07:45. I hear my alarm. I’m so deep in my dreams that this is where I hear it. I snooze. 07:53. Second alarm. Okay, well, I can’t snooze again. But this bed is so warm and cozy… what do people do who really camp in a tent for days? I admire them so much more now in perspective.
Okay, up now. New day, new impressions, new adventures awaiting me! I am amused over the fact that I am so tired, yet so excited to go on today’s trip.
I had a really good sleep at least. It was a good decision to close down the blackouts. Body’s quite stiff though, and the knee doesn’t wanna play along. Maybe some yoga stretches will help. I do that for a few minutes, and manage to prepare a hot tap water Tchibo coffee. It actually works! It’s good, does the purpose and feels good to smell while doing yoga. And the yoga actually helps immensely. I feel so much better now. At least regarding the stiffness.
My nose is unhappy though. I take my prescribed Cortisone spray (ugh!) and accept the price of not tasting 60% of the food I’m eating during breakfast. I hoped the daily fresh air would help me, but it doesn’t seem to do much. I’m a bit sad about that. Since my knee is also not in its best mood and still hurts, I decide to take my first painkiller on this trip. So far, I’ve been very patient and careful with my body, and I think one painkiller won’t be such a bad idea.
Breakfast is sweet and simple. Black coffee, bread, butter, cheese and jam. The room is just big enough to fit about 10-15 people. It’s got a very reddish palette and the style gives a funny impression. I enjoy it very much, as it’s calm and I’m the last one to come, and the last one to leave. A woman with Asian features sweetly tells me that I can also sit outside if I wish, and on any other day I probably would’ve went for that. But it’s interesting how much you appreciate being inside, when you have to be outdoors all day long.
My breakfast… and gloves we were given to wearThe breakfast room – look at that funny radio on top of the cheese bar
Back to my room I end up packing in a hurry, realizing checkout is at 11:00 and it’s actually almost 11:00. Where did all the time go? In the end I rush unnecessarily, as nobody is downstairs anyway, and I can just leave the keys in the mailbox.
Off we go. I walk very slowly, enjoying the grey weather that is doing me well. I see the tiny city in a new light, both literally and mentally. As I had arrived quite dead the day before, I couldn’t take in so much, but now I can.
I walk down the Hanseatenweg hiking path, a really well paved one, half bike path, half hiking path. It is windy, it is beautiful. It is entirely empty. Cars pass by, but the path is empty. I only see two cyclists who are taking a break at some resting spot.
Sighted along the HanseatenwegI walk parallel to this street
Somehow I am in love with the surrounding, in love with the way the tree leaves and the grass move in the wind. I immerse myself in the surrounding entirely. The only really big downside, repeating over the whole trip, is the sound of passing cars, when you are walking parallel to the street. It’s a sound that feels incredibly violent and shocking next to the very fine calmness of the setting that is mostly natural.
I can only stand the car sounds for a few minutes. I put on one track to start the day, fitting to the dreamy, but dark vibe of the weather. A very beautiful instrumental post-rock kind of remix of Bint Al Khandaq by Lost Souls of Saturn. It makes me close my eyes and feel the wind and the surrounding become one with me. It’s only me and them and the music.
A wide field next to the hiking path
I walk and walk, feeling very meditative. I focus on every footstep, trying to be mindful in order not to hurt my knee. I try to walk in a certain rhythm so my energy doesn’t scatter. I realize with happiness that on this trip I have surely become more “sure-footed” – I feel more confident with every step I make.
I am led through a beautiful forest, with high trees, calm and all to myself. I don’t see a single person. At some point a car, and then a few minutes later a minivan need to pass me. Other than that it’s just me and the birds.
It’s funny – the trees make a certain sound sometimes, when the wind moves them. It sounds like a creaking chair or a door that needs to be oiled. Like a sound you’d hear in a thriller movie. They give you the feeling that a branch might suddenly break or so, but it never does. After a couple of days, I got used to the sound entirely and just note it every time I hear it.
Today my mind is calmer than the last days. I am more at peace and more immersed in my surrounding than the last days. Maybe because I’m tired? I don’t know, but it’s a feeling that relieves me.
Some very interesting looking mushrooms I spot in the forest
I feel like I could use some specific music I had downloaded, despite loving the calmness. It’s the soundtrack of Into the Wild by Eddie Vedder, once again speaking to my deepest soul. It embraces my heart and my wandering soul with the lyrics of the music, and the music itself.
Today, I can also really feel into the movie that the music is made for. I remember Christopher McCandless and his dream to reach Alaska. I remember his desire for a self-chosen exploratory isolation from society, and I remember the feeling it awoke in my soul back then. That movie felt like an escape for me, like a comfort that such a reality is possible, despite its tragic ending. I remember the hope it gave me. And so I say: Christopher McCandless / Alexander Supertramp, I carry you in my heart as I walk the steps of this journey. I carry you, as I walk through this forest. I am eternally grateful to you for what you could awaken within me, just through your journey.
“Society, you’re a crazy breed… I hope you’re not lonely… without me…”
Okay, enough. My journey is not even slightly comparable to his, but the fire that’s inside me comes from a very similar source.
More fallen trees making a nice pattern – yay!
Alt Bukow is my first break point. I have a good feeling about it. It’s a small village, and I find a nice little green area under a tree to sit on. I don’t see anyone – only cars pass by every couple of minutes, but it’s clear they’re only passing through.
A sign greeting me into Alt-Bukow… kind ofFirst impressions of the city
The city itself is entirely empty. It’s an interesting observation when entering cities or villages in the countryside of Germany. They often have a certain abandonment vibe to them, although the gardens are always taken such good care of and there’s a car outside of each house. You just… barely see any people.
