From the Darß forest to the bodden countryside

Yeyaaa...! Our summer holiday this year takes us to the coast of the Baltic Sea. While we resided in a beautifully converted century old hotel which was until 2000 a retired train station in Prerow, we spent the rest of the days outdoor. To give you an idea, Prerow lies about a 2,5 hour car drive north east of Hamburg.

The ubiquitous Strandkörbe along the beaches

We chose Prerow because we read that this Baltic seaside resort is famous for its nature, the fine sandy beaches, the picturesque landscape and the many outdoor activities we could do with kids. Being hiking buffs, that was the first item on our to do list. And my, oh my...were we in for a surprise. For the very first time, we were kind of irritated with cyclists! So much for the well promoted "the primeval Darß having more than 50 km of footpaths and cycle ways". They should consider adding a footnote that cyclists take precedent, and that hikers should only hike at their own risk when using the same "footpaths"!

After that we ditched that hiking part and adopted the if you can't-beat-them-then-join-them attitude.

There's definitely plenty to do. Kids could sign up for a couple hours of photography session at the Max Hüten Haus, go sailing, snorkeling, paddling, bird watching, wildlife spotting, hanging around on the beach, and when you run out out of ideas, there's always cycling. Ha.ha..

Max Hütten Haus - let your creativity go wild!

Footnote: Because of it's distinctive bodden countryside, be sure to pack plenty of insect repellent. There're enough body of water enclosed by the peninsula, spits and islands to provide breeding grounds to some nasty and irritating mosquitoes and other bugs of the stinging kinds.

Footnote: Eat fish

Bremen

What to do when you have less than 4 hours to cover Bremen with kids? And all the time you have is between 17:00 to bedtime? Simple, stick to the oldest trick when visiting German cities. Head straight for the Marketplace. As with the medieval times where Marketplaces were the sources of commercial transactions, they have not lost their importance in today's world. Though today it's more of tourist magnet.

If you have time, Bremen is a very charming city, home to to dozens for historical galleries and museums, so there's plenty to see and do. If you are hard pressed for time, plus with two tired kids in tow, then take a nice stroll along the River Weser. There's plenty of happenings to provide enough distractions for the kids to keep on walking. Then head straight for the Altstadt, and try to follow the signs - with luck you will end up at the renowned bronze statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen. I said luck, because the signs takes you around like a wild goose chase. Haha.. We found it hidden between scaffolding of the church where the statue is erected.

A stroll along the River Weser

A modern re-interpretation of the original bronze statue.