We sailed overnight from Copenhagen, Denmark to Warnemunde a Baltic Sea port in northern Germany. There is more to this quaint little town than meets the eye. For centuries it was a small fishing village but in the first and second World Wars it was used as a base for the Germans to build aircraft and other war-going machinery. Nowadays it is Germany's busiest cruise ship port, and also a major destination for German nationals looking to holiday on the coast.

Warnemunde’s old town was a short stroll from the ship – and we got off early to take in the sights. The fresh seafood market was open and it was great to watch the fishing boats unloading their catches for sale on the stalls lining the streets. There were numerous restaurants and cafes (most of which were still closed) lining the main canal - and one could see the place would really jump in the high season.

The local produce market was in full swing (it was Saturday), on the main town square a few blocks back from the canal, and we wandered through the cobbled streets taking in the village like atmosphere. Most of the guest houses and hotels were quiet, but again you could see how these would come to life in the high season - June through August.

After about 90 minutes we ambled over to the railway station and jumped on a train for Rostock – the region’s main city, about 15-minutes away. At the other end we caught a tram to the old town square – at which, once more, there was a weekend produce market in procession.

The old town of Rostock – as opposed to the newer parts – is a charming blend of ancient churches and civic buildings – including the world’s oldest university founded in the 13th century. Everywhere there are beautiful street scapes: lines of pastel coloured old houses, charming little squares, fountains and grand statuary. The town was originally encircled by a protective wall dating from the 11th century – there were a number of huge gateway portals providing entry. Only a few of these remain standing along with traces of the wall.

Interspersed among this ancient scene is Rostock’s main shopping and commercial precinct. All of the mainstream brands are there, many housed in old buildings: H&M, Zara, Thomas Cook, and numerous others. Seeing this really does underscore how genericised the world has become.

One thing however that does stand German shopping strips apart from others is the preponderance of cake shops! They are everywhere – and the cream cakes, slices, donuts and roulades on offer are staggering. It really is carbohydrate city and yet proportionally to the number of people on the streets I would surmise that Australia probably has a higher percentage of obese.

After a long walk through the old town, and down to the seafront we came across a flea market – there were a few interesting sights there with some very alternative and bohemian types floating around. The goods on offer were much like flea markets the world over: lots of old tack amongst a few potentially exciting 'finds’.

We settled in to a bistro – kind of an upmarket food court – for lunch, and enjoyed the local fare. German sausage with sauerkraut, pickled red cabbage, creamy vegetables and so on. Real comfort food, and delicious as well. We also succumbed to one of the large choux pastry cream cakes on offer – and shared this as neither of us could have done one justice on our own.

And that about wrapped up our visit to Rostock; so it was time to retrace our tram and train journey and head back to Warnemunde and the ship. By the time we got back, the town (Warnemunde) had really kicked into high gear. There was another cruise ship in as well, and the combined passenger numbers – some disembarking, some embarking and others like us in transit - and crew on shore leave, meant the little place was really rocking. Crowds everywhere sightseeing, shopping, drinking and eating. Which was great as the region is highly dependent on tourism.

This region was part of what was Eastern Germany prior to the country’s reunification in 1990. Although there was little evidence for us to see, the town of Rostock has a somewhat dark place in recent history: it was a stronghold for the Nazis and figured prominently in the terrorisation and oppression of the Jews. In the early 1990s it was also a bastion for the ultra-right white supremacist movement.

Nowadays of course it presents a far more benign disposition – one that we were very happy to experience if only for a day.

Auf Weiderseine

Keri