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The Radweg
I rolled into Schwerin today. I am nearing a thousand miles but I'm going to stay here for a few days. Schwerin is another of thoose places that I kind of dreamed about and so far it seems to be living up to those imaginings. I mean it has a castle sitting on an island in the middle of the city. Also, La Traviata is playing and I think that there is a Kandinsky exhibit. So...
I came today from Güstrow. Güstrow, it said in my travel book was set in the beautiful scenery of rolling hills and many lakes. While I was making my way from Stralsund I considered not going to Güstrow because there are no good routes to get there from Rostock. But I finally decided that I had wanted to see it so I took a train from Rostock. That days riding was rough. The coast is so pretty but the night before Rostock I had camped in a really beautiful but seriously bug-infested campground. There are these clouds of bugs, gnats I guess that don't hurt or anything but swarm and are in everything- eyes, mouth, beer- everything. In addition to the bugs which inhabited the trail from the campground on, the trail turned to absolute crap. Once again I found my self having to get off the bike and push it through miles of sand. By the time I got to Rostock I was covered in sand, dirt, sweat (oh yeah it's about 90 degrees here right now), and little bug parts. I was completely done. I arrived in Güstrow, found the tourist office and they pointed me to a private room (that is a room that people let out of theri homes) and went and met the woman at the library where she works. She told that all was in order and quoted a price that was 16€ instead of the 23€ that the tourist office had said. I was very happy with that. In addition she something like her husband would meet me at the house and that he would show me everything and then she something about a bath. I wasn't clear on what she meant but she repeated it and seemed to indicate that I should be sure to participate. I just ready to be done for the day and I was pretty sure that she didn't actually mean that I was to go and take a bath with her husband so I agreed and went to their home. I showed up, met Mr. Muritz, and saw the room. He indicated that we would go for our bath and when I cocked my head and asked for clarification he displayed the international sign for swimming and all was much clearer. I said that I would shower first, trying to be respectful of cleanliness and the like, and he made a face like it didn't matter. Whatever, I showered and off we went to the pool. Except it wasn't a pool at all and then all became finally fully clear. It was one of the beautiful lakes that my book had gone on about. There were perhaps six people there, some with bathing suits and some without, and it was a nice asndy walk into the water. Mr. Muritz swam out near the middle of the big lake and I followed at a distance. I swam and tread water for perhaps twenty minutes. It was wonderful. The water was cool and clear. It was peaceful and clam. Hot and really perfect. I thought about fortune and how things work. I had been in Güstrow maybe an hour and a half and I was in a little corner of heaven. I thought of all of the bugs and heat and sweat and dirt from earlier in the day. I laughed out loud. I shook my head repeatedly. When we were tired we swam in and climbed out. I lokked back to be sure that I hadn't imagined it. I felt so relaxed and cool. It was perfect I kept saying. The next day it was the same thing. It's been so hot and the swimming- I could have stayed in Güstrow and swam for weeks I thought. But of course other places, possibly equally magical awaited.
I'm in Schwerin now and staying ina building that survived the allied air raids at the end of the war. The back side facing the courtyard is pock-marked with shrapnel marks. It's got a balcnoy that looks towards the castle. It's great.
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