun playing with my new language:  "This restaurant has a great view of the Oder, oder?"  How about we cross to the other side of the Oder, oder?  AND, of course the traditional "or" meaning...."Which do you like better, the Oder oder the Neisse?".   Tee hee hee.  Poor Matthias.

Swan swimming in the Oder.  Nice, oder?

We've had ten days of great weather, and the bike riding is fabulous.  I find it incredibly awesome that we can leave our apartment in Dresden on our bikes and in about a week be on the Baltic sea.  The bike route networks continue to amaze me.  To get to the Oder-Neisse bike path from Dresden, I patched together a route from various local bike paths including the Saxon City Tour route, the Frog route (my fave) the Spree River route (it goes to Berlin....something for next time!) and the old coal mining route, which passes lots of lakes that used to be mines in the old East German days.  With our E-bikes, GPS, Google maps, paper maps and some additional notes - finding the way to the next campsite is (relatively) easy.  The additional notes have to do with how routes work here.  In Germany (probably in all of Europe), they don't give directions or label streets with North, East, South, West; rather, you travel in the direction of the next major/small town.  For example, you don't take the autobahn A12 "north" or "south", you take it toward "Berlin" or "Dresden".  For smaller roads, you are always looking to the next town.  So, my strategy when I don't have a detailed map (often) is to write down all the little villages we will pass on the way to our destination.  That way, if I miss a sign and lose the way along the bike trail, I just follow the road to the next town on the list and find it again.  Geek-out #2!

One of the signposts for the "frog" (and mining) route along with me doing a lousy imitation of the frog (click to enlarge and see what I mean).

Riding along the Spree river

And it's June in Northern Germany - so it's staying light until really late at night.  I generally turn in around 10:30 and that's about when I can see the sunset.  Then at about 4AM, it's light as day and the birds are screaming (I understand some consider it singing.)  I don't know if I've ever heard a real Cuckoo before, but I hear them all the time now and they're driving me....well, cuckoo!  Pigeons, crows and geese are also part of nature's alarm clock here.  Then there are the swans, - they are silent, except for when they fly, when their wings make an awesome swooshing sound - we like them.  Then there are the storks.  We've seen quite a few, and Matthias says they're famous for making a clacking sound with their beaks - but I haven't heard that yet. (Update: I have since heard it.)   Many towns construct platforms where storks build nests and then return each year after winter migrations to southern Europe and beyond (just like their human counterparts).  It's believed to be good fortune to have a stork take up residence in your town.

Sundown at 10:30pm - on the Baltic Sea

Stork nest

The Oder Neisse route took us through a number of pretty villages along the Polish border, and we got to enjoy some delicious Polish food (and beer) at a restaurant near the border (it was in Germany, but owned/operated by Poles).  Then, we actually stayed one night at a campsite in Poland - but it was just for convenience.  Turned out to be free (nice, since we didn't want to deal with the different currency) and right on the river (Oder!), but it was juxtaposed to a discount shopping plaza, where busloads of people come from Berlin to buy cheap cigarettes, gas and alcohol.  Not very classy, although I did score some cheap coffee for our stash.

A pretty spot to change a flat tire  

The free campsite in Poland

The other view from the campsite in Poland - run-down shopping center

Traveling around East Germany is also really nice because you don't see a lot of foreign travelers, so I very rarely hear any English, although hosts of two separate campsites boasted they had English-speaking guests from as far away as Australia - a family from Perth bike riding through Europe for a summer.  I'm pretty sure they were both talking about the same family.  Also, I'm learning lots of new German words, and my favorite by far is Trampeltier, which is a type of camel, but is also used to describe someone boisterous and clumsy - like an "elephant in a porcelain shop".  Of course, I like it so much because as we were chatting with a group of cyclists at a rest stop and I told them I was from the USA, one of them asked how I liked my new President: the TRUMPeltier.  (sounds like Trump-L-Teer).  Yay.  Now I have a new name for #45!

Our first campsite on the East (Baltic) sea.  Swans like it here, too.

One month later:  Just now picking up this post a few weeks after finishing the bike tour - it was great.  We reached the Baltic Sea after about a week of cycling. The Baltic Coast and Sea (which Germans call the East Coast and the East Sea - funny to me since they don't use directional terms for their roads!) is lovely in that it's really a series of bays, harbors and islands.  And in most places the forest, hills and trees extend all the way to the sea.  This is in comparison to the North Sea on the other (West) side of the country, which is flatter with more dunes and open spaces.  My first introduction to the east coast was the harbor town of Uekermünde, which was lovely.  From there, we rode onto the island of Usedom, where, after I navigated us onto a busy main road for a few miles (for which I'm still not forgiven) we found a lovely campsite on beautiful quiet harbor.  The scenes - bays, fishing boats, sailboats, birds, rocky beaches, fish stands - made me think of New England in the States.  Not that I've spent very much time there, but it's my impression.  We then rode to and along the north coast of Usedom, along the Ostsee (East Sea) bike route, where there are wide beaches on the open sea. It wasn't as quiet or charming as the inlets, and there were tons more tourists, but it was still nice to follow the (busy) bike path that ran through the forest behind the beaches.