My view while taking a break. I love the color contrast of the trash cans, the building and the sky. I also love the strongly falling shadows. Funnily, the building says “Youth Club” – it looks like it hasn’t been visited in a long time though. The Youth Club from another perspectiveMy break food consists of salty seeds, a drink and a muesli bar
After my break, I am led to walk parallel to many fields. I pass by wheat fields, which are beautiful. I have to stop a lot to make photos or videos. Sometimes the motion of certain elements needs to be caught, too, so I capture it on video.
So much life in this!
The only thing that becomes a little tough about walking next to the fields is the smell of cow poop, used as fertilizer. In a way it’s not a bad smell but… after a while it’s somehow harder to bear.
The field from another perspectiveAnd me, covering myself in safety from the sun and the wind
My second longer break comes in a city called Friedrichsdorf. I sit on a bench in front of a pond, rest my tired legs and close my eyes.
My resting spot in front of the pond in Friedrichsdorf
I realize that I’m quite sleepy, despite sleeping long and well that night. I enjoy the surrounding so much, so I do my grounding exercise, mentally noting things I hear.
The wind… the rustling tree leaves… a cock crowing in the distance, cows mooing, cars in the distance… a barking dog…
The sun warms me, while the wind chills me in a perfect combination. It feels like a sunny Winter day in Egypt. I’m really thankful for the weather.
I mentally note some visuals, like a white mushroom, bubbles in the pond, shadows on a house wall, and crying trees, before I have a couple of snacks – like a stolen packaged sunflower seed bread from the breakfast buffet :D – and my espresso chocolate shot. And I make a mess. The liquid inside it flows down my hands and gets sticky. Faaaail.
It’s time to keep walking. The path goes mainly alongside beautiful fields…
…like this
Eventually I am led to another hikers’ path parallel to the street, and after a while, I see the water in the distance. My heart warms up. It reminds me of the times I used to travel with my parents by car to the sea, and we’d all happily spot the sea on the horizon, pointing it out and knowing that we are almost there.
That’s the sea appearing in the distanceAnd that’s the sea again from a closer spotThe sky’s haze being painted by the sunFulfilling my newly explored love for panoramic shots
I am approaching the island. Finally. But somehow these last 4 km take ages to pass. I am overwhelmed by the views around me, but I am tired and annoyed by the cars passing by. They are so loud and it’s impossible to tune them out. And at this point I am so tired I don’t even want to listen to any music anymore. So I just walk and take it, trying to focus on the mind blowing surrounding I am getting the chance to witness.
Just so you get an idea – the coming photos are all taken at this area – walking down bridges crossing the water to get to PoelHere is the view a bit zoomed out, showing mI am sincerely always so fascinated by such moments…and such surroundingsAnd such natural paintings…That’s the view to my right……along with this one……and that’s the view to my left……and to my front.. ugh! I’m telling you – I was stopping for a photo every two minutesCrossing the last bridge before entering the island Although the orange color of the fence is really… well, hard to like, I love the way it contrasts with the color of the waterNow that’s what I call a sincere greeting!
As soon as I reach the 1,5 km mark to my destination, I keep staring at my phone every few seconds, as if that will make time and distance pass faster. It doesn’t. But I am so tired! And then I realize that I hadn’t updated the destination to guide me to the guesthouse… again. So I do. And it adds another 1 km to it. So I still have to walk 2,5 km. Okay… no choice but to stick to it now.
Finally I reach the guesthouse in Niendorf, a tiny village on the island. I let myself in (the hostess left me the key in an envelope in the mailbox – I catch it by chance, right before I am about to ring the bell). I get in, and nobody’s there. Yay! Sincerely, yay, as all I want to do is just fall into my room and bed and talk to nobody.
It’s a very stylish house, put together with a lot of love. I love my room with a view right away.
My very beach-style roomAnd the view… the sun waving goodnight Magic
I have a warm shower and a comfortable evening, writing down notes and letting the day pass revue. It’s so beautifully quiet, but an annoying guest talks on the phone till about 11 PM, and it sounds like she’s sitting with me in the same room.
Ugh. well, nonetheless I am eagerly waiting for tomorrow. I am excited to see more of the island and then finally to head to Wismar, in disbelief over the fact that I have actually almost made it.
And now… recharge, girl.
(I finally put that plastic cup to use and made hot tap water cocoa-flavored porridge for the first time in it – yay!)
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Trip stats: 21,9 km – 4 hrs 44 minutes (in motion) – 4,6 km (average speed) – 100 m (elevation)
Okay, today was a really tough day. I’m tucked up in bed as I write this, so I can look back and be really happy about the impressions I could collect today.
First things first. I wake up again before my alarm rings, using the chance to get up and pack in peace. Why not, when I have such a sweet view in front of me and the sun is already teasing me with its early morning rays? Some morning stretches/yoga help me get into the flow and physically prepare for the day.
View from my room in Rerik
Breakfast is awesome, the best one I had so far. No open buffet because of Corona and stuff, so a lady serves us through some sort of counter through the door, like at some canteen. When my turn comes, I tell her I’m a vegetarian. And hope nobody heard me. Something tells me vegetarians are a rare happening at this place.
After a short look of confusion on her face, she starts sweetly and generously offering me options from a whole variety of cheeses, salads, fruits and vegetables they have. She keeps putting vegetables on my plate without me asking. I am not so used to this here in Germany, but I am just thankful that I don’t have to push myself through with my wishes, as I am quite shy doing that. I end up with a very fulfilling plate, perfect for the long day ahead. And the coffee… my morning mazag, as we call it in Egypt.
My intuition about vegetarianism being a rare thing here was quite right. After serving me, the lady can’t let it go without making a comment about my being vegetarian after I sit down.
“More and more of today’s youth become vegetarians,” she says. After a short break she adds: “But I don’t think it’s bad. I think it’s good.” I find it funny that the comment is not really geared towards me. She just walks to someone else’s table while saying it, they talk about it, excluding me, and eventually they somehow end up talking about chronic sinusitis. *laughs* I could’ve joined in on that conversation as an expert, too.
