RügenRügen

Published on September 4, 2019 ⋅ 3min read

Last weekend, Katharina and I took the opportunity of good weather to venture to Rügen, an island off the northern coast of Germany in the Baltic sea, where we camped for 2 nights. I did a "preparation pack", filling my big backpack with everything I have acquired so far for my sabbatical trip.

It weighed 18kg. Oof.

Needless to say, I struggled. Having taken a half day off, I carried my pack to work, which raised a few questions in the office. At lunch, I left work and hiked my way through Berlin to Katharina's apartment, where we loaded up the car and eagerly drove in the direction of the Autobahn.

An hour later we were still in Berlin. The traffic was horrendous. Unfortunately, getting out of Berlin was not our last encounter with traffic. Needless to say, I was astaunded (bilingual pun, hah!) at how bad the traffic can get when there is "construction"; that is, one digger parked on the shoulder forcing an entire lane closure for 30km! There's really not much to say about sitting in traffic but I did take the opportunity to walk on the Autobahn in bare feet while we were at a standstill. A first for me.

In the end it took us 5 hours to reach Rügen. Almost dark when we arrived at the campsite, we pitched the tent under the trees and headed back to Sassnitz to grab a bite to eat.

Saturday was the day of the big practice hike! I packed up my bag with all the unnecessary sabbatical essentials, then we drove to a nearby bakery to eat some fresh bread rolls on the beach. We parked the car next to the bus stop at the end of the trail in Lohme, and caught the bus back to Sassnitz (where we had been the night before!) and to the start of the trail.

The Hochuferweg is a trail running along the cliff tops of the northern coast of Rügen, mostly through the forest with scenic views out over the sea. We walked about 15km in total, 12km being the trail and the rest getting to the trail. At lunch, we climbed down to the beach and relaxed (if you can call it that!) on the stony shore. The weather held out for us; a reasonable temperature in the mid-20s with a light breeze. And while the forest shade provided adequate shelter from the sun, within 2 minutes of walking, sweat was dripping from my nose! I wonder how I'll manage with cooler temperatures... Will I sweat just as much? Will I freeze in sodden clothing when we're hiking at the bottom of South America and it's only 8 degrees? We shall find out!

By the time we reached the car, I was thoroughly worn out. Perhaps an ominous sign, given that I will be carrying this pack around for the next 3 months. However, I had managed. And if my Outward Bound experience has taught me anything, it's that one can push themselves much farther than expected. It will be tough, but I'm confident I will manage it.

We drove back to the beach where we had broken our fast that morning, and I experienced bathing in the chilling waters of the Baltic Sea for the first (and perhaps last!) time. The cold water was soothing for my weary muscles and utterly refreshing after being so hot and sweaty all day. After all her talk about wanting to go for a swim, I had to drag Katharina in after me. While I waded in without hesitation, she was on the verge of retreat to the safety, and warmth, of the shore. Of course, I couldn't let that happen!

When we returned later to the campsite, Katharina was dismayed to discover a party raging in a field near the campsite. We were both exhausted from the day's adventures and ready to sleep, but Katharina is a light sleeper, so with the sound of sweet Schlager (German music genre) resonating through the trees, she had a rather sleepless night. I, fortunately, suffer no such affliction and slept like a log.

On Sunday we rose late, rushing to pack the tent when we heard a sudden clash of distant thunder. I didn't want to get the tent unnecessarily wet, so if we required motivation to get up, that was certainly enough! The weather can be fickle in the north of Germany. After checking out of the campsite, we drove down the road to a nearby Maize-maze we had spotted the day before. Having never been in one before, I could barely corntain my excitement! (Okay, I admit, that pun was bad.)

We spent an hour navigating the labyrinth, searching for the five symbols hidden throughout. We only found four before we reached the exit, although I could have sworn we explored every nook and cranny. Under the scorching sun (the thunderstorm never eventuated, yay!) we gave up, calling it quits with the elusive Christmas Tree symbol evading our discovery. Ironically, the first symbol we discovered was the one most people usually struggle to find, or so the owner told us. We had stumbled across it by accident.

Predicting traffic on the way back, we loaded up with snacks for the return journey and hit the road in the early afternoon.

Sure enough, we got stuck in traffic. Next time we're taking the train.