Rostock, Germany

We took the ferry from Hiddensee at midday as planned. But the ferry wasn’t going to Stralsund that day as planned. So we arrived in Schaprode and had to take a bus. The we took a train from Bergen to Stralsund and another train to Rostock. Arrived as planned 😜.

Taxi to our hotel by the water. It was in a strange location, very industrialized area a bit far from town. But they upgraded us to the rooftop suite and it was fab! We had a two bed apt with lots of cool features including a wraparound balcony with great views of Rostock across the water. Shame we only had one night here. The rain was forecast so we asked if we could order food to the hotel and stay in for the evening, we had pizza and pasta delivered, the rain came right on schedule. We were told it would start at six and at 6.05 the balcony was soaking from the big heave raindrops. Germany efficiency at its best. Now, if only they could work on the internet coverage, but that’s a different story 😜

Next day we didn’t have far to go, just a quick taxi ride to the Radisson blue hotel in the town centre. The Baltic Coast is busy and when we changed our plans we couldn’t get two nights accommodation in one place. Anyway, the Radisson was lovely too, great central location. We dropped the bags and since we were early we decided to head to the zoo. We caught the tram outside the hotel door. Bought a family day ticket on the tram and six stops later we were there.

The zoo was good. The polar bears were the big hit and a new information, Polarium had recently been added which was informative and interesting. The gorillas and orang-utans were also good and the connected Darwinian information Centre had several displays on evolution.

Rathaus or City Hall

We took a walk around town later. Rostock is on Warnow River on the north coast of Germany. It’s known for Rostock University, founded in 1419 and based in the town centre. In the old town, the Gothic St. Mary’s Church, Marienkirche, features a 15th-century astronomical clock. Nearby is the cobblestone Neuer Markt main square and the pink colored Rathaus (town hall), which mixes Gothic and baroque styles.

The city was badly damaged during the bombings in WW2. Some of the original buildings remain while others were rebuilt to replicate the originals. We stayed near one of the remaining city gates, Kröpeliner Tor at one end of the main pedestrianized shopping street.