We had our first opportunity to take an overnight trip outside of Berlin, Ava was almost 6 weeks old and it was early July. We thought a trip north to Stralsund and the island of Rugen along the Baltic Sea would be a great first location. The trip was organized through Bayer so all we had to do was show up and hop on a bus. We of course wondered if we were crazy trying to take a tiny baby on a coach bus for 3+ hours, but when we arrived we saw many other families and most with young kids. Ava was a dream on the bus, sleeping almost the entire way. Ben and Megan took in the sights which consisted of frequent wind farms and a surprising amount of rural land starting directly outside of Berlin. A highlight was seeing the occasional Porsche fly past us in the left hand lane and disappear out of sight in seconds; our bus didn't travel quite so quickly.
We arrived in Stralsund about 1pm and boarded the Gorch Fock, an old ship that previously trained sailors. We were treated to a lunch of Fischbroetchen, a fish sandwich with pickled herring which Ben of course enjoyed. Megan went with the cheese option. After lunch we decided to begin exploring the town. We wandered through the the cobblestone city streets and stopped in the town square for a giant cappuccino. Ava continued to show off what an excellent traveler she was by sleeping continuously with only small breaks to eat. We were able to visit the old churches in Stralsund: St. Marienkirche and Nikolaikirche surviving since the 14th century. Before we knew it, it was time to head over to the island of Rugen via ferry where we would arrive at our evening destination, The Lindner Hotel and Spa.
The ferry had great views of the sights of Stralsund, as well as the shores of Rugen, the largest island in Germany. When we got to the hotel we quickly checked into our room before dinner. This was our first time experiencing the twin beds pushed together to make a joint sleeping area complete with individual down comforters. The hotel was able to provide us with a crib for Ava, but seeing that it came with a plush comforter and pillow, we decided she might need a harder surface. We headed downstairs for a buffet dinner including some regional fare: pork and sauerkraut always seem to make an appearance as well as a custard with fruit compote on top that Megan has also found in other restaurants. After dinner Ava got to take a quick peek at the Baltic Sea before bed. It was enjoyable but busy first day.
On Sunday we woke up amazed that Ava seemed to stick to her sleep schedule despite the change of location. She promptly went back to sleep after a quick bath and Ben and Megan were eager to check out the breakfast buffet. Highlights of the regional fare included jams and jellies of all varieties, rolls, croissants, and all of the deli cheese and meats you could imagine. After getting our fill the bus took us back to Stralsund for another half day in the town before heading home. We took a tour of the Ozeaneum which was equal parts aquarium and Stralsund Baltic Sea historical museum. After carrying the stroller up and down multiple flights of dimly lit stairs we made a promise to ourselves to make better use of the Bjorn carrier on our next trip. After the aquarium we wandered around town and got a quick bite to eat along the water before our bus ride back to Berlin.
While our first trip was a bit short, we proved to ourselves that we could travel with Baby, ate some great food, and met some new people. We look forward to our next adventure sometime in August.
