At the border between Bosnia and Croatia, we swelter away for an hour and a half in a traffic jam in 36°C heat. Back in the realm of EU roaming, we choose the penultimate stop of our journey.
By the end of June, almost all campsites in Croatia and Slovenia have gone completely mad. Between 50 and 100 € a day for a tent, two adults and a child – without a car or electricity – is the norm. Only one site still accepts our ACSI Card for a modest 25 €. (more…)
Road Trip 26: Austria, Slovenia & Italy
Our parental leave road trip begins on narrow roads through southern Bavaria, heading towards Salzburg. In Obertauern, the little Smurf challenges us to a snowball fight with the last remnants of winter. We drive toll-free over the steep Karawanken Pass to our first stop near Villach, at a small farm. The landlady, originally from Berlin, has found her home and her calling. A little one is delighted by the trampoline, treehouse, goats, horses and a brilliant breakfast.
Early the next morning, we carry on over the Wurzen Pass into Slovenia. During the First World War, more people died here from hunger and cold than from the fierce fighting. Today, we have enjoyed peace for a long time. These days, peace is probably no longer held in particularly high regard. Uphill, whole squadrons of road cyclists battle their way to the pass summit in 25°C heat, sweating buckets. Downhill, one of them keeps in contact with our rear bumper for a long time through tight bends at 80 km/h. Unlike his forebears, however, he reaches Slovenia alive. (more…)
Quo Vadis, Germania?
Leaving has never been harder. Our almost four-year-old little human has developed rough edges and now shows strengths and weaknesses. She couldn’t be better with all of them. As much as she pushed me to my limits again and again last year, I will miss her immensely during my month in Sinai.
I am leaving a country that is falling apart. The economic situation has never been more tense. There has never been less cohesion. I have never identified myself as “German”. But even at the railway station I miss the homeland I had forgotten at home: my Donautaler, the best bread in the world, with butter, chives and fleur du sel. (more…)
Abolish the fixed school holidays!
What comes after a lifetime of travelling? Short journeys? Travelling home? Not travelling at all? An ice age? Or just keep travelling? On a short trip to visit a good old kiteboarding friend behind the Swabian Alb, I realise that I’ve only been kitesurfing for 1:40 hours all year. That’s the lowest figure for a quarter of a century – and clearly too little for a good life and healthy body tension.
But my father urges me to take responsibility. So we go on a four-day short family holiday with a tent in Baden-Württemberg instead of a solo flight with the kites. The little one rejoices with the three children of our friends. Together with our friends, we spend short yet far too long nights finding out what family-friendly kitesurfing destinations are still affordable during the holiday season. (more…)
A journey through Postfactistan
I love travelling and people who think differently. They are my home. I respect discussion and even though I may often offend people with my sometimes extreme opinions, I always make an effort to either respect and understand other opinions – or to change them in objective discussions. The latter often also applies to my own.
Corona has finally sealed the demise of any meaningful culture of debate. The brilliant Israeli polymath Yuval Harari predicted back in 2016 in his deeply disturbing book “Homo Deus” that the internet would destroy democracies and ultimately humanity. Unfortunately, I can only agree with him today. (more…)
Rostock is colourful!
The only thing I knew about Rostock was the Sonnenblumenhaus. A good quarter of a century later, I knew little about it either. Or maybe never? So I wanted to see Rostock. The greeting in the middle of the KTV district, which is more colourful than Berlin, is “Welcome to the commune!”. A little surprised, I grin invisibly to myself.
Rostock is hard to grasp. Full of contradictions, colourful and still cruel in many areas. Cars drive on the left. That’s how you express your attitude. By parking in the centre of intersections you express your social vein. Every traffic light on main roads is red if you drive correctly. The speed cameras are at close intervals and the parking attendants love foreign licence plates. In the morning everything jams into the centre – in the evening outwards. Fortunately, kiters have the opposite rhythm. (more…)
Big waves @ Kägsdorf
Actually, the report should have been called “Warnemünde”. But after practically every spot on the Baltic Sea has only been available for a high parking fee in recent years, Warnemünde really takes the cake. Within an hour of searching for a car park in the furthest corners, I really can’t find anything under €20 for a longer kite session. In high season, you pay €3 per hour up to one kilometre from the beach. There are cheaper car parks. From October. They’re all full now.
I head west along the coast in search of cheaper kite spots. There are several kite spots here, e.g. Nienhagen, Heilgendamm and Kühlungsborn. Each one is hopelessly overcrowded. Parking costs at least €5. Despite the good wind, I don’t see a single kite in the sky. (more…)
The Schnatermann session
They still exist, even after 20 years of kiting. The little unexpected surprises. Surprise is an understatement. I’ve already visited Schnatermann, the nearest kitespot to Rostock, twice. Once I was too flat after a wave session in Markgrafenheide. The second time, the wind was too light even for fish and 13m².
