Thursday, August 19, 2004

Aaarrrrr, matey!

August 8th


Right after dinner last night we had to run home, and Sabine and I packed up to go to the Baltic Sea. Originally we didn’t want to go until early Saturday morning, but Sabine had received a warning from her sister, who lives up there, saying that we would get stuck in traffic if we waited till Saturday. Up in Warnemünde, they had this sailing regatta and parade where they show off historical sailing ships from various countries. And people wearing silly hats. And a ship called Kevin! And a pirate ship complete with parrots. It was so packed, you couldn’t even get to that side of the port anymore from outside. But Sabine’s dad, an ex-army officer, knew his stuff, and so we went to this open day thing at the marine base on the other side of the bay and took a boat over. The marine base was nice…oh boy, men in uniform…
They had all this stuff on exhibition, among these some diving gear. I dunno how anyone can swim with the stuff, I suppose one just sinks like a stone, 'cause I couldn’t even lift it.

The sailing parade was awesome! We got really good seats at the quay, and ate fish rolls, and let the sun burn us, and watched the ships and jelly fish. There were about a million people, which is in that heat normally really annoying, but it was well worth it.

Anyways, it’s been ages since I have been up there. The Baltic Sea is gorgeous. The air up there is fantastic, fresh, salty and clean. The beaches are white, and the jelly fish aren’t poisonous. Warnemünde has this cool lighthouse and a café called The Tea Pot right at the beach which looks awesome. There is an exhibition about some random adventurer who brought back treasures and stuffed animals from random islands all over the world. They celebrate him like some hero, but Sabine and I had the same thought: if people did the same stuff today and put a dead crocodile in their suitcase for a souvenir, they would get their ass kicked by customs.
Sabine and I strolled through Warnemünde, had some ice coffee and then went on to a beach outside town.

Right.

That was creepy.

As we walked across the dunes, my visual nerves screamed and then sort off shut off communication with my brain.
It was a mixed beach. Not mixed as in sexes (although that as well, of course), but mixed as in semi-nudist.
East Germans have always been very liberal about that sort of stuff, but I never was. I need my privacy… it just totally creeps me out to get nekkid in front of people, and before you ask, Jun, I didn’t get nekkid this time either. And no, no pictures were taken, either. Hell, I’d just bought myself a new bikini, why on earth would I want to take it off?

There is this illusion Americans tend to have about nudist beaches. They think it’s all Baywatch without the clothes. But the thing about nudist beaches is that it’s always the wrong people taking their clothes off. You know those beach postcards you can get with those really big nekkid women on them? Like that.
I guess it’s just that I am such a prude, so nekkid people freak me out.

Anyways, you got the whole works, but my “favourite” (as in biggest horror) was this old git (hitting 70) who walked down the beach wearing a back pack ... and nothing else. *shudder*

The sea was cold and full of jellyfish. I love jellyfish. They are pretty and elegant in their magic translucency, and the ones in the Baltic Sea don’t sting. People say they are icky because they are slimy, but hey, just don’t touch them. They are not more slimy than a fish, they are just like jelly, hence the name, and therefore very sensitive. What I hated were those stupid guys on a blanket next to us who chased each other around, throwing jellyfish at each other. All I have to say to you wankers is that even though jellyfish are no higher-classed/brained animals, they are still living creatures, and they don’t deserve to die for a second of cheap fun.

Anyways, I burnt myself, as usual, and we went home in the evening, having fresh buttered bread and fresh smoked butterfish for dinner. It was gorgeous.

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