DE, Day 10, Fifty years ago

“Yes” replies an 80 year old gentleman when I ask him if he is from here, from Graal-Müritz.
So I follow-up asking if the building in front of us look differently 50 years ago and specially if it had green railings where the people queued up to buy ice cream?
“Sorry, I have been living here only for the last 25 years” 

But a waitress in a café, though not so old, confirms that this used to look up as I described.
And this is the story which happened there 50 years ago:
“Please, buy me an ice cream” I ask my dad during our father-son vacation.
“Here is the money, go ahead.”
“I don’t speak German!” I object
“You have been learning it for a year. Beat your way!“
So, I gather courage and line up in the green railings. When it is my turn, I use all my German skills and pronounce as clearly as possible:
„Ein Eis, bitte“
„Bla, bla, bla, bla“ replies the ice cream lady
„Ein Eis, bitte“ I give it a second try
„Bla, bla, bla, bla“
„Ein Eis, bitte“
„Bla, bla, bla, bla“ I hear again and look desperately at my dad standing two metres behind me. He just shrugs
„Ein Eis, bitte“
„Bla, bla, bla, bla“ comes out of her mouth and I run away through the green railing without any ice cream but full of anger and shame.
„Why did you not help me?“ I reproach my dad
„I just wanted you to beat your way. You can keep the money and try again”
“What was this bla bla she kept saying?”
“She just asked: Do you want whipped cream on it or not?”

 

Yes, I was furious and did not dare to try again then. 
But it gave me a great lesson for life.
So that today, in the same camping place, I was able to order the ice cream easily.  Finally.
Foremost, I thankfully sent a huge hug to my dad somewhere up there…

 

50 km from Ahrenshoop to Rostock with Graal-Müritz circled in the middle

 

Sceneries that make me stop, breathe and ponder

 

My Garmin got it right this time. Standing on a cliff 16 m above the sea level

 

A proof I was able to order even more than an ice cream this time in the Graal Müritz camping

 

Enjoying one more biker’s romance when approaching Rostock, the final leg of our cycling journey.

 

Rostock, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Yet another „Hanse-City“ in Balticum and also the end of our pedalling. Now we will take a train to Hamburg and from there a night train to Vienna

„Our“ 800 km at one glance from Liberec to Rostock

 

The “mini cabins” in the couchette carriages on the track from Hamburg to Vienna. Let us see, how much sleep we will get in these latest achievement:)

Geschriben 08.06 2024 um 22:33