I have a whole table to myself, and I use the time to observe the people here. They are to 80% seniors, with only 2-3 women looking a bit younger. They all seem to already have met each other, probably from the days before. Two men keep throwing some curious looks at me, as they stand in line, waiting to get served. I don’t mind though. I understand that I might look a bit odd at this place, and all on my own to top that.
With a full stomach, full of gratitude, I head to my room. I enjoy the spaciness of the room, and I enjoy the excitement of embarking on today’s journey. For some change, as I pack up the last few things, I put on the radio that is standing on a shelf in this sweet little room, learning a new expression from some news channel – “corona chaos”. Some reporter asks someone if one can speak of Corona chaos happening in Austria. Okay. Let’s listen to something else. I settle for Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. A song I usually wouldn’t choose, but hei, it’s all about getting out of the comfort zone and stuff. And it really is uplifting.
Soon enough I am ready. Ready for what shall be another warm day, equipped with my new cap, a light T-shirt and sun screen. I give back my key and am given a very sweet goodbye by the lady who takes it from me. I go outside, breathing in the fresh, still quite chilly air, and instruct Komoot to start guiding me along.
Let’s go, Komoot tells me. I head left, walk straight, am distracted by the way the sun shines through the tree leaves and the houses, but I get back on track soon enough. I am guided to the Salzhaff – the salt harbor. Said with a bit of dialect.
Morning sun and shadowsSeagulls taking a morning sun dip in the Salzhaff
I’m glad to get another chance to walk by it. Last night wasn’t enough. Little do I know about the surprises awaiting me later, but for now, I am still deeply in love with the Salzhaff. The color play of the water, the grass, the sun and the sky is mesmerizing. I enjoy every step I take.
Walking along the SalzhaffReed, reed, reedKind of like a glimpse of how you’d imagine paradise, no? At least my imaginations were similar to this… an endless garden…Cat’s tail, or so I decide to call it
I spot some long blades of grass, the kinds with fluffy golden endings and I glide them through my fingers. They feel like the fluff of a cat’s tail and they give me a cozy feeling. I probably look weird doing this, but I don’t care.
My first break point
My first break is taken when I realize it’s time to take off my trouser extensions, due to the weather getting warmer. I take the chance to eat the first muesli bar, and I watch a lady walk in the water with her dog. They’d been walking for a long time and they’re about 10 meters in, away from the shore.
My mind feels very loud for the morning, and so I take the chance to do a grounding exercise, mentally noting 5 things I see, 4 things I hear, 3 things I feel, 2 things I smell and 1 thing I taste. The exercise feels so good in this surrounding that I keep noting even more than the required number of things. Especially the sounds I hear are beautiful: singing birds, waves at the shore, cicadas, rustling leaves, footsteps, the wind.
Path parallel to Salzhaff
I move forward, enjoying the calmness of the path, despite it being taken by many people. Every few minutes, cyclists need to pass me or I greet morning hikers with a smile. I’m in my own world though.
A seashore aster (aster tripolium) according to PlantNet
Soon enough, the path starts getting emptier and emptier, until I end up walking through a forest that feels like it’s entirely mine. There is a paved path, I am surrounded by trees, and all I can hear is the sound of the wind.
I take a short break, having another muesli bar and then I keep moving. I love the calmness and the green surrounding me.
Soon enough, I reach what feels like an obstacle but is actually not. I reach a tiny metal fence, blocking the way. It’s really tiny, so I could also just jump over it, but in order to make sure I am not trespassing, I walk along the fence for a while, realizing that the wire connecting the fence posts is electrocuted (it is of course not a life-threatening electric voltage, but you still don’t want to touch it). Hmm. How long do I keep walking? I decide to just go back to the door and jump over it or something. But let’s try opening it first? That I do, and the door is… open. I sigh at myself and laugh at myself. Why am I such a good, overly careful girl?
After having passed the door, I realized I should take a photo of it for my blog. There you have it. And this wire you see on the right side is the one that is electrically charged.
I am led along some fields, which are absolutely beautiful. I start listening to Eddie Vedder’s soundtrack for Into the Wild again and find real pleasure in every moment. I am so immersed in it though that I actually barely take any photos. Walking along fields on a path shared also by cyclists, while looking at this endless space and sky made me feel like I’m in another universe.
A little field panorama – look at all this space…I love the color of the tree bark against the green of the grass.A tree I liked – it might have been a mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia (lat.); Eberesche (German)), but I cannot be 100% sureAnd then I pass this endless field of purple!And the SMELL! I could smell these flowers all over… According to PlantNet, they are called Purple Tansy (Phacelia tanacetifolia) :)
After passing this field of purple, I am led through a really tiny village called Teßmannsdorf. It’s really tiny. I barely see any houses.
Me walking through Teßmannsdorf – it took me just about 15 minutes to get through it.
As you see on the map, I am led through another forest afterwards. It’s this big green spot on the map. I am a little freaked out, because it’s quite late already and I am afraid to face any more spiderwebs, but thankfully the paths are all well-paved and I see one more human (a man picking mushrooms with a stick and bucket) and am relieved. I then face a little challenge, which then turns into an enormous challenge. Take a look at the screenshot showing my path below…
Do you see this very messy walking pattern of mine before I walk up towards the water? Yeah, that is me reaching the end of the forest path and wanting, according to plan, to walk the path leading up to the water. Guess what? Again, no path! It is only a hint of a path that is by now fully overgrown with reed. Oh man…
I try to take this black marked path, but it is so full with trees and I get again my very intense anxiety about spiderwebs (read day 1 to understand what my problem is with spiderwebs), and decide to let it be. But I don’t want to walk the whole way back and take a path running parallel to the street again. I had been looking so forward to walk by the water. So I pull myself together, grab a tree branch and start walking through the overgrown reed path. I am prepared to break spiderweb after spiderweb, but I don’t spot any big ones. I only feel a thread every couple of steps on the skin of my legs, and then around my arms, and eventually it becomes so much that I just decide to start running, eyes half closed, aimed at the water. I can do this, just keep running.
