town a bit, had an early dinner and decided to call it an early night after
the long flights (and lack of sleep) from Denver.
Boarded the ship on Friday, managed to get unpacked and settled in before
the safety drill at 3:15 - it was one of the most efficient drills I have
taken part in, it was over very quickly. As the ship sailed off I could see
some people arriving by taxi a little too late - I am sure they were very
disappointed - not a great way to start a vacation.
Arrived at our first port, Kiel, Germany on Saturday and took a scenic drive
through the countryside of Schleswig-Holstein, known at the "Switzerland of
North Germany".
The first stop was Eutin. It was easy to see why this is called the "City of
Roses" - they even seemed to be growing out of the cracks in the sidewalks.
Here we visited St. Michael's Church and then spent time exploring the
narrow streets and local marketplace.
Next up was a boat ride to Dersau on Grosser Ploener Lake with medieval
villages scattered along the shores. Had lunch at a lovely inn before
making our way to Bosau to visit their historic church, dedicated to St.
Peter in 1151 and surrounded by a beautiful cemetery.
Last stop of the day was to the city of Ploen where an old castle and St.
Nikolai Church were both being set-up for an evening wedding and reception.
Great start!
