The dreary weather between winter and spring has put me in a melancholical mood and makes me long for some real sunshine. So I checked my photos for some pretty pics.
There, that's much better. A sunny spring afternoon I spent on a little tour on the Flensburg Firth - with a good Flensburg beer. :-)
The Flensburg Firth or Flensburger Förde, as it is called in German, is the westernmost Baltic Sea inlet on the Schleswig peninsula. It is actually not a firth (fjord) because it was not shaped by a glacier flowing into the sea, but by a landward moving glacier that pushed up material in front of it to form part of the peninsula. A Förde is also shallower than a firth.
The Flensburg Firth is the border between Germany in the south and Denmark in the north today. Historically, the Schleswig peninsula was a contested area between Germany and Denmark for most of the time, and the border shifted accordingly.
The length of the firth is 40 or 50 km, depending on the definition, since the inlet is divided in two parts by some islands. The little ship tour - actually a ferry connection that can also be booked as 3 hours round trip - only travels the inner firth to the Ox Islands / Sønderhav on the Danish side and the town of Glücksburg on the German side.
It had been a spontaneous idea, since I actually had come to Flensburg for the pretty houses in the old town, but it was one of the best ideas I had. The tour was absolutely lovely.
One of the more splendid sights of the tour is the Naval Academy Mürwick, the main training establishment for German Navy officers. It is situated on a small hill overlooking the firth. The main building is also know as the 'Red Castle' due to its colour and architecture.
The harbour of Flensburg is very pretty with marinas for sailing boats, a historical harbour, and some ferry terminals. Nothing big, and no huge freighter ships around. It was a quiet and sunny place that afternoon.
I stayed in Flensburg to wait for the evening train back to Schleswig where my hotel was, and walked around the historical harbour and the old town in the evening sun.
Göttingen is a pretty town, and the surrounding mountain areas of Harz, Solling and Meissner are beautiful, but I do miss the sea sometimes. At least I have the photos and the memories.
And hopefully, my mood will soon improve and I'll be able to write the second post about the Hiddensee treasure which I have promised.