Today the forecast was right. Fortunately, the predicted 38-knot peak didn’t materialise. I’m more than happy with 16 to 26 knots, which isn’t a bit of a bump but still fluctuates a lot. I find my favourite spot in Rostock under 10m² and mostly royal blue late summer skies. (more…)
Saal
The kite spot in Saal offers flat water and a large meadow for setting up and launching. Two kite schools hire out equipment on site and offer the only dry shelter even in shitty weather, as well as hot drinks and burgers. Parking costs €5 per day including toilet use. You can also camp here.
The entrance is via a few small stones in a 20 metre wide bay between rushes on the Bodden. If you want to use foils with long masts, you have to go out at least 150 metres. It is a little difficult to get out of the bay in a south-westerly wind. There is a lot of training on the water. Getting through this belt can also be a bit tight at times. (more…)
Markgrafenheide
Markgrafenheide is one of Rostock’s home spots. The journey from the city centre takes about 30 minutes by car. In Markgrafenheide you can only park centrally and for a fee. Many of the small residential streets are fire service access roads. Never park in the wild! There is a lot of towing.
Rügen – Thiessow
Crossing Rügen can take an hour, depending on traffic. If you have your accommodation in the east in westerly winds, Thiessow, located at the end of a headland in the south-east, is a good alternative to avoid long island crossings.
You can park for €8 directly at the small campsite in front of Klein-Zicker, including toilet facilities. Or you can walk 250m to the Thiessow bathing car park, which costs a maximum of €5 per day. Pitches are set up on the meadow next to the campsite. There is also a small hire shop and school there, but no catering.
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Rügen rocks!
Rügen has been my favourite German kitespot for 20 years. Reliable forecasts for easterly and westerly winds, plenty of space at all spots for every wind direction and no dangerously steep rock dams like on Fehmarn are reason enough, right? Oh yes, the largest standing area in Europe off Suhrendorf and plenty of flat water at practically every spot, as well as some wave spots in the east: time for the second kite report after ten trips.
The three of us set off from Regensburg early in the morning with a bus, trailer, seven boards and even more kites for the nine-hour journey to Rügen. The forecast has fluctuated quite a lot over the last few days, and the wind directions have also varied considerably. In the afternoon, we land at the Ummaii Surf Hostel in Suhrendorf, put up in one of the simple, affordable cabins with eight beds and immediately push the trailer to the dyke 200 metres away. (more…)
Fehmarn: take me home
The journey to the Baltic Sea takes a good nine hours and a lot of traffic jams through almost 40 degrees to Fehmarn. For many days, the wind oracles heralded the approaching end of the hottest June in living memory. Strong winds swept the heat away to the east for a whole week. There are more kites hanging in the sky over Fehmarn than baubles on a Christmas tree. The feeling is Christmas-like: very cold – but full of endorphins.
Rabbits hop fearlessly between the car and waving cornfields. Swallows give wind warnings by scratching their belly feathers on blades of grass. Shawn the sheep bleat as they graze on the dykes. The radio warns wind-prone vehicles not to cross exposed bridges. The trees are bending. We are clearly in the right place at the right time. (more…)
Kitespots Wismar
Wismar is not famous as a good kitespot, but it has a lot to offer: firstly, at least half a dozen good kitespots within a radius of 40 kilometres. Secondly, a beautiful old town with a lot of history and, thanks to its small university, some nightlife away from the Musikantenstadel. Thirdly, good food and a large selection of affordable accommodation from €15 per night – ask at the tourist information centre on the main square.
The kite spots around Wismar all have one thing in common: the sea is very shallow. In some cases, you should stand 300 metres out for every jump – crash landings in 20 cm of water are no fun. At some kitespots, the local authorities charge outrageous fees for parking and beach use – but there are plenty of free kitespots. (more…)
Kitesurfing On Rügen
Let’s go to Rügen! The wind had been dead for weeks and the entire summer was non-existent anyway. On our first night on a farm, we experience a small harvest apocalypse. Huge combine harvesters flatten all the fields within a radius of one kilometre until four in the morning. It was probably the first rain-free night on Rügen this “summer”.
The next morning it’s raining cats and dogs again. The chalk cliffs disappear into the grey. Then the wind finally arrives. It is too strong and onshore at Wieker Boden. We cross over to Ummanz and head out to Suhrendorf beach. (more…)
Dresden
Ask me about the most beautiful waterfall in Fiji! Ask me where the sea turtles swim in the Dominican Republic! Ask me about the best of 92% of all gyros stands on Rhodes! Ask me about the most beautiful volcano in New Zealand! But when a couchsurfer asks me: “Which city in Germany should I visit?”: I just stand there like an ox in front of a mountain.