And eventually I do get there. PHEW! Well, what else would have happened? I would have surely not been killed by the spiderwebs, but you know… me by now. Hopefully. Well, now I am there.
A beautiful view on the water is my reward! And you hear nothing – only a couple of SUP-paddlers nearby, gliding over the water. And then I look to the left, in the direction I am supposed to walk. And something tells me this is not good. The sand seems to be ending after about 30 meters or so… Oh no.
I realize that there is probably no path, no sand to walk on, as I would have expected looking at the map. In satellite view it shows sand along the whole coast, but the satellite shot must’ve been so outdated in this moment. So I am left with two choices: either I walk back (through reed, through the forest, back to the street) or I take the risk and eventually walk through the water. What do you think I go for?
Maybe this picture is a hint?
Of course, I decide to walk through the water. I figure I could use some cooling down of my feet. It is quite the adventure though, as I am constantly afraid that eventually it really becomes un-walkable for some reason and I have to walk all the way back. Still, I do it.
My view at the beginning. Still all good – all just sand! And the water is crystal clear and fresh… And then I’d find more and more such surprises…Really looking forward for such breaks in the middle, finding more sand… And then this is what I am left with…
So as you see on the photos, the path starts with sand, and then the reed (this plant you see on the photos) would take over, and you’d really have to walk in the water. I have very mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it’s very refreshing, as the water is cold (man, am I lucky with the weather!), and on the other hand, it’s full of algae and stones. So I have to be very conscious about every step I take, in order not to fall and not to hurt myself. I consider it a balance and mindfulness test. It’s actually fun, after the initial anxiety phase is over.
My view on the water, which looks more scary than it actually is – this dark part is just normal sea algae, it’s not depth.See this dried algae on the ground? Walking on this becomes your first choice (due to the softness of it), instead of walking on the stones you can see in the water.
Eventually, I find this couple walking behind me in the water. I am so relieved! It means that I am not doing something entirely crazy and that there will be a way out of here. I still have many kilometers to walk after all. And I am tired. And the sun is hot, and I don’t want to get sunburned.
They walk so fast, and I think damn, they must have these water shoes on. I get afraid, wondering if it’s realistic to reach my destination on my bare feet like that. But as they approach me, I realize they walk barefoot, too. I talk to them shortly, asking them whether they know if I can find a beach soon. The man tells me that there is no beach, but that I will find an exit through the bushes. I tell them they seem to be used to this path, to which they smile. Off they go, and I take care to follow them soon enough, as their presence comforts me. I still can’t believe this is happening, but I am so glad to be going through an experience I shall definitely not forget soon.
A view on the water
Eventually, with a big sense of relief I reach the escape. I feel such relief, and at the same time a sense of achievement that makes me very happy. I decide to take a break under a tree where the escape is. Overall, I had walked 1,3 km in that water.
Thank the mastermind inventor for trouser extensions you can just unzip
I crave a coffee. And I decide to give my portable stove and the gas can another try. I can turn them on easier this time – success! But of course, as I expected, now I get it confirmed that the bowl I bought to heat water in is not made for heating (check day 1 to understand why this was no clear). It is plastic after all. :'(
So, once again…
I have to still my craving with this espresso chocolate – still yum!
And a ladybug visits me :)
I sit there for about half an hour. I love the sun reflecting off the water and I keep thinking how I would have been feeling in heaven, if I wouldn’t be so tired and if I wouldn’t have to leave again soon. So I try to close my eyes and feel in heaven for a bit.
I close my eyes and I listen to my surrounding, I observe the way I feel, I am just in the moment – the trick being not to judge anything that is happening. Not to judge my thoughts, the things I hear or the things I feel. In a way I am doing Vipassana Meditation, but I wouldn’t want to label anything. It’s something anyone can do. It feels liberating, because for just a few minutes you don’t feel stuck with any bad feeling or with the feeling that you’re obliged to do something about your situation. For a while, things are just the way they are and you are watching them happen within you and around you. A state of ultimate Zen I tell you!
So after experiencing my Zen, I get up to keep walking. I have to walk over a field that seems like many people have already walked over. You’re not allowed to walk over fields, but I just do it. There is not a single person to see anywhere anyway. Part of the field is filled with red plants that are beautiful.
In a way, they look a bit like desert plants or something. I want to stay longer and admire them longer and feel them, but I have to keep walking.
Here you can see how I have to adjust my path after realizing that there is no sand to walk on. From the beach, I walk into the light green area, where the fields are and then manage my way from there.
The sun is really strong. Again, I express my inner gratitude and relief over having bought this black cap.
I do slowly realize how much energy walking through the water had taken from me. Every part of me is tired, especially my left knee. But I gotta keep walking. Something about the pain feels good (please hear me out?), because it keeps me focused on my physical feeling, instead of stressful thoughts in my mind that sadly won’t have mercy on me despite all the beauty surrounding me. And so I feel into my knee, embracing the pain with every step I take that gets me closer to my destination.
I cherish little findings that pass me on the way and I stop every few minutes, taking all the scenery in.
Little findings like this super-dry skeleton of a leaf I had never seen something like this in my life
I pass through little villages, one of which is awkwardly empty. Many of the houses are entirely closed down.
Like this one here. All closed down…And then there is this blank house with the tree shadow falling on it so nicely
I walk and walk, exhausted as fuck. At some point, I walk down a street and look to the horizon on my left. I realize that I had just walked down that whole street I see in the horizon, the one that has trees on its sides.
And in the far distance I see the water I had to walk through…
I spot a mailman in the near distance, I pass him and keep walking. A few minutes later, I see him pulling over in front of me again, delivering more mail. I keep walking. A few minutes later, he pulls over behind me. So funnily, I have the same pace as the mailman. I am not that slow.
