What time is it? - Holiday time!

Arriving at the sea

The Baltic Sea is one of the Germans' favourite domestic destinations to travel to. Many families have been spending their extensive summer holidays there for generations because they’d been bitten by the ‘Don’t-you-dare-to-go-somewhere-else bug’ and, honestly, who could blame them?

Lovely and quiet villages, big seaports, touristy events and peaceful hiking trails, long windy beaches, rough waves and the taste of salt in both water and air are the ingredients that are loved by numerous travellers.

The connection between my family and the Baltic Sea is a really special one so that we’re always delighted to come back there. ... In summer 1999 my grandparents took me to Nonnevitz, which is a little village on Rügen, Germany’s biggest island.

After we had had breakfast and squeezed the last bags into the boot we headed towards our personal super summer experience.

At the beginning the weather wasn’t too enjoyable because of the rain. Not surprising, isn’t it an unwritten rule that bad weather is often a disliked but nevertheless trusty companion while having leisure time, never mind.

Another even more mentionable fact was the incidence, which had happened in the town of Greifswald shortly before we drove through this place. When we were listening to the news on the radio, we heard the announcement that the most wanted German criminal of the year 1999 had been caught after a long and violent escape from prison. … Kind of creepy! … Breathe deeply and keep going!

After we had arrived at Nonnevitz we made ourselves at home in a neat bungalow, which was furnished homey (arranged with warm wooden interior) and situated near the forest just a few hundred metres from the sea.

Of course, we had no other intention than walking to the beach straight away: rushing waves, circling seagulls, the characteristic smell of salty water and a few ships on the horizon - what a welcome! Throwing away the sandals and dipping the feet into the wet element was the best thing to do at this moment.