I live half my life now in Germany. So, occasionally in this blog, we’ll visit places that I’ve traveled to in that country. This month, we feature two such destinations: one that we journeyed to as part of a “fitness” week, and the other as a daytrip to a village in the region where we live.
Malente
My girlfriend had signed up for several days at a fitness center, and I decided to tag along-even though I wasn’t a participant. The fitness center is in Malente, a town in the far north of Germany, and it’s quite a feat to get there from where we live. The train trip there comes in three parts: (1) Bremen to Hamburg, (2) Hamburg to Lubeck, and then (3) Lubeck to Malente. Although we leave early in the morning, we don’t arrive in Malente until mid-afternoon.
The Malente train station is located at the bottom of a hill near the town center; but the fitness center is at the peak of the hill. With no taxis in sight, we have to walk twenty plus minutes up the hill to arrive at our digs. The building where we are staying is under construction, and the room we are assigned to in no way resembles the one advertised in the brochure. It is dorm-like and full of spiders. Oh, well. It’s Sunday and, with no one to complain to, we decide to rough it. After a shower, a nap, and an improvised lunch, we make our first foray through the area.
Malente is located in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany-a place loaded with about twenty lakes. Some of these are naturally interconnected and others by artificial canals to form a continuous waterway. We are anxious to get our first look at them, so we walk down the “Kattenstee”, a small alley or path which starts right next to the fitness center, crosses the railroad tracks, and emerges through dusty, outlying streets to one of the lakes-the Kellersee.
Keller means “cellar” in German; but this lake lies east of Malente, so who knows why it is called that. It is a fairly large lake, measuring 1,400 acres and with a greatest depth of about 90 feet. It is pretty serene as we stroll by, and only a few boats are on it.
From the Kellersee, we walk into town to find the Kurpark. The Kurpark is a state park with free admission (at least no one charges us to enter). These was a “senses” exhibition in one of the Kurpark halls earlier, and the people who administered it are forlornly cleaning up. Only the inflated figure seems happy. There are some views of another lake (the Dieksee) through the trees; but, otherwise, there is not much to see or do here. So we head back to town, leaving our spider friends behind.
After inspecting some beautiful dahlia windmill flowers, we have drinks and dinner at the Geruchtekuche Fisch und Steakhouse-one of the few restaurants in Malente. The meal wasn’t bad. It’s getting dark and, tired of walking, we find a cab to take us back to the fitness center-for a night of no wifi.
The next day, I join the participant group for a walk through a forest. The trail begins right across the road from the fitness center. A dead golden slow worm is one of the early highlights of the hike-although only a few of us see it.
Our trail wends downwards towards the town and the one of the lakes. We now arrive at a corner of the Dieksee, featuring a floating cow and calf, a mermaid, and plenty of ducks.
Malente is a resort town with many hydrotherapy amenities, including a kneipp. These have earned it the moniker of “Bad Malente”-a German spa town.
While my partner slogs away at her exercise sessions, I take a few solo walks along both the Kellersee and Dieksee. Notable are the Schwentine River (source of the Kellersee), the old town water tower, and the combo rapids/boat line near the town center.
Returning to the fitness center for meals, I would always be plagued by the young kids who were attending sports sessions here in the days before their school year began. Although we shared the dining room with them, they were (thankfully) segregated into another section and lodged in another building.
Thank goodness there was a bar on the premises. After dinner, I would head over to Susis Kotten to enjoy a glass of beer or wine in peace and quiet. My girlfriend would join me after her evening exercise session was complete. Soon, however, the secret leaked out and the entire complement of adult participants at the fitness center would wander over to spoil that day’s fitness results.
The highlight of our stay in Malente is our ferry trip across the lakes and our tour of Plon Castle. We buy our tickets at the ferry dock and hop on board. It is a glorious day.
Starting at the Dieksee near town, we pass through one of the artificial canals that connect the lakes at Timmdorf and cruise into the Langensee.
Around a bend in the Behler See, we see one of the largest congregations of cormorants that we have ever witnessed. They are flying everywhere!
From there, we sail into the Hoftsee, Edebergsee, and Plonersee until we disembark at the pier in Plon. Soon after, we get on a bus that takes us to the old town on Plon.
The unusually small old town features a church (the Nicolaikirche), a fountain in the Rathaus square depicting a little girl, and a strange figure of a sleep-walking critter. It doesn’t take us long to reach Plon Castle and its gatehouse.
Plon Castle, built in the Renaissance style in the 17th century, is one of the largest castles in this part of Germany and is the only one raised upon a hill. It is a Ducal palace; but was not much occupied nor was it much involved in the conflicts of the time. The castle was actually is use as a summer residence by Danish royalty in the mid-19th century. The extraordinary thing about the castle is that it also houses a campus. When the Prussians took over the castle in 1864, they rebuilt it as a military school for cadets. The sons of the German emperor, Wilhelm II, were boarded in what was, and still is, called the “Princes House”.
We don’t enter any of the buildings and content ourselves with walking around the grounds. The campus features not only the Princes House; but also an infirmary and several other buildings. A school for optometrists has been operating here for many years now, and a test is even in session as we stroll by.
As we sit on a bench and admire the Plonersee, we take in a desolate island in the lake with withered trees and loads of birds. I wonder what this island was like in the castle’s heyday?
We enjoy a dinner of wienerschnitzel and fries at the Seeprinz Restaurant on the lake. Nice meal and views. Unfortunately, we have to eat inside because it has started to rain.
Before returning to Malente via a combination of local train and bus, we take in an impromptu duck concert along the canals of Plon. The ducks love the music, but they love the bread crumbs thrown to them better.
Although the accommodations and context of our visit to Malente were less than optimal, the sublime setting among the lakes made it downright bearable, if not enjoyable.
Bassum
Bassum is a small rural village of mostly scattered farmhouses between Bremen and Diepholz. Only about 16,000 people live here. There are no museums or attractions in Bassum; just an amazing countryside which, on a nice day, makes for an ideal long stroll.
The walking trail in Bassum (set up by head forester Friedrich Erdmann in the late 19th century) wends its way past farm fields, through forests, and winds up at the River Hache.
Notable on the trail are the Archehof Home for Old Animals (which features mostly birds and takes in more animals every year), ancient burial mounds in the forest, and the old mill on the River Hache.
Mostly, however, you spend your walking time enjoying the scenery and watching the goats and sheep that appear every now and again.
So, if you’re into walking (and are willing to take the risk of being crushed by falling tree limbs), by all means take a day trip to Bassum if you’re in the area. It is well worth it.
Musical Interlude: Germany-A Relaxation Film