E9: Barth – Hohendorf

Tuesday, September 18: Hot and sunny, with some cirrus clouds and a strong land wind

Hiking: 27.3 km

Pension “Im Grünen”, Rostocker Chaussee 28, Stralsund (double as single, €38 per night, including breakfast, €5 booking fee)

I was up bright and early again, aiming for the 9:22 train, so that I would make everything in time today, including cleaning up the flat and stripping the bed before I left. First stop was the supermarket to return some bottles and get some fresh bread rolls (apparently someone had gone postal just before I got there, to judge from the broken bottles lying around, and the eventual arrival of the cops), and with that out of the way, breakfast (the last yoghurt, the last coffee) could be had, the remainder of the milk drunk and lunch prepared for the track.

Closing the drawer with the cutlery in it some piece of plastic flew across the room, which I later determined belonged to the now defunct peeler. Apart from that the packing, stripping and cleaning went well (swept the place out, but apart from a few grains of sand, nothing much) and was ready to go to meet my envisaged train. Was therefore pretty soon in Barth.

Took a couple more pictures of the church, then down to the harbour and along a country path past the youth hostel. I had seen and photographed a map in Barth and was surprised that the E9 (the latest official version that I downloaded last night) agreed entirely with one of the bike paths, including a bit of a variation just past Flemendorf Harbor. In any case it was over two quite high hills on the way to Dabitz Harbor where I stopped for an hydration break, then Flemendorf Harbor was soon visible, with its windmill. The last part was over the top of the dike and a bit adventurous for cyclists, so that when the harbor was reached the cyclists thankfully take the road on offer, whereas I made sure I stuck to the dike which seemed the way to go.

And it was, pretty much. The lunch stop was a small beach with quite a carpark, and plenty of picnic tables to the back drop of a number of people in the water flying kites (they didn’t seem to be on any kind of board, yet), but these were the type of kites that might lift you off the ground, if you weren’t in the water. Met a bloke who was also walking, then packed up and started on my further way. Every now and then there was a forest (which was good for shade) and the path was not entirely asphalted, which was a bit of relief for the feet.

In any case, I continued along the waterfront after lunch, although the official map directs you to a detour which in Google Earth is free range across farmland, which is probably not such a good idea. Anyway, there were no markers at all today, and the ones for the cycle paths seemed to be pretty scarce as well.

I soon reached Nisdorf, and then Kinnbackenhagen. Here there was a second detour, which appears to be doable, if only for the problem that a settlement of Finnish (A-frame) houses seem to be in the way, with one path being marked as “Not a public path”. In any case I was soon in Hohendorf, found a bus stop, but not the one I was looking for. A bus was due in a couple of minutes so I waited for it and asked the bus driver where the stop was and was directed to the main road, about 100&nbsp:m down a leafy avenue where I waited for the next half-hour. In the meantime I had seen “observation tower” posted, which could have been on the track that I hadn’t taken, because there was no other mention of it.

Interactive Map

Was soon in town trying to find which bus line went down the Rostocker Chaussee – as far as I could see, none, which was puzzling until I started walking out of town and came across a gigantic construction site which would have put the end to any bus trying to get through. Identified a Chinese restaurant, where the Lidl supermarket is, and a Rewe with a bistro out the front, and finally the pension, all of the street numbers being on the other side of the street to what GE had shown me last night. Alice in the Looking Glass.

Once here, there was no one at the reception, so I pressed the bell and waited for a bit. Then what appeared to be a Polish construction worker offered me his phone to put a call through to the number displayed, and after mangling my name and my request for breakfast, I was “given” room 18, which had the key inside. Payment is at breakfast tomorrow.

Now I had to get a meal and some beer organised. Walked back along the street. Josis Bistro was just a Turkish place; the Chinese place had no menu on view; went past the Netto, discovered another two pizza places (one a drive-to) and could see the Lidl. Decided to take Josis for a pizza romantica (salami, ham and mushrooms) and a Fanta for €9.5. The pizza was originally crispy but degenerated very quickly. Will have to see about some real Greek tomorrow. Then to the supermarket for some drinks.

Back here queried two blokes about wifi and got some connection, although very iffy and unsecured. More of a motel here, than a pension, everything on ground level, parking lot in front of every unit. Curtains barely cover the windows and there is a light issue with lights from the neighboring plot and the carpark lighting.