[Schwerin, Germany, Sep 4, 2016]

Hamburg presented an interesting challenge – one could day-trip very easily to Bremen, Luebeck or Schwerin from here. Bremen and Luebeck, both Hanseatic towns, were tempting because they are on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. They were part of the Hanseatic league, a confederation of merchant guilds that dominated Baltic maritime trade in the middle ages. Schwerin, on the other hand, boasted a castle on a peninsula. It was not on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list at the time but it was on the tentative list. Krisi and Vladi hadn’t been there, so it won their vote. I couldn’t resist seeing a traditional German castle, so off we went to Schwerin. (NOTE: Schwerin became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024).

Schwerin is the capital, oldest city and second-largest city in the North-Western German province of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its castle is situated on an island in the city’s main lake, Schwerin Lake. For many centuries, the palace was the home of the dukes and grand-dukes of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It is a great example of the Romantic Historicism architectural style. It’s nickname is Neuschwanstein of the North. Today, it houses the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament. To my surprise, it had a feature I had not seen in years – indoor smoking booths. I had only seen those at the Frankfurt airport before. As a former smoker, I knew current smokers appreciated not being confined to those nasty smoking rooms. Yet it provides enough ventilation so that others nearby are not subjected to second-hand smoke.

The palace was nice. We toured several different rooms, of which my favorite was the Throne room.

In another room, there was a replica of Canova’ depiction of Paolina Borghese as Venus. I saw the original last year at Galleria Borghese in Rome. The furniture was very interesting, as well, and the woof floors were very ornate.

The gardens were nice, too although the rainy, gloomy and windy day kept us from walking around outside too much. We tried to grab brunch at the café at the Orangerie, but it turned out it was reservation only. We settled for coffee and Kuchen (German for cake). I got the Käsekuchen (German cheesecake). Here, it is made with quark, a fresh cow milk cheese that is less creamy than cream cheese. The crust is also different – it’s made out of cookies rather than graham crackers. It was less sweet and much lighter than the American cheesecake I am used to.

The town center of Schwerin was also nice. It was well preserved because WWII bombs spared this city, for the most part. There was a festival in the town square where you could grab a beer and some bratwurst.

When we left Schwerin, we detoured to another castle in the nearby town of Ludwigslust (German for “Ludwig’s Joy”). By the time we got there though, the rain had returned with force, so we headed back to Hamburg.

For dinner, Vladi cooked this giant fish he had caught in the Elbe channels by the house. We had a delicious meal and we chatted the night away. It was a wonderful way to end my trip. I am flying back to LA early in the morning! I am thankful for another great European trip and for many wonderful memories with friends and family. Prost!