Eine Tüte Urlaub – One bag filled with vacation. I turn over the little bag on my lap, smiling as I can feel the soft sand through its plastic cover. A small yellow paper umbrella throws a hint of shade on two tiny shells, all sealed with the letters: “Eine Tüte Urlaub”. As well as the hashtag, #WirSindInsel. Greetings from the island of Rügen.
Of course, this “bag filled with vacation” immediately goes up on my Flickr online photo gallery. And confirms me in my thinking: The island of Rügen has to be quite a special place. They really do things differently here.
It is no surprise that we, as Austrians, love to go and visit the Baltic Sea Coast in northern Germany. Today, let me tell you just what makes the island of Rügen, in particular, so special.
Rügen is a nature paradise of a kind. I feel like UNESCO simply had to honour this spectacular force of nature, a unique combination of jurassic rock coastline, old beech tree forests and a turquoise sea below, with their World Heritage status for the protection of its natural heritage.
“Dear Gudrun, please have me stay longer next time will you ..?”, I tell my friend & local tourism expert Gudrun Krüger, who has offered to take me around feeding my curiosity for the day. Bit by bit, I come to understand the natural pride of the people there, and just why everybody travelling to the Baltic Sea should really also go to Rügen.
Check this out.
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The island of Rügen (as in, the small spa resort town of Binz) …
… is a paradise for foodies …
… as much as it is for nature lovers: Take this view, for instance, right by the famous Königsstuhl coastline near Sassnitz.
Where to eat in Rügen, then? Go wine & dine yourself at the organic restaurant meerSalz at the Meersinn hotel in Binz.
Today still, I can taste the friendly atmosphere as well as the excellent cuisine offered by the organic restaurant at the Upstalsboom hotel Meersinn. If you consider coming here, do make a point of booking a table: Places fill up, and it really is something I can recommend to you full-heartedly!
A gourmet’s paradise …
… that’s what the organic seaside restaurant meerSalz is here in Binz.
Right now, at the height of summer, Binz has a lot going for itself …
… go get your first orientation and information at the local “Haus des Gastes” tourist information …
… thank you, dear Gudrun, for your “bag filled with vacation” (Eine Tüte Urlaub!) here in Rügen! 😀
Where to go & what to see? Head over to the local Tree Top Walk as well as the historic documentation centre in Prora.
Over the past couple of years, I have visited quite a few tree top walks around, among them one along the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne as well as one closer to home, in the country of Salzburg in Austria. But the Tree Top Walk in Rügen is different from the rest. Why? Because it a) naturally seems to “wrap itself” around an extraordinarily tall tree and b) offers views of a kind from its top viewing platform. Off you go to “Strandstraße 1” then …
… where you can catch a glimpse of this spectacular nature attraction …
… even from a distance …
… and looking out upon the sea shore!
Come right out here if you prefer the peace and quiet …
… that a natural forest walk like this implies …
… hiking among the mighty beech tree forests in the national park Jasmund in Rügen.
Finally, the historic documentation centre Prora …
… offers a monument of a kind, raised at a time and age where Hitler’s regime wanted to build a huge spa camp for workers here, and whose remnants are now gradually being turned into (holiday) homes for interested vacationists.
Where else to go? Go get touchy feely with whales, penguins & the likes at the Ocean Museum in Stralsund.
Last but not least, do make a point of visiting the so-called Ozeaneum with its attractive variety of sea creatures, fish, octopus, even penguins (!) in the hanseatic town of Stralsund. The city with its historic centre offers a perfect stopover on any trip to or from the island of Rügen, and easily lends itself to being explored further.
Beautiful Stralsund …
… with the possibility of combining a city view with a penguin sunbathing on the ocean museum’s terrace …
… as well as plenty of other creatures at the many aquaria of Stralsund …
… including mighty deep sea creatures in this particularly fascinating exhibition hall.
Baltic sea culture …
… you really have a way of getting to me …
… in all your unique beach glory: Please have me come back soon again !!
And because there can never be enough beach huts (“Strandkörbe”) on a Baltic Sea beach, my previous post here whisks you away to exploring even more of the Baltic Sea Coast, from Rostock to Wustrow.
Check out my colourful image gallery from this Baltic Sea summer trip here:
See you soon in North-Eastern Germany!
Disclaimer: I have been invited by the German National Tourist Board to ” #EnjoyGermanNature ” on this nature trip to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. All opinions are my own.