Mecklenburg Switzerland? Come again?

South of Stralsund the landscape is getting a little uneven, and up to about sixty meters elevation. It becomes high enough for the flatlanders to dub the area the 'Switzerland of Mecklenburg'. We are not kidding! Talk about nordic humour.

Given that we live in a highly populated country this area is relatively unspoilt and preserved as a National Park covered by lakes and woodlands.

We drove over hills and through tiny villages, visited another witness of the brick gothic former monastery and palace ruin in Dargun. Built and destroyed in the 12th century the monchs relocated to Eldena, the abbey ruin we had paid a visit two days before.

Some duke converted the ruin into a renaissance castle in the Middle Ages, it was destroyed by a fire during WWII.

The best part of the ruin is a little shop with ceramic artwork, liqueurs, vinegars, oils, jams, mustards, spices and soaps made by local farmers, artists and monks. We left with a plenty of tasty stuff.

We stopped for lunch in Waren, a picturesque small town located at the lake shore of Müritz. the food was nothing to write home about, however an ice cream parlour offered lactose free ice-cream and Sonja could't resist. It had been a long time, and the chocolate flavoured ice-cream was delish!

We felt it was time for some relaxation, and returned to Stralsund for an afternoon nap. The rest of the day was spent (window) shopping in town.

Today's trip was 240km on byways, part of it along the German Avenue Road.

We have seen a lot during our week at the Baltic Sea, and we were lucky with the weather, too (at least it stayed dry most of the time). Now it is time to say goodbye to Stralsund.