Baltic Sea: Rügen in winter
There he is! The king chair! And I have it all to myself. The Rügen sanctuary, the world famous Caspar David Friedrich motif. And I see: nothing. Drizzle trickles from my hood. Plus, when you're on it, you do not see it, of course, the giant chalk cliffs. That's why next to the sign, the "mortal danger!" announced, also attached a small photo. On it: the king chair, as he looks in nice weather. Innocent white, edged by harmless blue sky. Now it is much more impressive: wet and gray, the beeches on the slopes stand black and bare in solitude. It is rare for hikers to come here. People like me, who know and love Rügen in spring, summer and autumn - and want to have it for themselves in winter.
For example, the chalk cliffs. I was never there in the summer. Too many buses, too many sausage stands. Even in winter, the tourist shuttle leaves from the large parking lot, which is nice, but boring. You can also boot from the fishing village of Lohme in the northeast of the island. On a snow-covered path, the lungs are filled with forest air and sea breeze, on trails and wet shore stones. Every step can be a broken leg, but the chalk cliff, which rises foggy gray in the gloomy sky, beckons. But where is it going? Who wants to stumble four kilometers over stones without having reached the goal? The wooden stairs to Olympus finally appear and trigger a lucky flash. Now only 25 minutes of stairs. The coffee break up in the restaurant "Caspar's" is an excellent reward: a piece of cinnamon cream cake and the best milk coffee. Moist heated by the hiker's luck - there tastes both incomparably.
Photo show Rügen in winter
Rügen in winter is just that: run, hike, climb, search, find. The incredibly wide beaches are getting bigger. The quiet trails still quieter. The fairy tale forests with their white-drawn branches are a lot more magical. And the taciturn locals who become talkative. For example Uwe Strandmann. In summer he rows hundreds of guests every day across the Selliner See from Baabe to the foot of the Moritzburg, where there is grandma's world's best cake with a matching island panorama. In winter, the restaurant is dense, but the increase is still worthwhile - a premium view has never closed. So the ferryman comes for three people and rowing them through the icy tides. Told by the old swan over there, who will probably not survive the summer. He sees this on the feather tail, which hangs wearily in the water, instead of proudly sticking out in the air. But do not be sad, it leaves many young swans. Two start with powerful Luftsausen in the high white sky. Winter is not a real business here, it's more like a freestyle. This special atmosphere: cloud-filtered light, clean air, deep silence, few people who do not make rubbish and do not talk garbage.
No question, the island winter is comfortable for weatherproof guests. Local, which are now open, have something to offer: great food, nice hosts. Otherwise they would not have any guests. By the way, with comforting languor in the limbs it feeds much better than in the summer heat with sandy sun-skin. And sauna after ascending and descending in the harsh wind - a treat! Clarity. Inwardness. Sensuality. So is Rügen only in winter. In the summer it is colorful, plump and sandy. Light gray in winter, tender and fresh.
Even the great Rügen walk in Groß Zicker now has an above-ground flair. In summer, the gently undulating Zicker Alps are famous for their flowery dry meadows. Now they are dazzling white, delicately pollinated like a cream pie. And the sea is rolling in, grumbling on three sides. The wooden descent to the steep bank has broken down sometime, the surf is pretty wild here. A careful leap on the crunching stones, then along the shiny black water, then later icy dike grass crunching under the soles, embraced by the dusk. And the air flows refreshing in my throat like icicles. When I expect a few kilometers further an incredibly tasty steak in the restaurant "Odin", I know for sure, what I've felt all along already: Rügen is beautiful in every season. But in winter it's just pure luxury.
Rügen: The best addresses
My favorite hotel Solthus on the lake. In summer I came to the shore of Lake Sellin to get on the ferry to Moritzdorf. I connected my bike and saw the thick bodies in front of the hotel "Solthus". Since I knew: Here it is full and expensive. But now, in winter, I have conquered it - it is quiet, and the rooms with their high country house cuddle factor are affordable.The spa is very relaxed, the service is perfect. The thatched white house squats like a knobbly hill by the water, at breakfast it flashes lead gray in front of the windows, and the swans pull white over the heavy winter sky - good for the soul and wonderfully restful. DZ / F from 53 Euro per person (Bollwerkstraße 1, 18586 Ostseebad Baabe, Tel. 03 83 03/871 60, www.solthus.de).
My favorite place Biohof Bisdamitz. Now, ChroniquesDuVasteMonde and Rolf Haug have time to explain their philosophy to the latte maker: "In the summer, people pay off, nothing offers in winter? Not our style." Their estate is more than just a stop-off: here comes the cake that has comforted us on the king's chair over the hardships, and here in the glass building under old trees there are delicious raw milk cheese, lamb sausage and wine. 200 ewes and 45 milk chilli provide the raw materials, from which delicious food and great gifts for the home. Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm (Dorfstraße 1, Lohme, Tel. 03 83 02/92 07, www.hofgut-bisdamitz.de).
My favorite shop Mönchgut ceramics. In winter, the shoppers rarely get lost in Middelhagen, which is why Thom Wilcke's ceramic shop is actually closed. But the artist says, "We are also pleased with the customers who are coming to us now," and he likes to close the store if you call ahead. Then he has time to clone, showing his blue-and-white Rügen patterns on plates and jugs, his glass artworks and his stonefish. To overlook the store is not: In front of the old half-timbered house is a plum tree, which has indeed been fruitless for a long time, but hundreds of blue-colored pitchers and cups (Dorfstraße 18 b, Middelhagen, Tel 03 83 08/252 27) ,
My favorite walk The Rügen walk is for me the high shore way from the fishing village Lohme to Königsstuhl. Let's go directly behind the "Panoramahotel Lohme". The advantage: Because I managed to get there and back, I could as a reward a gourmet menu in this hotel on my hike. Before, I had four kilometers to go. First I walked through thick mixed forest, always the foaming sea at your feet and his roaring in the ears. Then continue on the beach over thick stones. And at some point the chalk cliffs that Caspar David Friedrich made world-famous with his romantic painting peeled out of the mist. It rarely radiates white in the winter as it does in the summer sun, but it lays lonely and I could climb it on solid wooden steps. Up in the cafe, there was great cake, warmth and a terrific view down. And I was in love.
Photoshow "Rügen in winter"
