BY TRAIN TO EAST GERMANY - ON THE TRAIL OF THE DDR

[Switzerland – Eastgermany] Run-down, conservative, and xenophobic. Convincing arguments not to visit a region. Despite all prejudices, I have always wanted to see East Germany. By train from Lucerne to Hamburg and from Hamburg to Schwerin, I experienced unique impressions from the GDR era and beautiful landscapes with pure nature. I can really recommend this trip to everyone who does not let prejudices guide them.

Hanseatic city of Hamburg

My girlfriend and I started our journey early in the morning from Lucerne. By afternoon, around 4:00 pm, we were already at the venerable Hamburg main train station and could hardly believe how quickly time passed.

The Outer Alster is a popular recreational area for locals. In addition to many sports activities, you can also eat or have a drink by the lakeshore

Hamburg is really super easy to reach by train from Switzerland. We ended the first leg of our journey with a beer at the Binnenalster.

Pure peace in Hohen Viecheln

After Hamburg, the East is not far away. So, we took the S-Bahn from the big city of Hamburg to the small town of Bad Kleinen, where we were picked up by our host.

Our home base for the next two weeks was a former farm in Hohen Viecheln, a small Community next to Bad Kleinen.

The farm had been converted into holiday apartments. From here, we took many more bike trips. Hohen Viecheln is located on Lake Schwerin and offers nothing special besides its natural idyll - the perfect balance to our "hectic" city life.

The farm was forcibly expropriated during the DDR era and given to complete strangers by the state. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the farm was returned to its rightful owners.

Schwerin, Wismar, Insel Poel, Rerik und Güstrow

Many beautiful places we visited were unfortunately not really accessible by bike, such as Rerik, Güstrow, and the island of Poel. Therefore, we rented a car to explore the surrounding area further.

The Baltic coast offers incredibly beautiful towns, which are very popular among locals. There was a real rush for the beach spots, and we were lucky to get a spot.

The water was surprisingly warm, and we also enjoyed beautiful days at the Baltic Sea.

Useful Information

	Book your train tickets with a seat reservation. During the summer months, trains are always very crowded. Be warned, trains in Germany do not continue when they are full. Due to the high demand of the 9-euro-ticket, our travel plans were somewhat disrupted.
	Go visit Cafe Glücklich in Wismar for the best cake in the world! https://cafe-glucklich-cafe.business.site/

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Ben Gasser, Luzern (CH)

Hey! :) If you have any questions regarding the trip do not hesitate to drop me a message on b.94_gasser@hotmail.com

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