First Week.

6 days from leaving England and we find ourselves in Landskrona on the Southwest coast of Sweden.

View of the setting sun, Landskrona, Sweden.

After the ferry trip from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, we made our way to Delft, just south of the Hague. We stayed two nights at a site called DelftseHout, just outside town. It's a great place, canals, markets, museums. We went to the Vermeer (him of the 'Girl with the Pearl Earring' painting) museum. The town is very picturesque and known for it's pottery, burial place of the Dutch monarchy as well as Vermeer. Though the weather is hit and miss, we got out on our bikes for a good ride. Holland (like most of Europe I suspect) is very cycle friendly, with cycle paths virtually everywhere.

One of the canals of Delft.

Left Delft on Sunday 3rd and headed for the Island of Rugen, on the German Baltic coast. We drove across the Afsuitdijk dike, this is 30km long and helps keep a quarter of Holland from flooding.

Her Maj' on the Afsuitdijk dike.

It took two easy driving days to get to Rugen Island. Where we pitched up in a great little car park by the beach. Plan was to spend two days checking out the local area, including the resort of Binz and the old Nazi holiday camp of Prora.

Pop wondering where the G&T is?

Rugen is an interesting place. Obversely it was East Germany until the wall came down and you still get the feeling of that in certain parts. Elsewhere like Binz, it has been modernised massively and has gone 'up market'. We had a good cycle down to Binz in the sunshine and enjoyed ice coffee and cake, mmmmm.

Beach at Binz

Bing

Mmmmmmm.

We also visited Prora, which is where the Nazis built there workers holiday camp. This was 4.5km long, unbelievably large. It was never used for purpose as it wasn't completed by the start of the war. Post war it was used by the East German police and military, and you certainly get the feeling walking around parts of it, that many bad things happened to people here! Now, in our capitalist world, it is being converted into luxury flats!

A 18m model of Prora

Picture of Prora

We got hit by a big storm Tuesday afternoon which lasted till Wednesday morning. Very wet but great rainbow view.

Break in the storm.

We took the ferry from Sassnitz on Rugen to Trelleborg in Sweden, 4 hours. Had a short drive up to Landskrona where we have spent a picturesque evening.

The plan? now is cross to Stockholm, to meet an old friend. Then 1800km up to Nordkapp. All being well that will be the next post (or where i can get wifi).