I keep looking at the map every two minutes it feels. Am I close yet? I am hungry and tired and my knee hurts. Although only 5 km are left, it feels like an endlessly long way. It’s also exhausting to keep walking parallel to a street. The sound of the cars gets very exhausting after a while, even though you don’t hear a single honk. Just them driving over the asphalt so fast is stressful in itself. So when I reach the entrance of Neubukow, I am left with a choice…
This is for you to see how long I had to walk parallel to a street. That’s about 3,5 km.
My choice is whether I want to keep walking along the street – here it would be Buschmühler Chaussee – or if I want to change to the hiking path in the green, called Jakobsweg. I had originally planned to walk on that hiking path so I decide to go for it, although my feeling tells me the street is safer.
And I should have listened to my feeling. -.- Because the hiking path is beautiful and all, but it turns out quite steep and full of tiny obstacles. And I am tired.
Still, I am happy to be surrounded by trees and a stream. The air is also getting chilly, now that the sun is not shining on me anymore. I take some photos… taking breaks every ten minutes.
This is what it basically looks like walking through that tiny forest.There are many little games made out of wood, like this wooden xylophone. Yes, I tried it out… :)Another game, where you can guess what tree it is judging from the bark. No, I did not have time for that one. It’s funny. Passing this part of the path here, I get a strange feeling. Only looking back, I realize why. It’s because there is no fence. Why? The fence is broken. Judging by the way it looks, someone fell on that fence, falling down that hill… funny that my subconscious picked the creepy feeling up, without me really realizing why.The sight of this windmill gives me incredible relief. It means I am almost there!
And so, I am finally in Neubukow. I already like the way the houses look and take a few photos.
NeubukowNeubukow
And I have less than a km to walk… 800 meters… 500… 200… my knee, we almost made it, just stay strong!
And I do. I arrive at a hotel that looks exactly the way I expected (I was too tired to make a photo of the hotel) – with a restaurant below. I go in, spot a tiny fountain (yes, inside, but it’s kind of a portable fountain) and a counter with many flyers and whatnot. I do not spot a single person though. I also do not see a cash register or anything, so I must be standing at the wrong place.
I open the door to the restaurant area on the left, walk in and spot a lady with long black hair, dressed a bit in a rock ‘n’ roll style, drying beer glasses. I ask her where the check-in is and she tells me to come to her. She’s wearing a mask, above which her incredibly blue eyes really strike me. I guess she’s wearing colored lenses. A young man appears, also in a bit of a rock ‘n’ roll style, and the lady leads me to my room. The stairs are incredibly steep and tiny, and there is so much red everywhere. She guides me through the little room, letting me know I can go to her if I need anything. She’s nice.
My room in Neubukow
Now I cannot believe I am actually in my room. I made it, dammit! With my swollen knee and my tired feet and my sun-kissed skin. I sit down, unsure what to do next, as I am tired and hungry. Do I take a break, then go eat? Do I take a shower first?
I check Google Maps and find that there is an Asian restaurant just 3 minutes away. I walk there, order some rice with vegetables and peanut butter sauce and then impulsively order a second meal, while they are cooking my ordered meal. I am so hungry and can imagine eating anything right now. I order noodles with vegetables. And then I walk back.
One last look at the nice view, loving the way the sun sets… and the panorama perspective I have on this tiny city center. And then I take a long warm shower, change into my comfy clothes, stretch a bit and eat, eat, eat. Tucking myself under the cover… waiting for the day to end, hungry for my next journey.
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Trip stats: 20,9 km – 5 hrs 4 minutes (in motion) – 4,1 km (average speed)
Up she gets. All on her own. No alarm required. Cause she’s exciteeeed.
It’s a new day, and the sun is shining, and a tight time schedule is waiting. A schedule waiting to be figured out at least.
I shall not try to make another failed attempt at a coffee today. I shall just go down to the breakfast that awaits me.
I go to the breakfast door and in the midst of confusion am told to sit anywhere I want. The woman comes back again, after finishing up with another couple, and realizes that the table I chose is not clean yet and seats me somewhere else. But I wanted to sit by the windooow. Okay.
I am the only person who’s alone. I kind of expected that. But it’s a bit awkward to be sitting in a 4:11 ratio (women:men) and being a woman on her own. Especially that that table of men over there keeps looking at me. For whatever reason. Ugh. I’m too happy about everything to care though! I just give them a look and don’t look back.
Breakfast is lovely and simple. Bread, butter, cheese, jam. A hard boiled egg. Coffee. Enough to suit my morning needs. What is causing me anxiety is the planning of this day, as I figured out yesterday that the bus I was planning to take to reduce the distance does not drive on Sunday.
Once I head back up to my room and retry planning the trip on a bus-base, it fails entirely. No matter what bus I take, the distance will still be too long to cut in a day. An option would be to take a risk and hope I reach a certain area and take a bus from there. But I don’t even know 100% if that bus will actually be there. So with some sadness, but also with relief, I admit to myself that the best way to go would be to take the train. And to just have a round-trip here instead. The train leaves in the afternoon. I plan the trip very fast, very spontaneous, so I might be in for some surprises.
I head out at 10:00. Checking out, the man at the desk is sweet. He asks me if I am taking the Pilgerweg (the pilgrim’s path). It’s not what I’m taking, but it crossed roads with me so often that I want to explore it further in the future.
An alley next to the hotel that I like
I first want to see a tiny bit more of the city. I think it has charm, and on komoot a certain Liebesinsel / “love island” is recommended by a lot of people. I take a look at it, make some photos and watch a couple taking photos of each other.
I admire the morning sunlight reflecting off the water, but I honestly crave to see more than what I am seeing. So I proceed on my path soon enough.
First, I am led along a very long and busy street, which eventually leads me to a hiking path parallel to a field. It’s so hot that I have to stop and change into a T-shirt. It’s the first time I walk with a T-shirt on this trip. I deeply regret not having my cap with me, but I am optimistic about the rest of the trip. After this short break I use to also eat up some snacks, I keep walking.
