This past June, we found ourselves situated on the idyllic Baltic coast complete with Strandkorbs (beach loungers, literally „beach baskets“ – see below for pics) smack dab between Lübeck and Rostock.
In our simple vacation home, we found a welcome peace and solice after many months of quarantine and distance learning.
We were ready for a break!
We were fortunate to be able to escape the city and enjoy the salty breeze, fresh seafood and country calmness in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which has been least effected by COVID-19 here in Germany.
We loved this spot. We had a garden for the kids to play in and for us to enjoy meals.
We were five minutes from a nice FKK (Freikörperkultur – https://atomic-temporary-144439175.wpcomstaging.com/2019/12/07/fkk-freikorperkultur/) beach.
Not that we were looking for FKK. It just kind of found us.
We all remained clothed in our bathing suits, but I was surprised that the boys never made a comment or looked twice at the mostly geriatric nude bodies around us — many of which were enjoying games of volleyball sans clothing,
We went to that particular beach twice that week on account of it being so close by, so quiet and there being an excellent Italian restaurant next door.
It did come with one surprise resident however. Qualle – jellyfish!
I was the first to go into the water and I spotted them right off the bat.
Memories of receiving a painful jellyfish sting off the coast of South Carolina as a girl almost made me jump back in fear.
However, I quickly noticed mothers with their small children in the shallow waters swimming without acknowledging these sea creatures.
I eased a little, while still intentionally trying to avoid them, so as not to alarm my boys who would soon discover these interlopers.
With my crude German, I approached a mom explaining my ‘Angst’ for these sea animals. Are they a problem? “No,” she said. “They don’t sting you.”
Google assured me these odd beings did not sting as they were Moon Jellyfish, a nuisance that were multiplying quite rapidly in the Baltic Sea as a result of global warming.
In the end, we all gleefully exhisted amongst these creatures as they casually bumped into our flailing limbs as we unknowingly swam by.
One other great aspect of our rental house was the beautiful strawberry farm at the end of the road.
One evening, right before the strawberry patch closed and an impending rainstorm let loose, Isaac and I visited and quickly filled a large basket before whisking them off to the Fereinhaus (vacation house) for everyone to enjoy.
Ben joined us a few days later while Dave took a work call back at the rental. While we filled another large basket full of red beauties, the boys left with bellies stuffed with these candy-like Erdbeeren (strawberries).
All and all, it was a lovely stay. While we were without a dishwasher for the first few days before the owners replaced it with a new one, this bare bones vacation home grew on us. For me, it was because it afforded us such a centrally located HQ for our Hanseatic Adventures.
Berlin Lubells: Stories of Life in Berlin from an American Expat Mom's First Experience Living Abroad 