For the blog generation, no spot on the map is whiter than their home country. After much deliberation, I have to admit that I only know three cities in Germany well. That has to change. A customer calls me to Saxony. The afternoon and evening belong to Dresden. (more…)
Snowkiting in and around Regensburg
I’ve been kiting since 1999 and since then there has never been snow and wind at the same time in Regensburg. This week is different. We’ve had snow for a long time and the wind has given us three good days of snowboarding and kiting this week. On Tuesday I’m going snowkiting for the first time in my life.
The wind at the Regensburg windmill is quite weak and the holes in between always make for forced sessions in the snow. But it’s enough for a few first tracks. With 10 knots of wind and 15 cm of snow, I’ve never had so much fun. I buy my first helmet in the evening. Snow is harder than water. (more…)
Autumn kite on Lake Brombach
Autumn is here. The outdoor seating areas are closing. You don’t bump into anyone drinking coffee anymore. I don’t like autumn, especially not after a rather uneventful and cold summer anyway. Nothing moves, I’m bored. The only great thing about autumn is the wind.
Today it’s arriving in full force at Brombachsee. The locals are right: yes, on good weekends the lake is pretty full. But firstly, it’s still bearable compared to most other good spots. Secondly, I don’t mind at all if it gets even more crowded, the way some top dogs defend their clearing. (more…)
A good story
I’m going travelling again. For the first time in many months, the web designer is also feeling the effects of the economic crisis. It’s about time, and it feels good. A friend is having a party for no reason in the foothills of the Alps. After a three-hour drive through the worst holiday traffic jam, I arrive in Kaufbeuren in the early evening. The address says it all: Schönblick.
Celebrating for no reason is good. No destination, no plan, no expectation. Everything that is: just happens. What doesn’t happen is not missed. I know no one and expect nothing. Few old rules apply today. But few in return – and perhaps precisely because of that – all the more so. My favourite: good things only happen when you don’t expect them. (more…)
Stuttgart-Reinlichingen
Kai’s party is great, but I always get tired of scout songs very quickly. After the third beer, I fall into the yurt, which is almost impervious to the rain. At dawn, fog rolls through the forest. I pack my things and leave. Tanja in Stuttgart must have been away a bit too much, I can’t reach her.
The streets of Stuttgart show the true Swabian obsession with order. There are more signs than cars. Some I’ve never seen before (environmental zone?). There are two speed traps for every sign. Nobody drives even one kilometre faster than the speed limit. The streets are empty and clean, the parks large and green. You’re not allowed to lie down on the grass unless there’s a sign. That makes it sound like you have to lie down. (more…)
Still life from Nagold
A tourist in his own country visits the Black Forest: Nagold, a small town surrounded by dark, steep forests. No parking space in the centre is free, so the forest around it is something completely different. A sign in front of the local CDU association with its 70s-style curtains indicates that parking is prohibited. I park my car. Nagold is quiet, dark and empty this evening. My tour of the town takes 15 minutes.
Hobbingen: The houses may not have grass on the roofs, but there is plenty of wood in the walls. The windows are small. The residents hide behind them. The streets are so clean that the village alcoholics look even dirtier. Two auxiliary hip-hoppers in white gangsta outfits waddle to the nearest hotspot with beer bottles. (more…)
Constance
I am in Constance. An Australian import in the making could use some help with her architecture thesis. I offered to help her with the modelling in Melbourne. Always doing what you say is very difficult right now. She is finalising the plans while I build the model of her library. 10-12 hours a day. Eating out. A few hours at night doing my job: web design.
My plan was something between six and eight hours a day. Travelling a bit further and getting to know Germany. But even 10 hours a day is nowhere near enough. Seven days before delivery, there’s still nothing from the model, not even materials and tools. I’m doing what I can, but it can’t be enough, and above all it feels like I’m wasting myself. (more…)
Munich
Munich is exactly the same as always: everyone drives like idiots, the beer is expensive and nobody speaks Bavarian. I visit David. We move from roast pork to the Isarauen and beer garden to gyros one Sunday. I’ve been here before. Everything is strangely familiar and far away. Another European Championship quarter-final is on in the evening. I sleep through half of it.
Business appointments drive me through Munich on my bike in temperatures of over 30 degrees. I don’t want to live here, I’m glad I’m only here for two days. Everything dissolves a little, even customers. In this case positively, from now on there are two separate HPs to look after. I’m not standing still, but I’m not moving either. I look out onto the street. A summer storm scatters its hailstones over Munich. (more…)
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.