The Queen Elizabeth docked in Warnemünde

Whenever I tell anyone that I am going on a trip, the predictable question asked of me is, “Where are you going to in Portugal?” But as much as I enjoy visits to the mainland and the Azores, I also like to explore other parts of the world.

This autumn, my partner and I embarked on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth at Southampton, England for a 14-day Baltic Highlights Voyage.

Our first port of call was the seaside resort town of Warnemünde, at the mouth of the River Warnow, in Germany (formerly the German Democratic Republic – East Germany). In the nearby town of Rostock we explored the Neuer Markt, surrounded by beautiful houses, the Town Hall (The Rathaus), and Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church, begun in the 13^th century).

The highlight for us, however, was talking to our tour guide, a young man in his thirties, who shared with us his life story of growing up in a post-Berlin-Wall Germany.

Our time there ended too quickly and soon we were back on the ship sailing onwards north across the Baltic Sea to our next stop: Helsinki, Finland.

Universität Rostock

The Rathaus (Town Hall) with countdown to the 600th anniversary of the University

houses along Neuer Markt, Rostock

houses along Universitätsplatz, Rostock

St. Marien Kirche (St. Mary’s Church), Rostock

Neuer Markt, Rostock

The Fountain of the Joy of Life, Rostock

Warnemünder’s oldest Kirche

Bookstore in Warnemünde 

Warnemünde Lighthouse

Baltic Sea 

Warnemünde Beach