Sunset from campsite on the bay in Usedom 

From the East Sea Bike Path that runs along the coast.

Bike path on the coast

In addition to wonderful scenery, I really enjoyed the food along the coast.  When we do a bike tour, our "routine" involves purchasing groceries from supermarkets (soup, bread, cheese, prepared salads) and eating at picnic tables along the way and at the campsite at night.  We only go out twice a week (our "weekend") which keeps our budget (and to some degree our bodies) in check.  Matthias is pretty strict on this point, but I am sometimes able to convince him to be flexible when there's a unique opportunity (like a town festival, etc.).  Anyway, on the north coast, I had pre-negotiated an addition to our diet - a fish brötchen (fish on a roll) every day, when the opportunity arose.  Fortunately, along the coast practically every town has at least one little kiosk, often in converted fishing boats, that sell 'em.  A wide variety to choose from, including different types of marinated herring (Matjes - my favorite), smoked mackerel, eel and halibut, bay shrimps, salmon and fried filets with remoulade and some things I can't even translate.  And of course all on fresh bread rolls. Fish heaven!

My favorite lunch spot along the coast - shade and breeze on a hot day, and a little beach, too.

A welcome sight.  Lecker = delicious!

Stopping for fisch brötchen (with beer only on the "weekend")

We made our way to the city of Stralsund, where we spent two nights at a campsite across from the harbor on the island of Rügen, Germany's biggest island and major tourist destination. While we didn't see much of Rügen (what we saw was nice), we were able to enjoy some fabulous weather as we ate and drank our way through Stralsund (it was our weekend!)  The city has Unesco heritage status with an historic port and old town, and plenty of fish kiosks!  In addition to grazing all day on delicious fish, we found a great spot to drink the local beer (Störtebecker, named after a famous pirate) and watch the sailboats come in and out of the harbor.  Oh yes, we did also walk around the old town, learn a little about the history and appreciate the scenery - between meals.

Forget the bread, Matthias was happy with an assortment of smoked fish (and a beer)

Stralsund!

Beer in Stralsund

After the lost weekend in Stralsund, we continued westward along the coast, through a mix of quiet bays and heavily touristed beach areas.  The weather was still good with a couple of downpours and some strong headwinds (where the ebikes came in handy!) mixed in.  We decided to forgo a visit the large city of Rostock (we had been before and the campsite was located quite far from the city) and push on toward Wismar, another historic and beautiful port city, which we reached the following weekend.  Perfect timing to enjoy the cuisine along with the sights (and more fish)!

Wismar old town

Wismar harbor

Street in Wismar

Fish dinner in the tent - due to rain.

At this point we needed to head back toward Dresden, as I had some major plans in July (more on that later).  Although we had enough time to ride all the way to Dresden, we decided to get a train from Magdeburg (near Matthias' hometown) so we would wouldn't be rushed and because the weather was starting to take a turn for the worse.  From Wismar, we traveled inland to the Elbe River, where there is a major bike route - the most popular in Germany - that leads through Magdeburg to Dresden.  On the way, we passed through the beautiful town of Schwerin, but didn't stop due to the weather (we will be back!)  Although there was quite a bit more rain (typical German weather), we were actually very lucky as we apparently bypassed some pretty severe storms (or they bypassed us).  Along the river, we stayed at a few boat clubs, which usually include small campgrounds for use by people on kayak/canoe trips down the river, but also for cyclists.  We met a few other bikers and boaters at these intimate venues, and Matthias' interest in a kayaking trip (using our folding boat) was renewed.  One of the campsites was located just across from the historic town of Tangermünde on the Elbe river, which we had visited years ago, but somehow forgot how pretty it was - another plan to return.

Schwerin

Tangermunde

View of Tangermunde from our campsite (a boat club)

The train from Magdeburg to Dresden with our bikes and trailer wasn't too stressful, but for the fact that there are no elevators at the Magdeburg train station (!)  Although as I mentioned we did have time to ride all the way home (instead of taking the train), it was good to get home for a few days for a breather, and then we still had time to take a quick trip to the Elbsandsteingebirge (Elbe Sandstone Mountains) national park.  It's located just a day's ride from our place and actually part of the reason we decided to stay in Dresden.  We spent two nights at a campsite in Königstein where we stayed some years prior, and did a nice hike into the nearby hills.  Then we crossed over the river and spent another two nights at Hohnstein to enjoy a different part of the forest.  The weather and scenery were great, and made us fall in love the region even more.  And there was no stress worrying about getting back to Dresden in time for my flight to ISRAEL.  But that's something for the next installment,

Hiking in the sandstone mountains

View from the top!

Selfie up high