I pass many health resorts, and many playgrounds by the water, with kids running and screaming. I feel a little out of place, but I don’t care so much as much as I care about the heat.
My temptation to swim is still very present, but I tell myself that another opportunity on another day shall arise.
Eventually it gets calmer and emptier. I am led through forests, where I don’t see anyone for a long time. I enjoy the rustling of the trees, mixing with the music of Ruby by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté.
A field in the distance, showing through trees, was glowing so strongly with sunlight. It was beautiful.
This is what it looked like once I reached it. I stood there for a few seconds, breathing in deeply, taking a moment to let it all sink in, feeling connected with the Universe around me.
In other spots, you often find freshly cut trees stacked up together. I was amazed at the amount of trees here, as well as the pattern they show all stacked up together like that.
Since there are barely any possibilities to make your own coffee, let alone sit comfortably on a bench, I am trying this method to relieve my coffee cravings during my walks. Why not? It seems like the perfect situation to use this in. And I sure enjoyed the first bite, as much as the second bite, as much as the aftertaste.
On the way back I passed by this part full of bushes of yellow flowers. It was heavenly. I stayed there for a few minutes, watching happy bees doing their work, lucky enough to catch a picture of one.
At the end of my energies on this hot day, walking the last kilometer, I pass by this part of the city which has an outskirt “American” feeling to it that I can’t quite explain. I felt like I’m in a street from American Beauty.
With a big sense of relief and a craving for shadow, I reach the main station, a very shabby, old place I sadly didn’t make any pictures of and end up taking this old, charming train, full, loud, hot, but cute somehow. Everyone is tired, but the kids have endless energy and don’t stop excitedly talking and jumping from one seat to the next for a minute. They’re also not wearing any masks.
I change trains at Neustrelitz, where I end up in one of the modern trains, which is empty and air conditioned. I get a chance to spread my legs and eat up a yoghurt I had bought (don’t ask me what I was thinking buying it).
Finally, we’re at Waren, where I fortunately only have to walk a few meters to reach my hotel. Check-in is fast and simple, and I’m led to my big, spacey room with character.
It’s the nicest one I had so far. I like the light green walls and the wooden furniture. I also love the fact that it has three windows, which let in so much light.
I’m starving after this long day though – I find a pizza place over google maps and go for a takeaway pizza to eat up by a spot by the water that I also discovered over google maps… and figured it would be very nice.
I was right. Look at this beauty.
And a pizza all to myself. I couldn’t eat it up in one go though. So I carried the rest with me all the way home. Where I landed in bed like a chunk of wood. I’ll be staying at this city for 2 nights, which means… I can sleep in tomorrow… :-)
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Trip stats: 16,4 km – 3 hrs 21 minutes (in motion) – 4,9 km (average speed)
Yes, I am finally doing this. On a journey of exploring, growing and healing the self, I have found myself – basically from one moment to the next – incredibly intrigued to explore the idea of hiking solo for several days. Where to? The sea, of course.
And so the planning started. Overall a couple of months, and a couple of weeks of discovering a world of wanderlusting… starting full of questions, ending with a lot of excitement of counting down the days to the actual trip. Where to start? What to wear? What to eat? Where to stay? How to stay out of danger? All questions that suddenly seemed ages away, as I stand in the station of Berlin-Spandau, enjoying the warm early sunshine of 7:00 AM, waiting for the train that shall take me to my starting point… of day 1: Neuruppin.
A church next to the Spandau stationView from the platformLook at this endlessly long trainBye, Berlin
Stage 1 – It’s happening
I was in a quite euphoric state. I am doing this, keeps going through my mind. People around me, if you only knew what journey I am about to embark on!
Such were the kind of words going through my head, as I watch beautiful sceneries pass me by…
Like this fog in the distance…
…a sight I have never quite seen in that intensity before.
…appreciating the chilled atmosphere in the empty train and the (not to be taken for granted) friendliness of the train personnel.
Anxiously, I await the last station of the train’s journey. The first station of my journey – Neuruppin Seedamm. We arrive at 9:24 AM.
Sight from the Seedamm
Stage 2 – A lost old lady (with cookies)
I already can’t stop taking pictures. I know I still have 20+ km to walk, but since I know myself, I anyway planned my official start at 9:50 AM, so who cares if I spend the first half hour just taking photos?
Funnily, I’m already put in the next interesting situation. I had heard a nice guy asking an old woman with walking aid if she’d like to cross the street. Then, between some mumbles I hear ‘well, do you know where you want to go?’, but I don’t pay much attention other than noting to myself that this guy is very nice for stopping and asking.
A view after my first few steps taken in Neuruppin
And then, a few minutes later, as I’m stuck taking the photo above this paragraph from different angles, I find this guy approaching me and the old woman slowly coming up behind him. He talks to me: “I am having a bit of an awkward situation. This woman doesn’t know where she wants to go. And she doesn’t remember anything.” Oh!
I am a bit overwhelmed, because I’m not from the city myself and was never put in such a situation before, but of course I try to help and talk to her. I ask her if she knows how long she’s been walking. She mumbles but doesn’t respond. “That’s what I mean. I guess it’s dementia or something”, the guy says. Considering the seriousness of the situation I am calmed by his lightness in the way he talks to her. I keep suggesting answers to her: half an hour? Ten minutes? Just an estimate is all we need. 30 minutes? “No, no… not so long” I manage to get out of her. She’s still very confused, so of course I can’t trust her answer entirely. I then get the idea of asking for her ID, to check her address. I try to keep my questions shorter from now on, as I get the feeling long sentences confuse her more. “Address?”
