Hohendorf – Returning to Te Ika-a-Māui

Wednesday, September 19: Sunny and warm (not quite as hot as yesterday), persistent land wind, one or two more compact clouds

Im Grünen

Hiking: 29.0 km

Managed to string up two bath towels to cover the light coming through the window in the door, and the main window had a concertina blind on it which kept most of the light out. It was actually pretty quiet after about 10:00 and I got a fairly good night’s sleep, with people beginning to wake up again from about 6:30.

I went down for breakfast at around 7:30. Pretty much the usual hotel/pension fare. Four bread rolls, a plate of cold meat/cheese and coffee was served. Orange juice was a bottle on every table, there was a central section where apparently cereal, yoghurt and toast could be obtained, and there was a fruit basket mainly full of apples. I settled the bill with the proprietor, asked in advance about the possibility of doing laundry on Thursday afternoon, and proceeded to nab two of the rolls and an apple for lunch. About the only thing I didn’t avail myself of was Bild.

Back in the room the wifi didn’t seem to want to work, and I should have asked about it because it is going to be critical tomorrow in getting a bus to pick me up. Also the one card (the one with a double partition seems to have great difficulty in being recognised by Windows). In any case I had plenty of time to play with, and noticed that I could not find the glasses case anywhere. Just after 9:30 I was ready to go, first via the supermarket to redeem some empties, and then into town for a bit of sightseeing. Found some Greek restaurants down by the harbor, and walked back via the old market square, through an old gateway, and then across a park with ponds in the general direction of the station, and was there with a good ten – or should I say fifteen – minutes to spare, because the bus was accordingly late.

Today’s trip was puzzlingly familiar, as I was expecting it to take a good quarter of an hour more. I had put on the sunscreen, and placed my hat on the pack to do so, and when I saw Hohendorf coming up directly after Prohn, I started the GPS tracker and got ready to get out of the bus. First stop I pushed the button for was Siedlung (a suburb a couple of km down the road) and the bus driver recognised that I had wanted to go a bit further, and the next stop was Hauptstr., where I got on yesterday. Where the remaining fifteen minutes went, no idea. Anyway I was happy to be able to start walking earlier than planned, and in doing so lost the loose hat, which I promptly forgot on the bus, and almost just as promptly regretted not having put on my head.

Two losses in just as many days: Both due to non-standard procedures being applied.

Anyway the walk called out to be done. First it was across a couple of fields into the National Park once again, where there was a little more shade. I stopped once for some hydration, and then for lunch in Barhövt with its charming little harbor and hotels and other tourist infrastructure. I continued on the path through the forest for quite a bit before arriving in Klausdorf, then went through town until a map and some signs turned up. According to that map the E9 is identical with the Baltic Sea Cycle Route, and goes directly from Hohendorf to Klausdorf. The only ambiguity (with my choice of track) is whether to go through Klausdorf itself or bypass it to the east. In any case I was soon back down close to the waterfront on quite low-lying dikes, and enjoying the sun. I was expecting some track choices on either side of Parow, but none turned up. What was unhelpful was the varying distance to Stralsund that the signs were giving. In fact, there were no choices at all, and after the apple just before Parow, I was surprised that the distance to Stralsund was less than 6 km, almost directly on the coast itself.

Interactive Map

Back in town. GPS quality: 30/30, coverage: 100%
Can’t see map? Click here!

Plenty of geese on land, sea and in the air today, but not an opportunity to take a picture. A couple of pictures of other things, including Stralsund itself from the water front. I was considering going as far as the bridge today, but decided to go through town instead to see what else I could shoot. Tried to no avail to locate a telephone at the main station. Then some shopping needed to be done at Lidl which required a detour, then back to the pension, where the internet was working again.

After looking around for some eateries I thought that the closest Chinese place (Goldener Drachen, Rostocker Chaussee 2) would be the deal for this evening, if I am feeling up to it, there is an Indian place not far from the bus station that I could try tomorrow. Pork fried rice was a little more expensive than I’ve been used to (€11.3), but it was very tasty.

The plan for tomorrow will be: Try the internet first thing tomorrow after breakfast to see if I can skype the bus place for tomorrow’s return trip. If it is not working here, then go down to the supermarket to redeem empties and buy new stuff for hydration, and try the network there. Also I will need to get the address of the place I am staying with as well. Should look to leaving on the hike at before 9:00.

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

Beside the Barther Bodden. GPS quality: 30/30, coverage: 100%
Can’t see map? Click here!

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.

Tag: Hohendorf

E9: Hohendorf – Stralsund

Interactive Map

E9: Barth – Hohendorf

Interactive Map