We enjoyed a lovely day at sea on Sunday, beginning with spa time at Canyon Ranch Spa. Hot stone massages were just the ticket for soothing our aching muscles and tired souls! We then joined our friends on the pool deck. Gorgeous sunshine, but a bit nippy and breezy, so we covered ourselves with wool blankets and spent time in the hot tub!
We also spent the day enjoying all the ship had to offer. Dinner that evening was at Prime 7, where all 12 of us had reservations for dinner. Lively conversations and good food helped overcompensate for the really, really slow service!
Our final stop on Monday was in Warnemünde, Germany. Instead of an organized tour, we opted to embark on our own through the town and caught a train to nearby Rostock. Rostock is a college town and home of the oldest university in Northern Europe – Rostock University founded in 1419.
One of the first buildings we discovered upon leaving the train station was Ständehaus, Rostock’s courthouse. This red brick, gothic building was built in 1893, and is spectacular.
Marienkirche, a gothic brick church built in the 1300s, is another iconic structure in this city, with its cross-shaped basilica towering in Rostock’s skyline.
Rostock’s defensive walls, built in the 1100s, once surrounded the city’s perimeters. We explored one of the original gates – Kröpeliner Tor (only four of the city’s 20 medieval gates remain today).
The main shopping district of the town is located on Kröpeliner Straße, with picturesque gabled houses lining both sides of the street, containing street-level shops and cafés.
Nearby is Universitätsplatz, a wonderful city square with a park and fountain in the center, named Der Brunnen der Lebensfreude (Fountain for the Joy of Life), and is a popular playground for kids in summer.
Before returning to the ship, we stopped for must-have brats and beer!
As we left our port, we had gorgeous views from our balcony of the Warnemünde Lighthouse and the beautiful nearby beaches and seaside resorts of these popular summer towns.
Auf Wiedersehen, Germany!
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