I am relieved as she starts fumbling around her stuff after a few seconds of not responding at all. The guy tries to help by looking into her trolley with her. I chuckle on my inside as he comments out loud “you have all possible things here… cookies, sweets…” Finally, she grabs a very tiny squished up wallet out of her pocket and picks out a piece of paper…. with an address on it! And a name. Phew! As I already grab my phone to check for it, the guy points out happily that he knows the street. “Straße des Friedens, that’s over there, but how did you get here, there’s a very stoney road, how could you pass over it with your trolley?”
He seems to enjoy teasing her and so I take it as a queue that I can leave while feeling relieved she’s in good hands. He really was very cute with her. But the poor woman! I kept wondering if that happens often, or if we just witnessed a very rare situation, which ended lucky for her…
I go back to myself, enjoying walking the streets of that tiny, old city…
That sight had something idyllic about it for me…
Stage 3 – Arriving
Everyone who passes me greets me so nicely or wishes me a good morning. It’s a pleasant feeling. I enter the first forest I shall encounter today and stop by the Alter Rhin for a not so quick break already.
Alter Rhin I wished I could go swimming
After getting enough sun, I keep walking. I pass Alt-Ruppin, admiring the charm of the houses…
A few minutes after crossing and passing busy streets and getting barked at by the first guard dog, I’m led to the backyard of a house I don’t see a single person in. The whole area is so quirt. I am really overwhelmed by the absolute quiet that could exist at such a place. And by the view I was looking at…
After walking a few steps further, I realize that the path that was being shown on Komoot is basically just grass. My mind goes yay, closer to nature and then the grass keeps getting higher and I think hmm and then I reach a dead end, while komoot tells me to go straight onto the street. HMM! Okay… no panic. I make a detour…
I eventually realize that “hoping” to find a road to lead to the street is too much to hope for considering I still got 3/4 of the distance to go. And so I just walk through the trees (as you see this strange turn on the map) and “elegantly” walk down to the street, pretending that this is not awkward, no.
Phew! Time for my first snack. I happily get out an energy bar from my fanny pack (first time I use this word ever!), and just as I am about to open it, I stumble over my own shoelaces… and kind of fall down, aaaaand push myself up so fast as if nothing happened and keep walking. Roots, grass, fallen trees, I can pass anything! And then my shoelaces do it. Ah well…
Soon enough, I forget all about the detour issue, because I am happy to see a new tiny city called Neumühle. I love the color of its houses and enjoy walking through the very green forest…
NeumühleWise words from Neumühle: Better Run NaziscumForest path after NeumühleA love pathIt was all still so green
It was quite a thing to walk for minutes and hours and see only a couple of people. I loved it (till then), and every few minutes I would stop in my tracks and listen to the silence around me, interrupted only by wind making the leaves of the trees sing their songs…
Eventually I realized that I wouldn’t mind actually listening to some music during the experience. I let my phone play in my pocket on very silent loudspeaker. And it’s been two tracks that I have listened to on repeat since then… one is Ruby by Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté, and the other one is called Manitoumani by several artists: -M-, Toumani Diabaté, Sidiki Diabaté & Fatoumata Diawara. Both songs have grown so dear to me over the last few days, especially Ruby feels like the whole world’s soul is in its music…
Doesn’t it look like some dragon or snake or something drinking out of the lake? I know… very cliché…
I stay very curious as to what is coming next so my breaks aren’t very long at the end. And so I proceed… and reach some more beautiful scenery that I couldn’t help but stop and capture basically all the time.
I love golden fields… they feel like the sun shining out of plants. They had something very Toscana-like about them, because they were so dry, and you could hear these cicada-like sounds.
What was very interesting was how much the scenery constantly changed… so one minute I’m walking next to this field, and the next minute I find a resting place by Molchowsee that I recognize from a visit years ago.
Here I take the first big break and have a mini-lunch, as I sit in the sun, looking at the stillness of the water.
Stage 4 – Overcoming challenges
A bit later I face a similar issue with komoot like at the start. It first leads me along a field, which is beautiful, but then somehow the road gets lost, and I have to walk in high grass along the field again. At least I get to make some more photos.
Actually it was my fault, as I decided to change route spontaneously, because another field parallel to this one looked lovely and I wanted to walk along it and it showed there’s a path on the app but there was not! It was quite a challenge, especially with the sun, but I just tried to focus on the beautiful butterflies flying around me and away from under me..
Here you see my sad attempts at trying to walk into the forest to find a path.
Thankfully I trusted my gut and did not do it. The forest (the green area) was going down steeply and there’s no sign of a path. It was the right thing to keep walking along the smaller field (the darker yellow one).
Eventually I got out of this challenge and found another opportunity for a break. With a swan view! (See photo) I also liked watching these boats pass by. Everyone said hi, which was sweet. Also what seemed like a couple of an interesting sports combination passed by – the girl was on a SUP board (stand-up paddle board) and the guy was in a canoe. They were pedaling next to each other.
This is the perfect spot for a coffee, is what I kept thinking. I had bought this gas cartouche only so I can make coffee on the way – but damn, was that a fail! First, I was extremely anxious about even putting it on. I connected it to the “stove” or however you’d call it, and as I was screwing both together whoosh! the gas started leaking out the opening and making this sound. I jumped back (lol!), my heart beating like crazy, unsure what to do next, hoping nobody sees me, as I wasn’t even sure I’m allowed to use this thing. I could hear the sound get quieter, and so I approached it again and tried to screw both together stronger and then it stopped. Well, I eventually figured it only made that sound because of the high pressure it was on, while it was closed, and because I hadn’t screwed them together properly in the first place! Okay… so time for a coffee.
I get out this plastic pot I got from Decathlon to cook and eat in and then think to myself: plastic? Won’t that melt? Although it says 100 degrees C on the pot, I don’t trust it. I must be getting something wrong. But hours later I think to myself that it would’ve probably worked just fine.
What about the coffee though? I ended up drinking it cold.
I do not recommend it… but hey, it tasted like (some very sour) coffee.
Off to see more fields!
Ravens which I loved looking at and then got creeped out by. Because they were circling on top of me and making sounds and then I remembered this funny video of these people getting attacked by crows. I’m not here to hurt you! I tried to telepathically tell them. Maybe it worked. They kept to themselves at the end.
Stage 5 – Sincerely fucking realterror
So what happens next? Why this very dramatic title? This shall be a funny story for everyone reading this but me. Maybe it will be funny for me one day, too. Actually it already kind of is. Okay. Look at these beautiful trees down there…
It’s like a dream, isn’t it? So it felt to me too. But then komoot took my love for trees very seriously and started leading me again into the forest. Surprise: no path. Just grass. No problem. I don’t mind. Closer to nature, I think again. I walk, and walk, and I feel a little strange with time, and then I get why. It’s clear that nobody’s walked that “path” in a long long long time. It’s clear because it’s full of spider webs. Everywhere.
Anyone who knows me well will understand immediately. Maybe silently has already wondered, but was too afraid to ask me: what will you do about all the spiderwebs?
To everyone else I say shortly and clearly: ever since I can remember I have had an incredible fear of spiderwebs. I don’t know why, and frankly I expected it to be way less intense than I experienced in that moment. But it was just too much too fast too unexpected.
All that happened was me slowly realizing that I need to change my paths to avoid walking into small spiderwebs. And then they’d get bigger. And harder to avoid. And then I realized as I looked around: there was a spiderweb between every two trees I could see anywhere. And I was surrounded by trees! Just like you see in the photos.
What would sound like a metaphor quite frankly isn’t: it was a nightmare come true. I actually dreamt that before. Kind of.
Anyway. Look at my recorded path.
You see around the top that my path started becoming “more crooked”. That was me trying to avoid them. And then going right, following komoot’s instructions, and then realizing I am sooo running out of options to avoid them.
This section is probably way too long for the actual seriousness of the situation, but I can only try to describe what I felt: a heartbeat of what felt like 120 per minute, sweat, goosebumps, the need to whine out loud at every one I spot. Ugh!
I was already laughing at myself on the inside. I tried to think of ways to deal with the situation. One attempt was to cover myself up entirely. Scarf covering face and hair, jacket, gloves, and walking straight into them without even knowing. I prepared myself for that. And could not move my feet a single step. Frozen, entirely.
Option two: google what happens when you walk into a spiderweb and try to rationally have a conversation with myself because nothing will happen simply didn’t seem to do it. I just couldn’t move. But thankfully there was no signal anyway, as I doubt the answer would’ve calmed me down.
Option three: grab a fucking branch and break them one by one and pass. Ohmygod, I wince internally. I cover myself up again, but eyes stay free and prepare myself in a Star Wars Warrior with light saber pose to fight off my enemy. Seriously? I hear you ask. Oh, yes.
Yes, you could say I felt like that. Minus the snow.
And so I moved step by step. Breaking one spiderweb after the other and crying out loud every time. Part of me was happy nobody was around and part of me was dying to find somebody to just be my savior, walk ahead of me and I’d walk behind. And part of me thought I must be the funniest creepiest strangest hiker to ever pass this place…
And so, eventually you guys, I found an emptier spot and saw that there is a field nearby to walk along. And so I desperately walked to that field and it worked. No spiderwebs there. I walked to the first big street I could find, took a deep breath and decided I won’t go into “natural” paths for the rest of the day. I had intentionally after all planned the path to be as natural as possible. I walked on an official street for cars till I reached the last village before my destination.
You can see how far I walked taking the street here.
To close this chapter and answer an obvious question: why did I do this trip despite knowing I have this fear?
I simply did not expect such a situation to happen. I didn’t think the app would lead me off paved roads, and then I didn’t expect this kind of intense exposure compared to the exposure I am used to from Berlin and surrounding areas. I never experienced spiderwebs in the middle of unofficial roads like that, at least not in that intensity.
But I learned a lot from this situation. I learned to properly look at the planned roads in the future, properly estimate if they are really there or not, and I also learned to try and do something about this fear again. Still, I keep thinking: what would a normal person do? Surrounded by hundreds of spider webs? Would they just walk through them as if they are a minor discomfort? I can’t imagine it at all. I truly wish I had someone with me in that situation.
Still, I refused to let it ruin my mood, although it took a long time (approx. an hour) for the adrenaline to get out of my system. Only then could I start enjoying the surrounding again..
Stage 6 – Reaching my first destination
Some trees celebrate Autumn already.
The last village I passed before reaching Rheinsberg was Zechow. I sat there by a bench for a few minutes, my shoes taken off (got me some curious looks) and trying to realize the fact that I am almost there.
I let the day flow through my mind again, remembering the morning, waiting in Spandau for the train. It all seemed so far. I remembered the few issues I faced and managed and realized that in comparison to the spiderweb topic, I basically managed just fine. It worked! I was about to reach my destination…
I encountered one last sweet incident before reaching the pension in Rheinsberg. I was walking on a path shared by passengers and cyclists. I heard a bike bell being rung at me. I looked back, seeing an old couple approaching on their bikes. I keep walking, knowing they have enough space to pass, but they ring again. I turn around, annoyed, ready to have an argument, but all they did was say a very sweet “hallooo, hallo!”, to which I couldn’t help but smile and greet them back. The old woman adding “so ganz alleine hier…?” (So entirely alone here?) both made me laugh and realize that I am indeed here alone. And that I can pat myself on the back. Both for making it work but also for being here in the first place.
A nice uplift it was, as I did my last few tired steps, seeing the pension a few meters away… again, admiring the surrounding.
Until, after I nicely get greeted by a lady and her dog, I finally get the chance to lie down…
…in my very authentic rooftop room at the outskirts of Rheinsberg.
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Trip stats: 25,8 km – 5 hours 26 minutes (in motion) – 4,8 km/h average speed – 230 m elevation
Some trees celebrate Autumn already.
Walking with Wolves 